My Brother's A Jinchuriki
by Syren7137
Summary: Book One: Deep in the Land of Fire, in the Hidden Leaf Village, the hero Naruto Uzumaki lives. But, what if he had a sister? Enter Natsumi Uzumaki. She's your typical twin sister- empathetic, responsible, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her brother... but what happens when she falls for her brother's sensei? (This is a slow burn romance spanning many years)
1. Key

Key for normal chapters:

Normal font for out loud speech, actions, narrations, etc.

_Italicized writing indicates Natsumi's thoughts._

_"Italicized writing in quotation marks indicates someone else's thoughts."_

_Italicized words for tonal change/sarcasm/exaggeration/etc._

Key for flashbacks:

_Italicized writing for out loud speech, actions, narrations, etc._

Normal font for Natsumi's thoughts.

"Normal font in quotation marks for someone else's thoughts."

Normal words for tonal change/sarcasm/exaggeration/etc in a conversation.


	2. Prologue: Enter- Naruto Uzumaki!

"Naruto! Why would you do such a thing?" Two Konoha Shinobi chased after the Village's rascal, Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto laughed obstinately as he ran ahead of them, carrying a bucket of paint in his right hand.

"You're really gonna get it this time!" The other man shouted after the boy, who continued to laugh mockingly.

Naruto leapt into the air, his feet setting down on the side of a building, and he pushed off again, bouncing between buildings to evade the Ninja. They followed him easily, though Naruto doubled-back, barely escaping them, and laughed once more.

"I don't care!" He shouted as he avoided being caught. "You know what your problem is? You can't do the things I do! Only I can do this! I'm better than all of you! Believe it!"

Behind him the faces of the Village's Leaders— The Hokages— watched over the village, immortalized in stone. Ordinarily, they were a sight to behold, but today they were covered in paint and vandalized by none other than the Village's most troublesome boy.

In the Hokage's office, the quiet environment was disturbed by two out-of-breath ninja bursting inside.

"Lord Hokage!"

"There's a problem, sir!"

The Hokage turned from his canvas and held the brush in his hand still as he turned to acknowledge the intrusion.

"What is it?" His words were muffled by the pipe in his mouth. His brows furrowed and he immediately guessed what had them so worked up. "Did that Naruto do something again?"

"Yes. He climbed onto the mountain images." The first ninja began to explain, lifting his hands and moving them as he spoke.

"—And he vandalized and graffitied all over them!" the second man finished, waving his arms in alarm.

Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh and released a slow stream of smoke from his lips. That boy was always causing some kind of mischief...

Out on the streets, Naruto continued to stay just one step ahead of his pursuers.

"Wait!" One man called, panting. As troublesome as this boy was, it was difficult to chase after him when he had so much energy.

They touched down on the ground, far behind Naruto, and leapt into the air again to search for him, realizing that he'd gotten just out of sight.

Once they had passed, Naruto slowly lowered the vertically striped blanket he'd been holding up to disguise himself as part of the fence behind him. He grinned at his success and rubbed the back of his head, laughing out loud.

"Why should I?" He asked himself, his pride dulling his senses and he was unable to notice a man approach from behind.

Iruka Umino rested his fists on his hips, furrowed his brows, and leaned in close to Naruto to shout. "Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped in surprise and fell on his backside. He blinked up at the man, resting his palms on the ground as he looked up.

"How did you suddenly get here, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka pointed accusingly down at Naruto, beginning his lecture. "The question is what are you doing here when you should be in class now?"

Naruto groaned as Iruka dragged him back to the Academy, tying him up and setting him in front of the class for all to see.

"Now listen, Naruto." Iruka lectured his student as he stood over him with his arms crossed and hazelnut eyes stern. "You failed the last Graduation test and the one before that. This is no time to be goofing off, you fool!"

Naruto pursed his lips, closing his eyes and turning away from his teacher, ignoring his every word and refusing to reply.

Iruka gritted his teether, furrowing his brow as he watched Naruto continue to ignore him, then turned to the rest of the class and pointed to a spot on the floor nearby.

"We will have a re-test on the Transformation Jutsu! Even those who already passed will take it!"

"Whaaaat?" The students collectively cried out in protest, some glaring at Naruto.

After some time of groaning and mumbling, the students lined up and demonstrated the Jutsu in turn.

A pink-haired girl stepped forward for her turn, adjusting her stance and making the proper hand sign.

"Sakura Haruno." She announced and took a breath. "Here I go... Transform!"

A puff of smoke surrounded her and when it cleared, a second Iruka stood in her place.

Iruka looked over her transformation, nodding as he checked her name off of the list on his clipboard.

"Okay!" He smiled, and Sakura's appearance returned to normal.

"I did it!" She beamed, praising herself, and then looked to one boy in line. "Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?"

Next, Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka announced and Sakura moved to the back of the line, pouting slightly as the boy didn't even look her way.

The dark-haired boy named Sasuke stepped forward as Iruka finished jotting down the last notes under Sakura's name. Without waiting for his teacher to look up, the boy quickly transformed into Iruka's copy.

Iruka looked up, seeing that this transformation was also adequate. "O-okay."

Sasuke undid the transformation and reappeared after the smoke cleared with his hands in his pockets, without acknowledging his senior. He moved to the back of the line and Iruka called out the next name.

"Next, Naruto Uzumaki."

"This is a real pain." The taller boy with his dark hair tied up in a high ponytail stared at Naruto in apathy.

"And it's all your fault." The blonde girl on Naruto's other side added in agreement.

"Like I care!" Naruto muttered to himself as he stepped forward. He made the hand sign and stood with his feet apart. "Transform!"

A cloud of smoke enveloped him, but when it cleared, a tall, blonde woman stood in his place with long twin ponytails, smooth, pale skin, and a large chest. She was completely naked and winked at Iruka and blew him a kiss.

Iruka's mouth gaped in shock at the lewd sight and he stared at the Transformation, unable to look away. His nose began to bleed and he fell backward in surprise.

Naruto's appearance returned to Normal and he pointed at the teacher and laughed loudly.

"How was it?" He teased the man as he attempted to recover. "I call it the Sexy Jutsu."

Iruka stood and leaned close to Naruto's face, furrowing his brows and clenching his fists.

"You fool! Stop making idiotic spells!"

Iruka exhaled and pointed to the end of the line, ordering Naruto to stand there out of sight and to stay out of trouble. He managed to finish the testing without incident and they continued through their regular lessons, with Iruka taking extra care to watch Naruto in the event he tried to leave the room again.

Finally, after the school day seemed to drag on forever, the students were able to return home, though Iruka marched Naruto to Hokage Rock, ignoring his complaints.


	3. Chapter 1: Enter- Natsumi Uzumaki

"Darn..." Naruto muttered as he scrubbed the stone face of the First Hokage, supported by hanging scaffolding, while Iruka supervised atop the stone head.

"I won't let you go home until you clean that all up." Iruka reminded him, arms crossed.

Naruto stopped wiping and looked up. "I don't care. There's nobody home anyways." He returned to his work with a huff and Iruka watched each stroke of the cloth.

"Nobody, huh?"

Naruto glanced up from cleaning to see a familiar figure standing atop the monument.

"Natsumi!" He grinned and held his hand over his eyes to block out the blinding sun.

She crossed her arms and turned her head away. "Sorry, what was that? I thought you said that you had nobody at home."

"Hey, hey! That's not fair!" Naruto protested, but his twin laughed and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm only teasing, Nato." She smiled as she used the nickname she'd used for him as a toddler. "You know I love you."

Iruka turned and smiled at the girl. "Hey, Natsumi. Where have you been all day?"

She waved at Iruka and sat beside him, sweeping her vibrant red hair behind her ear. Her dusky violet eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Hidemi-sensei asked me to run a few errands for her and then she let me go early because my scores are so high."

"No fair!" Naruto called up and his eyes narrowed at her. "How come she gets to ditch class and I can't?"

"It's because she's a good student who earns her days off!" Iruka scolded him. "Unlike you!"

Natsumi giggled and put her hands up to her mouth. "Yeah, you goofball! I told you not to cut class anymore!"

"It's not my fault that his lessons are so boring." Naruto muttered and Iruka huffed. Natsumi laughed again.

"Boring or not, you still should be paying attention." Iruka sighed. "Do you want to remain at the Academy until you're an old man?"

Naruto mimicked him quietly under his breath, wiping away a glob of paint. Natsumi stood and gently leapt down, landing next to him. He turned to her and noticed large tears in her jacket.

"What happened to you? I thought you were running errands?"

Natsumi looked down at the fabric and shrugged. "Well, I had the day to myself, so I did a lot of training. My jacket got ruined, but it's no big deal. I have another one just like it."

She held up a hand sign and reversed the concealment she'd placed on herself, revealing the large stains over the yellow jacket.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Is that... blood?!"

She shrugged and unzipped the jacket and shrugged it off, balling it up in her hands as she grinned. "Don't worry, it's not mine."

She dipped the jacket into the bucket of water and began to work on wiping away a glob of paint.

"Oh, oka—" He blinked and a chill shot down his spine. "What do you mean it's not yours? Who's is it?! Why are you covered in blood!? Don't say something like that so casually! You sound like some kind of serial killer."

Natsumi broke out into loud, boisterous laughs, bending over. Finally, she wiped her eyes and straightened.

"I'm not a killer, I swear!" She giggled again and wiped her eyes again. "I was just training and some wild animals attacked me, and I won. it's nothing to worry about."

"Wild animals?" Naruto crossed his arms, looking her up and down in scrutiny. Eventually, he sighed. "Alright, alright, I believe you. But next time don't do anything so reckless!"

"If anyone should be worried, it's me." She watched him resume cleaning after she'd started again. "You're the one skipping class and causing trouble. Man, I really am failing as an older sister. I thought I was raising you better than that."

Naruto glared, his eye twitching. "Older... sister..." He took a breath and leaned close to her face. "You're not my older sister! We're twins, I tell you! We're the same age!"

Natsumi swung her wet jacket and it made contact with the side of his face. He teetered at the strike and wiped his head with his sleeve to sop up the water.

"Hey!" He complained.

"I'm three minutes older, which makes me your older sister! So, it's my job to look after you!"

"We're the same age, I say! We're twins!" He gripped the collar of her shirt and gritted his teeth. "You're not any older than I am! Why do you always say that?"

"Hey, you two, knock it off!" Iruka barked. "You're rocking the lift around and you're going to fall off or damage Lord First's face!"

"Sorry!" Natsumi called up, raising her hand in apology. "Come on, Naruto. The faster we get this done the sooner we can go home. I'm starving."

"Hmph." Naruto scrubbed a new area begrudgingly. "You don't have to help me. You're not the one who made the mess."

"What kind of sister would I be if I made you do things by yourself?" Natsumi nudged his side with her elbow. "Besides, this jacket is ruined anyway and it need to be put to good use before I throw it out."

"Hehe..." He nudged her back, whispering. "You should have been there... it was a real blast."

Natsumi giggled and whispered back. "I thought the snot trails on Lord Third's face were really funny, but if it were me, I would have made him look like a drag queen."

Naruto doubled over in laughter with one hand pressed against the stone to support himself and the other covering his mouth as he attempted to muffle his laughter.

"Oh, man, why didn't I think of that?" He snorted and Natsumi joined in laughing.

"I tell you, girls have the best ideas." She crossed her arms and nodded.

Naruto stood and rested his arm on her shoulder, lowering his voice again. "Hey, maybe next time we can try that. Just think of the look on the Old Man's face when he wakes up and sees that."

"They'd know who it was, and then I'd get in trouble, too." She shook her head and dipped her jacket in the water again.

"Man, you never do pranks with me anymore." Naruto pouted and wetted his cleaning rag again.

"Hey, that's not true!" Natsumi stuck out her tongue. "I pull pranks all the time, but you never see them."

"Hmph. What's the point of pranks if no one even sees it?" He wiped his area cleaned and moved to a smudge of paint below it.

"My motto is 'Confuse, don't abuse.' Instead of doing something big like graffiti and getting in trouble, it's more fun to do something simple and sneaky. Like..." She paused, then smirked. "Sneaking into the Hokage's office and moving everything two centimeters to the left. It's not harmful, plus it's funny to think about how confused he'll be and won't even know what's wrong."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his twin. "Wait... did you do that?"

Natsumi winked. "I guess you'll never find out unless you hurry up and clean faster."

Naruto let out a long sigh. "I'm tired of cleaning. I just want to take a nap or something."

Iruka quietly sighed as he listened to their exchange, and then had an idea.

"Hey, Naruto."

"Huh?" He looked up at his teacher, eyes narrowed skeptically. "What is it this time?"

"What I meant was..." Iruka's eyes wandered for a moment and he scratched his cheek. "If you clean up all this mess... I'll buy you guys ramen tonight."

Iruka looked down and his eyes widened slightly as he saw Naruto's bright expression looking back at him, his mouth practically drooling at the thought of his favorite food.

"Huh?" Naruto stared in disbelief, and then he clenched his fist, pumping it into the air. "Yes! I-I'll finish it in no time! Just watch me!"

Iruka chuckled and watched as Naruto quickly set to work, cleaning nearly nonstop until the sun began to set.

"Ah, finally done!" Naruto stretched and tossed the cloth into the bucket, looking over the monument at his work. His stomach growled and he rubbed it, looking to Iruka eagerly. "Can we eat now?"

Iruka looked over the monument and nodded. "You've done a fine job. Let's go."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered and crossed his arms behind his head as he headed off. "Are you coming, Natsumi?"

"Huh?" She looked away from the monument and at her brother, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

She hurried after him and Iruka followed a few steps behind. As they walked, the sun sunk further down the horizon until its light barely illuminated the streets and was replaced by street lights and bright signs of shops and restaurants.

Soon they arrived at Ichiraku and sat in their usual spots. Teuchi, the shop owner, greeted them, took their orders, and started on their meals.

Natsumi rested her head on her arms while she waited, listening to Naruto chatting excitedly to Iruka. Once their food was finished, he placed the large bowls in front of them and Naruto quickly dug in.

Natsumi sat up and took a large breath in of the aroma, closing her eyes as she did. Then, she opened her eyes and slurped up a large bite of noodles, then sighed.

"Ah, that hits the spot." She smiled and turned to the teacher. "Thanks again for treating us, Iruka-sensei. You're always so nice to us."

Naruto took a breath in between large slurps. "Man, I wish I could eat here all the time."

Natsumi giggled and looked at him sideways. "You'd get so fat, you know. I'd have to push you around like a ball."

Naruto laughed. "Maybe if I got that fat, I could just sit on you every time you called me your baby brother. That'd teach you."

"Naruto." Iruka watched Naruto slurp another bite thoughtfully.

"Hm?" Naruto asked with a mouthful of ramen.

"Why did you vandalize those faces?" Iruka asked after a moment of consideration. "Don't you know who the Hokage leaders are?"

"Of course I do!" Naruto swallowed and met his eyes, then tilted the bowl up to drink the broth, setting the bowl down when he was finished and let out a breath.

"I know they earned the title Lord Hokage because they were the best of their time, right?" He looked up, recalling one of Iruka's history lessons. "Especially the Fourth Hokage. He was the hero who saved the Village from the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox."

Natsumi looked up from her bowl at his words and watched him carefully. Of course they'd heard about the great Fourth Hokage, who was a legendary shinobi of great speed and power.

Naruto's expression was almost unreadable as he parroted the information, looking down at his bowl.

"Then why did you do that?" Iruka questioned gently.

"Because I'll become a Hokage myself." Naruto answered simply. "And," He met Iruka's eyes. "I'll be the greatest Hokage of all time!"

He winked, pointing his chopsticks at his sensei with a determined grin.

"And then everyone will finally learn to accept me!" Naruto finished and then lowered his arm.

Iruka paused with his mouth full and a noodle dangling from his lips. He sucked it into his mouth and swallowed.

"By the way, sensei, I have a favor to ask."

Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Naruto, don't ask for too much. Iruka-sensei let you off really easy, only making you clean up your mess, and now he's buying us dinner."

"It's alright, Natsumi." He looked at Naruto. "Do you want another bowl?" Iruka asked, guessing as to what he meant.

"Hmmm... no." Naruto answered and gestured to his forehead. "Can I borrow that Leaf headband for a while?" He put his hands together politely.

"This?" Iruka reached up and gripped his headband. "No, no." He smiled. "This is worn only by those who have graduated from the Ninja Academy. Tomorrow you will..."

"You're so mean!" Naruto protested, crossing his arms.

Iruka laughed. "So that's why you took off your goggles..."

"Hmph." Naruto pouted. "One more bowl then, please!"

Natsumi giggled and rolled her eyes, gulping down the last of the broth and setting the bowl down in front of her.

"Oh, fine, fine." Iruka relented, ordering him one more bowl.

"You don't have to let him push you around, ya know." Natsumi smiled at the teacher. "It's okay to let him sulk sometimes."

"You make it sound like I'm a little kid." Naruto watched her from the corner of his eyes.

"Well, sometimes you do act like one, a little bit." She winked and set her chopsticks down, picking up her glass of water and taking a sip.

"Hmph. Why did I have to have a sister? A brother would have been more fun."

"Ha-ha. Jerk." Natsumi took another sip but misjudged the distance and the cup missed her lips and water poured down the front of her shirt.

"Ah!" She pulled her hand back and set the cup down, sighing as she pinched her wet shirt and pulled it out ever-so-slightly to examine it. "Aw man. I must be really tired. I'm never clumsy."

"Yeah, right." Naruto chuckled and eyed the second bowl of Ramen as it was placed in front of him. "Yes!"

He picked up his chopsticks and shoveled some noodles into his mouth.

Natsumi sighed deeper this time, releasing her shirt and grabbing a napkin. She patted her shirt gently to soak up the water.

Naruto glanced over to tease her again but froze in place as he blushed and spat out some broth, pointing at her wet torso and the shirt that clung to her skin tightly now.

"W-w-what are those?" His hand trembled as his blush deepened.

Natsumi looked down at her chest, blushing as she crossed her arms to cover herself.

"They're called boobs, you pervert! Stop looking at them! I'm your sister."

He covered his eyes and turned away, still spluttering. "I-I know that! I know what they are! But why do you have them?"

Iruka chuckled awkwardly and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You know, you both are at the age of adolescence. It's normal for kids your age to...uh... change..."

"I know that!" Naruto uncovered his face and recovered it after meeting his sister's eyes. "B-b-but why are they so big? You're just a kid."

Natsumi frowned and hugged her arms closer.

"Pervert."

"I-I'm not!" He turned his back to her, pressing his lips together in frustration. "W-when did you get those?"

"We live together and you never even noticed?" Natsumi huffed and turned her face away, refusing to look at him. "They appeared around the same time you started saying that I was really 'whiny and moody.'"

Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head. "B-b-but... you look so much older than I do."

"I _am_ older than you." She rolled her eyes.

"Only by a few minutes!" He clenched his fists and stared at her. "It's not enough to count."

"Well, it must because I hit puberty first." Natsumi smirked and continued to dry her shirt, muttering quietly now. "Pervert."

"I am not!" Naruto looked to his sensei. "Tell her that I'm not."

Iruka scratched his cheek, averting his gaze from the twins. "H-hey now, this really isn't a conversation to have in public."

Naruto sighed and slowly finished his second bowl of ramen.

"Tomorrow's the day of the graduation test." Iruka reminded them, changing the subject. "So, you should study a little tonight, but don't overdo it, alright? You've got to get plenty of sleep so that you can do your best."

"Don't worry about me, Iruka-sensei." Naruto nodded confidently. "I'm going to blow everyone away and become a fully-fledged ninja! Believe it!"

"Says the one whose voice still cracks when he's upset." Natsumi chuckled and muttered as she took another drink.

"Why, you!" Naruto glared and tipped her glass up, drenching her shirt again.

"Waah!" Natsumi shoved him, quickly reaching for another napkin to dry herself with. "Naruto! I'm going to get you for that!"

"Hee hee." He stuck out his tongue. "You'll have to catch me, first."

Natsumi reached over and grabbed his ear, tugging on it. "That's it! You get to do the laundry this time! I'm tired of you treating me like your maid."

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" She released his ear and he rubbed it. "Sorry, sorry! I hate laundry. Please don't make me do it."

"You should really appreciate your sister more." Iruka glanced at Naruto, who looked between the two and pouted. "It's getting pretty late now; you should head home. Do you want me to walk you?"

Natsumi and Naruto shook their heads simultaneously.

"No thanks." Natsumi smiled. "We can manage."

"If you're sure." Iruka slid off the stool and ruffled Naruto's hair. "I'll see you in class tomorrow bright and early. I have a good feeling that you'll pass this time. Just do your best. I have faith in you."

He turned to Natsumi and rubbed her head as well. "You too, Natsumi. You're a good student, so you'll be fine."

He put money on the counter to cover their meals and then stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Well, see you tomorrow! Don't cause any mischief on your way home."

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto mumbled and yawned. "See you tomorrow, Iruka-sensei."

"Thanks again for dinner!" Natsumi added, giving him a wave as she hopped off the stool.

Naruto followed suit and yawned again. "Man, I'm beat. I can't wait to go to bed."

"Don't forget to study a little tonight." She reminded. "We can study together since we both have to take the test."

"Do we really have to?" He slouched as he walked and she linked her arm with his.

"Just for a few minutes, then. I'm pretty tired, too. But I definitely want us both to pass this time. No Uzumaki left behind."

He smiled and nodded in agreement. "Okay, just for a little bit, then. If I'm going to be Hokage someday, I'm going to have to know all this stuff."

"That's the spirit!" Natsumi poked his cheek. "Hey, Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"You wanna race home?"

They shared a grin, unlocked their arms, and took a ready stance.

"Prepare to eat my dust!" He sneered.

"In your dreams, slowpoke!" She prodded his shoulder. "I always win."

"Not this time you won't!"

"Alright, alright." She took a breath, holding up her fingers. "One, two, three... go!"


	4. Chapter 2: The Graduation Exam Part One

"We are now about to begin the Graduation test." Iruka announced to his class with his right hand behind his back as he read off of a sheet in his left hand. "When your name is called, please proceed to the next classroom. The test is on the Clone Jutsu."

Naruto's eyes widened and his face paled and he covered his face with his hands, leaning his elbows on his desk.

_"Oh no..."_ He thought, a knot forming in his stomach. _"Of all the...! That's my weakest Jutsu!"_

* * *

"Settle down, settle down." The female teacher crossed her arms and stared at her class, looking over each child with her analytical amber eyes. "I'll make this simple— if your name gets called, you're to head to this room to take the Graduation Exam, understand?" Picking up a piece of chalk, she wrote the room number on the board and tapped beside it with the chalk as she looked to the class once more.

"Furthermore, I will not tolerate any talking in the hall or stalling. You will not speak to students from other classes if you see them in the hall, or I will ensure that you get docked points because I will assume you are cheating. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Hidemi-sensei." They replied in unison.

"Very good." She picked up her clipboard, glanced down at the list, and then her eyes fell on the red-haired girl in her class who sat in the back row. The special case.

"Natsumi Uzumaki, step forward."

The students turned to see the girl stand and approach the teacher quietly. Hidemi touched the girl's shoulder, leaning in close to whisper to her.

"There are two Chunin waiting for you at the end of the hall for your own test. Give it everything you've got."

Natsumi nodded and Hidemi pulled her face away, patting her shoulder.

"Go on, now. You'll do fine." She motioned toward the door and Natsumi stepped outside, pressing her lips together nervously, and let out a sigh once the door had closed behind her.

"Hey, sensei, you didn't give her any hints, did you?"

One boy called out, his voice muffled by the door.

"Yeah!" A girl joined in. "What did you say?"

"Quiet!" Hidemi barked and moved to sit on her desk with her arms crossed. "You can use this time to do whatever you like, with the exception of talking. Play cards, write notes— whatever. I don't really care, since all we have to do it wait. But if I have to intervene and silence anyone, I'll give you all extra work to do. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." The students nodded, already shuffling around the room to sit with their friends and writing notes amongst themselves.

Natsumi let out another sigh and glanced at another classroom's door— Iruka's classroom.

_Naruto, please do your best and pass._

She turned away from his class and headed down the hall in the opposite direction where two figures waited. Both leaned against the wall with their arms crossed, talking amongst themselves too quietly for hear. They looked up as she approached and nodded their heads in greeting.

"Natsumi Uzumaki?" The man with the bandana stepped forward and uncrossed his arms.

"Yes, sir." Natsumi nodded, stopping in front of him.

The man next to him had dark, spiked hair and a bandage across his nose. He looked the girl up and down and then turned to his friend.

"Are we sure this is the same girl Hidemi spoke so highly of? She looks too...delicate."

Natsumi furrowed her brows but kept her mouth shut.

"I'm Izumo." The man with the bandana introduced himself, then pointed to his partner. "This is Kotetsu. Since you've already passed the Graduation Exam, we'll be overseeing a series of tests that the Hokage himself requested, based off of Hidemi's reports on your progress."

"Understood." She nodded again and followed them out of the Academy's rear entrance. Once outside, the man named Kotetsu touched her shoulder and transported both of them to one of the Village's training grounds. Natsumi saw Izumo appear beside them and Kotetsu removed his hand from his shoulder.

"What kind of exam will this be?" Natsumi asked and looked between the two of them.

"We're to assess your skills in different areas— Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu— as well as your problem solving, tracking, and stealth." Kotetsu answered and retrieved a folded paper from a pocket in his flak jacket. "It's nothing too complicated, but the Hokage just wants to see what kind of progress you've made the past three years."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it if Hidemi's reports about you are accurate." Izumo smiled faintly at her. "We'll start with the combat assessment, so prepare yourself. You'll be taking us both on at once."

Natsumi's eyes widened momentarily and then she adjusted her stance in a ready position.

"Alright. I can do it."

Kotetsu smirked and took a stance as well, followed by Izumo.

"Not that you'll be able to beat us, but if you do, know that there are restrictions. The match ends if either you or us are knocked unconscious. Use every Ninja tool at your disposal as you wish but killing isn't permitted."

Natsumi's eyes narrowed as she met his gaze. "I said I can do it."

"Hmph." Kotestu chuckled. "Don't get too cocky."

"The match begins... now!" Izumo announced.

* * *

Naruto stepped into the Examination room, having waited for his name to be called impatiently. The room was primarily open and empty, with the exception of a table set up against the far wall where Iruka and Mizuki sat with an array of Leaf Headbands organized neatly in preparation to be awarded to the students who passed.

Naruto eyed the headbands and clenched his fists, determined that one of them would soon be given to him. He looked up at Iruka who smiled in acknowledgment at him.

"Are you ready?" Iruka asked and watched Naruto move to stand in the center of the room.

"I'll show you that I can do it!" Naruto stood with his legs shoulder-width apart and took a breath.

_"This may be my weakest Jutsu, but still... I will do it no matter what!"_

Closing his eyes, he brought his hands together in the Ram sign and channeled his Chakra. Energy swirled around him as he concentrated and released a breath.

"Clone Jutsu!" He called out and enacted the spell. A small puff of smoke appeared and then dissipated beside him, and he turned to see his creation.

The clone was pale and poorly colored— almost cartoonish in appearance— and was laying pitifully on its belly with an empty, dumb expression and its tongue flopped out of his mouth and drooled.

Naruto held up a hand to his face, trembling at the sight of his failed Jutsu.

_"Not again..."_ He thought miserably.

Iruka stared at the clone, his eye twitching. Finally, he blinked and let out a slow breath.

"Disqualified!" He shouted and Naruto fell back, wide-eyed in horror.

Iruka returned to a quiet thoughtfulness and watched Naruto.

_"What a shame..." _He thought. _"I hoped that this time would be different."_

"Iruka-sensei." Mizuki turned to his fellow teacher with a faint smile. "His physical coordination and stamina are excellent. And he did manage to come up with something. Isn't that enough for him to pass?"

Naruto got up from the floor and grinned at the praise, his eyes sparkling in hope as he looked at the teachers and waited for a reply.

"Mizuki-sensei..." Iruka turned to him with a frown, then glanced at the headbands on the table. "All the others created two or more clones." He held up a hand as he explained, then lowered it again. "Naruto created just one, and it's practically useless. I can't give him a passing mark."

Naruto gritted his teeth and clench his fists as he stared at his sensei.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Iruka met his eyes. "Keep working on it and you'll make it next time."

Naruto turned away from his teachers and walked out of the room, his fists trembling.

* * *

Both men ran at Natsumi simultaneously and she remained in place, watching their movements carefully.

_They move so synchronized... they've been working as a duo a long time._

She exhaled and lowered her stance, grounding herself as she timed their strikes.

_Three...two... now!_

She quickly did a series of hand signs and vanished completely. Izumo and Kotetsu's eyes widened and staggered as their fists were met with empty air. They recovered quickly and looked around.

"Where'd she go?" Kotetsu cautiously stepped backward and turned.

Izumo quietly surveyed the area, unable to hear anything. "I'll give her that... her evasion skills are excellent."

Several meters in front of them, Natsumi began to rise from the ground. They watched as she emerged from the earth with a blank expression on her face.

"You missed." The corners of her mouth twitched upward slightly.

"Hmph." Kotetsu smirked. "I'm impressed. That's a pretty advanced technique for a kid."

As he spoke, he reached behind his back and retrieved his long blade, pointing the tip at her. Izumo followed his lead and Natsumi eyed the chain that appeared between the two weapons.

_So, that's their style?_

She smiled and stood in place.

"Catch me if you can."

They came at her again, this time attacking from the opposite sides before she could react and the chains encircled her body. They grinned and tugged, tightening them around her and then stared in shock as the chains passed through her form.

"It's a clone!" Izumo gaped and the two watched as the length of chain hit the ground, clinking against itself as it did.

"Missed again." Natsumi's clone giggled. "Don't worry. You can try again."

Around the clearing, several more forms emerged from below, all smiling.

"There's more!" Kotetsu looked over them all. "I can't tell which one is the real one."

_"Hidemi wasn't kidding."_ Izumo thought to himself, looking at the Natsumi clone closest to him. _"This girl is already Genin level without any formal training. Maybe even higher."_

The clones raised their hands and formed the Tiger hand seal and all turned to look at the men simultaneously.

_"That sign!"_ Kotetsu stared and held his blade in front of him, at the ready.

Suddenly the clones vanished, quickly reappearing in various spots around the clearing. Izumo and Kotetsu stood with their backs to ones another, completely surrounded, as the clones continued to vanish and reappear.

_"The Body Flicker Technique, too?"_ Kotetsu identified. _"I was wrong. This girl is impressive."_

As they watched the clones' movements, a pair of hands reached from below and gripped Kotetsu's ankles suddenly and quickly pulled him down into the earth, leaving only his head above ground.

_"No way! The real one... was underground?"_

Natsumi leapt from belowground from a hole that appeared, sealing again as her feet touched down on the earth.

"I got you!" She beamed and put her hands on her hips, and each of her clones disappeared as she glanced between the Chunin.

"Yeah, yeah." Kotetsu muttered. "Can you just get me out, now?"

"You're good." Izumo nodded and returned his blade to his back. "Your Ninjutsu is advanced, and your chakra control is excellent. Even your strategy was well-thought out. I can tell you've put a lot of effort into your training."

"Thanks!" Natsumi clasped her hands behind her back and stepped forward. "What else do I have to do for the test?"

"We've seen your Ninjutsu, but what about your Taijutsu?" Izumo suggested, shrugging.

"It's not my strongest skill, but I'm not terrible at it." Natsumi thought, then nodded. "But, okay."

She shifted her feet with her right foot forward and her left back. Her left hand she held in a loose fist, her wrist barely brushing against her hip. Her right hand she held open and relaxed in front of her body.

"Do you want me to be Uke or Tori?" Natsumi asked with her body still and expression calm.

"Uke."

"Got it." Natsumi exhaled slowly, ducking down and immediately spinning counterclockwise on the ball of her right foot to sweep his legs.

Izumo quickly leapt upward, dodging easily, and landed behind her.

_He's slightly slower than the other one and more analytical._ She settled into a low stance, resting most of her weight on her right leg with her left leg out to the side. _He's not used to fighting alone anymore, so he leaves one side open without realizing._

She lifted herself to a stand with her right leg and instantly aimed a roundhouse kick at his right side. He blocked it easily with his dominant hand and she quickly retracted her leg, feigned a right hook, and, as he blocked with his left forearm, she spun and aimed a strong kick at his unguarded left side.

The force caused the Chunin to be thrown back where he landed and rolled on the grass at the other end of the clearing.

"Izumo!" Kotetsu called out, struggling against the earth that held him.

Izumo slowly pushed himself from the ground and gave his friend a thumbs-up. "I'm alright!"

He sat up slowly and Natsumi knelt in front of him, holding out her hand to help him up.

"You're used to fighting as a team, so you leave one side open as a result out of habit." He took her hand and she grunted as she pulled back, letting go of his hand once he was upright. "You should work on that."

Izumo laughed and tousled her hair. "I'll do that. You're better than I anticipated, kid. You and your brother must train together a lot."

Natsumi grinned at the compliment and shook her head.

"Not really. Naruto and I do like to spar, but I train mostly on my own, with clones. I get up around sunrise to train, while Naruto sleeps in. I'd waste a lot of time if I waited on him."

_"She's been training with just clones?"_ Kotetsu eyed her carefully. _"I would have never thought training solo like that could produce such a talented Ninja. And to think that that Naruto kid is her twin. They're completely different."_

Izumo looked at her in disbelief. "Eh? Seriously? How did you get so good without having anyone training you?"

Natsumi's cheeks tinged pink and she rubbed the back of her head, averting her eyes.

"I'm not that good... but I do put a lot of effort into my training. I try to read a new scroll or book every week so that I can refine my Jutsu and my combat. It can be challenging without anyone to train with, but I'm used to it now."

"I-impressive." Izumo chuckled and scratched his cheek. _"To think that a kid like this could beat us so quickly... and without even breaking a sweat. Just how strong is she when she goes all-out?"_

"Say, Izumo-sensei?" Natsumi looked up at him, watching him think as if she could see gears whirring behind his eyes.

He blinked and met her gaze. "Y-yeah?"

"What you said before, about the test not being over until someone loses consciousness, is that true?"

"O-oh, well I suppose so." He put his hands on his hips. "Although it's not necessary. We've gotten a good sampling of your skills."

Her lips curved in a slight smirk. "I hope you don't mind if I do one more move, then. I've been wanting to try out a new Jutsu to see how it affects real opponents." She waved her hands quickly, smiling. "Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous! I just want to see what you think of it."

Natsumi looked between the two, taking several steps back.

"Of course." Izumo nodded and crossed his arms. "Go ahead."

Natsumi giggled and brought her hands together to form the Ram Hand sign.

"Transform!"

Natsumi poked Izumo's cheek as he lay unconscious on the ground. Kotetsu lay beside him, unconscious as well.

_They're both out cold... I guess that Jutsu is really as potent as Naruto says it is._

She giggled to herself and turned her head, hearing a twig snap in the woods behind her. Out of the shadows emerged a tall woman with caramel-colored skin, dark eyes like onyx, and long, waist-length hair as black as a crow.

She wore a simple, tight black shirt with sleeves that stopped just at her elbows and a deep, plunging neckline that accentuated her large breasts, and tight, black pants with the standard Kunai holster on her left thigh. Her headband was tied loosely around her hips and the only color she had on was a small black ribbon that had been braided into the small, single pleat behind her ear.

She looked at the two men on the ground and put her hands on her hips, sighing.

"Those morons. I should have expected something like this to happen."

Natsumi stood and watched as the woman approached.

"Did you do this?" She turned to Natsumi, who nodded. "I'm impressed."

She extended a hand and then smiled as Natsumi shook it. "My name's Kiri Ueno. I'm the one who was chosen to test your tracking and stealth."

"My name's Natsumi. It's nice to meet you."

"Natsumi? Cute name." Kiri reached out to muss the girl's hair. "And I love your hair. It's beautiful."

Natsumi stared up at her, touching the ends of her hair. "Really? Most people say it's obnoxious."

"Most people are morons." Kiri laughed, thumbing at Izumo and Kotetsu. "Like those two. It's a good thing they aren't put in charge of three-man squads. Those guys are complete idiots. Cute, maybe, but idiots."

Natsumi giggled and Kiri prodded Kotetsu's side with her feet.

"Hey, get up."

After a moment, his eyes opened and he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Kiri?" he sat up slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"You guys were supposed to bring Natsumi to see me for the next part of her evaluation about an hour ago. I came looking for you because I got tired of waiting."

Natsumi giggled and watched as the Ninja shook his friend awake. "It's my fault, Kiri-sama. I used a special Jutsu of mine and it knocked them out."

Kiri turned toward the girl and crossed her arms, leaning in closer. "Oh, really? What kind of technique?"

The men blushed furiously and helped each other to stand.

"A-A really powerful one." Izumo averted his eyes, sheepishly chuckling as he scratched the back of his head.

"_Oh?"_ Kiri grinned and leaned closer to Natsumi. "Can I see?"

The men stepped back, crossing their arms in front of them in an X.

"T-that's not a good idea!" Kotetsu's face was flushed a vibrant red and he shook his head quickly.

Kiri laughed loudly and clapped her hands together as she met Natsumi's eyes. "I've gotta see it now! I want to be able to tease them about it later."

Natsumi laughed and held up the hand sign. "This one is called Sexy Jutsu."

A puff of smoke surrounded her and when it cleared, she was a tall, full-figured, naked woman with deep black hair, golden eyes, bold, red lips, and tiger stripes tattooed from her right shoulder down to the wrist. She posed seductively, winking at Kotetsu as they trembled where they stood, their noses dripping blood before they fell backwards.

Kiri's eyes widened and she circled Natsumi. "Woah! I like that one! Where did you learn to do that?"

Natsumi released the Jutsu, appearing as herself once more. "My brother's the one who came up with the technique, but I thought it would be fun to try to do it myself." She eyed the two men as they lay on the ground, stammering and red-faced. "And, it's really fun to see people's reactions."

Kiri put her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I like you already, Natsumi. Anyone who can knock those two out cold like that is a hero in my book. They're so annoying at times."

Kotetsu sat up, recovering more quickly this time. Izumo followed, rubbing his face and avoiding eye contact with Natsumi completely.

"I love the technique," Kiri muttered, cupping her hand around her mouth. "but you've gotta make the bust a little bigger."

"Oh, really?" Natsumi pressed her lips together in thought, looking up at the woman.

"Mhm. Guys love them big. They want to shove their whole face in and practically die of suffocation. That's their true happiness."

The duo stood open-mouthed.

"Hey, you can't just talk about stuff like that so casually with a kid!" Kotetsu blushed as he scolded her.

"D-Do you always have to be so indecent?" Izumo's face was the same shade of red as he pointed at Kiri.

Kiri laughed and crossed her arms under her breasts, accentuating them.

"Rule number one for Kunoichi." Kiri grinned at Natsumi. "Remember that all men are perverts, and the worse ones are the closet perverts who lecture other people about decency but lose the ability to form full sentences when they see a little cleavage."

Natsumi laughed, covering her mouth to stifle the noise as Izumo and Kotetsu glared at Kiri, though their eyes wandered to her chest before they blushed deeper and raised their gaze.

"W-We're not perverts!" Kotetsu defended. "We just get surprised, that's all."

"Hm?" Kiri smirked, winking at Natsumi. "If that's the case, then I'll just have to prove it."

She stepped closer to Kotetsu, who attempted to take a step back. She slid her arms around his neck slowly and pressed her body to his. He shuddered and gulped as he glanced down, averting his eyes as quickly as he could.

"I-Izumo... help." He croaked to his friend, whose mouth was hanging open as he watched.

"Hey, Kotetsu..." Kiri murmured, leaning in to whisper in his ear. A small squeak escaped his lips and blood spurted from his nose as he fell to the ground.

Kiri chuckled and put her hands on her lips, looking down at him. "What's the matter? A grown man can't even handle a little dirty talk?"

Izumo knelt down to Kotetsu, leaning in to whisper. "What did she say?"

Kotetsu pulled him closer, whispering so softly that Natsumi couldn't hear. Izumo blinked slowly and then collapsed on the ground beside him.

"So... filthy..." He stammered.

Kiri gripped Natsumi's shoulder.

"Alright, while they process that, let's go to the next area. I can already tell that working with you will be fun."

Natsumi glanced between Izumo, Kotetsu, and Kiri. "What did you say?"

Kiri laughed and waved her hand, turning and guiding Natsumi away. "Something that I won't tell you until you're a little bit older. Even I'm not that indecent." She winked. "But ask me again in about in two or three years and I'll be glad to answer that question."

* * *

Excited students celebrated with one another as their parents chatted amongst themselves.

"I'm a ninja now!" One girl exclaimed to her friend. "Can you believe it?"

"I'd been studying so hard, but I'm glad the Exam was on something so easy!" The boy grinned and tapped the headband on his forehead.

"I can't wait to do missions!" A group of huddled together, imagine what it would be like to be given their first assignment. "I'm going to be the best Kunoichi yet!"

Parents praised their children, with fathers ruffling their sons' hair and mothers hugging their daughters.

"I'm so proud of you." One mother cooed and touched her nose to her daughter's. "I'll make something really good for dinner tonight!"

"You did well. That's my boy." A father patted his son's head. "I always knew you'd do well."

Far from the crowd, in the corner of the courtyard, Naruto Uzumaki sat on a lone swing hanging from a thick branch of a large tree. He held one rope in both hands with his head lowered as he listened to the excited chatter. His eyes were unfocused as he stared lazily at the shadow of the tree.

_"Darn..."_ He thought bitterly, his chest tight. _"Where's Natsumi?"_

One mother saw Naruto out of the corner of her eye and she leaned closer to her friend, motioning toward him.

"Look at that one."

"It's _that_ boy." She replied and furrowed her brows. "I hear he's the only one who failed. Serves him right." She scowled.

"Imagine what would happen if he became a ninja." The first woman scoffed. "Isn't that the boy that actually—"

"Hey, we're not supposed to talk about that!" Her friend interrupted her quickly in a hushed tone.

"Right." She huffed again and crossed her arms, watching Naruto stare at the empty air in front of him. "I heard that he has a twin sister and that she received some of the highest grades in class, but never came back after she took her exam."

"I heard that, too." Her friend shook her head. "She probably messed up and failed so miserably that she was too embarrassed and ran home to hide."

"I'd say what a shame, but I'm glad that neither of them passed. Children like them don't deserve to have the power of a ninja."

Naruto blinked and wiped away his tears, clenching his fists as he thought of Natsumi.

_"Did you fail, too?"_ He sniffed and wiped his cheeks again. _"Where did you go? We were supposed to meet here."_

Naruto adjusted his goggles on his head then turned as he heard someone land softly on the ground beside him. Mizuki looked down at him with one hand on his hip, smiling faintly.

Iruka watched Naruto and Mizuki over the crowd with the Hokage, his stomach tightening into knots as he saw him wipe away tears.

"Iruka," The Hokage spoke up without turning to the younger man. "We need to talk later."

"Yes, sir." He replied in a quiet voice, watching Mizuki and Naruto leave together, the empty swing rocking back and forth.

"Iruka-sensei isn't trying to be mean to you." Mizuki explained as he sat with Naruto on a high ledge overlooking the village with their feet dangling over the edge. From their vantage point, the view of the sunset was brilliant and filled the sky with an orange haze as the sun sunk lower to the horizon, not yet touching the earth.

"Then why only me?" Naruto asked, kicking his feet absentmindedly as he looked below.

"He wants you to become strong from the bottom of his heart." Mizuki replied quietly. Naruto's eyes slowly widened as he listened and Mizuki continued. "You both don't have parents."

Naruto slouched at the thought and he let out a slow breath. "But, I really wanted to graduate."

Mizuki chuckled and looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye.

"Hm... I guess I have no choice."

Naruto turned his head quickly to him, staring eagerly.

"I'll let you in on a big secret." Mizuki smiled faintly.

_"Secret?"_ Naruto thought and watched the teacher's smile grow.

* * *

Natsumi watched the woman carefully as they walked, admiring her dark skin. Kiri noticed her staring and turned to the girl.

"Is something on your mind?"

Natsumi shook her head quickly and then let out a short breath. "Well, actually... yes. I didn't want to bring it up and risk offending you, but..." She averted her eyes, and then looked up at her again. "You're not from the Leaf Village, are you?"

Kiri smiled, leaning down to poke her cheek. "Nope, not originally." She straightened and stretched, keeping her eye on her young companion. "I was born in the Cloud Village. Do you know where that is?"

Natsumi nodded. "I do, but I don't know much about it. What was it like there?"

"Hmm.." Kiri crossed her arms and turned her face upward in thought. "Well, it's a pretty place to watch the sunrise from. There's a lot of mountains and some of the buildings and pathways are built pretty high up, so you have to have a strong stomach. But, the view from the Raikage's building is the best. It's the tallest one, so you can see for many kilometers around."

Kiri looked at Natsumi, who was eagerly listening.

"I prefer the Leaf Village for a lot of reasons, though. The forests are beautiful, and it feels so much more peaceful here."

"Have people treated you differently for being from a different Village?"

Kiri shrugged. "When I was a kid, sure. But, I've lived here since I was five, so this has become my home. Anyone who had a problem with me being an outsider then doesn't say the same now- at least not to my face."

Natsumi eyes fell on the path in front of her momentarily as she thought, then rose once more.

"What made you come to the Leaf Village? Did you parents immigrate here?"

Kiri shook her head.

"My parents died when I was really little, so I don't remember them much. I was an obnoxious orphan kid who got in a lot of trouble until one day I was found by some Leaf Shinobi. They were the ones who brought me here, and I was adopted by two of the Shinobi, Yayoi and her husband Zenzo. They already had a grown son and daughter, Yuuta and Yuuri, so I was the baby of the family. That's the short version of it."

Natsumi stared at her for a while and tried to read her expression. "What's the long version, then?"

Kiri patted Natsumi's head and wagged a finger. "I like you, Natsumi, I really do, but that's a story that I only share with my close friends."

Natsumi nodded and pressed her lips together. "I didn't mean to be rude or anything, I was just curious." She paused and then looked over her shoulder briefly in the direction they'd come from. "So, how do you know those two from before?"

"Izumo and Kotetsu?" Kiri laughed quietly under her breath. "We went to the Academy together. We were in the same class."

"Were you friends?"

Kiri shrugged again, holding her hands up. "I don't really know the answer to that. I suppose a better term would be rivals. I first met them on the playground, when they were teasing me for looking so different. After that, we just started teasing each other back-and-forth constantly. They've always been a little annoying, but they're good guys overall."

"It seems like you're good friends now." Natsumi smiled.

"I guess so, yeah. We've been on some missions together, but we don't see each other much now that we're grown." She winked. "But, I used to have crushes on them, you know."

Natsumi giggled. "Really? Both of them?"

"Really. It would change from week-to-week sometimes, but after Graduation we didn't see much of each other so the crushes didn't last. Though, I do have to admit that they matured into really attractive men."

"Did you ever tell them that you liked them?"

Kiri laughed loudly, holding her stomach. "Did I...?" She shook her head quickly. "No, never. It was just a couple of childhood crushes— nothing serious."

"Really?" Natsumi crossed her arms and examined Kiri's expression. "It seems as if you still like them, though. Especially Kotetsu."

Kiri's cheeks darkened in a blush and she laughed, waving a hand. "That's ridiculous. Kotetsu's not really my type, anyway."

Natsumi stared at her until she blinked and turned her eyes away. "Alright, alright; so maybe my crush on Kotetsu never fully went away. He's just always been so cute that I can't help it."

"He seems to like you, too, so why don't you date already?"

Kiri rolled her eyes and ruffled Natsumi's hair. "Look at me, a grown woman getting relationship advice from a kid who's never even had her first kiss, yet."

Natsumi blushed slightly and turned her head away. "Y-You don't know that. Maybe I have."

Kiri poked her cheek again, then pinched it lightly. "You just confirmed it, though." She laughed as Natsumi blushed more deeply and released her cheek. "Even if I still do like him, we don't see each other much and neither of us are good at relationships. We're both busy, so it would be difficult to date anyway. Not to mention, admitting that I had any feelings for him at all would immediately end our rivalry and all the teasing would be over. I can't just admit defeat and let him have the upper hand like that."

Natsumi sighed, shaking her head. "I thought dating was just supposed to be two people who liked each other, spending time together. I didn't realize it was so complicated."

"And that's how I know that you're still just a kid." Kiri smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. "When you get older, you'll understand. Sometimes just having feelings isn't enough. There's a lot of factors you have to consider."

"I guess so." Natsumi considered. "I just think it should be simpler."

"You probably do have a point." Kiri shrugged. "Maybe we adults do make it too complicated, but we can always talk about that later."

She led Natsumi out of the forest and onto a wide street. She smiled and rested her fists on her hips.

"As for now, let's begin the second part of your test."


	5. Chapter 3: The Graduation Exam Part Two

Kiri held up a piece of paper and waved it around.

"For this part, I'll be evaluating your tracking, stealth, problem-solving, and critical thinking."

She held the paper with both hands and cleared her throat dramatically.

"Your assignment is to rescue the daughter of a wealthy and powerful family. A rival family contracted a team of mercenaries to take the girl, and it is up to you to follow their trail, find the girl, and protect her until backup arrives."

She retrieved a small flare gun from her pocket and held it out for Natsumi to take.

"Once you've found the target, you'll fire this into the air as a signal. I'll be close by, so it's not entirely necessary, but it's just to make this exercise more authentic."

Natsumi took the flare and stuck it into her pocket, nodding.

"Also, as part of the exercise, myself and a few others will be in disguise as the enemy. You must use your stealth to the best of your abilities to avoid detection, and then try to defeat all attackers— if you can."

Kiri chuckled and crossed her arms.

"Although, I do ask that you only knock us out or simulate a fatal blow. This isn't a full combat exercise, and I don't want to die by accident. Got it?"

Natsumi giggled and nodded. "I've got it."

Kiri passed over the paper to Natsumi. "You'll find the coordinates for your starting point at the bottom of the page there. Once you're there, you're going to investigate and pick up the trail that I've laid out for you. It's not meant to be easy, so don't expect it to be."

Natsumi looked over the paper and pictured the location in her mind. She knew where this was.

"Alright, do you have any questions?"

Natsumi shook her head. "No, it seems straightforward enough. Follow the clues, avoid detection, subdue the enemies, and rescue the target."

Kiri nodded and patter Natsumi's head.

"You seem like you're a smart girl; I'm sure you'll do fine. But, I'll still wish you luck anyway."

"Thanks." Natsumi smiled and folded the paper, storing it in her pocket.

"Alright, start now!"

Natsumi raced off to the coordinates and arrived quickly. The building itself was older and largely unused except for training purposes and Natsumi knelt behind a nearby tree to look over the area.

No light came from the windows but she could clearly see that one window on the third floor had been recently broken. There was no broken glass on the ground below the window, so she knew that the window had been broken from the outside by an intruder, rather than from the inside, by someone attempting to leave quickly.

Natsumi quickly created a clone of herself and it kept to the shadows around the building, scouting the perimeter. Once she was satisfied that the area was truly empty, she emerged from her hiding spot and concentrated her Chakra at the bottoms of her feet, carefully pressing them to the wall and beginning to walk up to the window.

She examined the broken window and found a small fragment of torn black cloth there, as well as a few strands of brown hair.

Natsumi picked them up carefully and held them in her fist, peering into the room now.

The interior had been staged to mimic a simple bedroom with very little accessories. The bed was heavily rumpled with small, fresh spots of blood on the floor. _A struggle._ Natsumi concluded and spotted a broken lamp on the ground nearby.

_The girl tried to defend herself? Or maybe the attacker used it to knock her out?_

She carefully entered the room, avoiding the glass, and leaned in close to the blood and sniffed.

_It's fake._ She smiled faintly. _They really did go all-out for this exercise, though. It's really fun._

Investigating the room further offered no more clues, except for a bit of still-wet clay in the shape of a partial footprint. While she couldn't tell who the print had belonged to, she did recognize the standard Ninja footwear.

She lightly touched the earthy clay with her fingertips and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger.

_They came from somewhere damp, with clay. A river, probably, or a marsh._

Natsumi climbed out of the window and clung to the exterior of the building with her feet again and scanned the area of below. She spotted her clone investigating a broken branch and hopped down to join it.

Her clone stepped back and her eyes fell on a small dusting of clay on the branch.

_They came out of the window, landed here, and went…_ She turned in a circle and then eyed a tall building nearby. Natsumi released the clone and it vanished in a puff, and then she leapt up to the building's roof, finding more evidence of clay. She followed the path ahead with her eyes, imagining the kidnappers veering North, toward the river, and then beyond the Village walls to the dense forests beyond. Her lips curved upward in a slight smile.

_There._

Natsumi followed the faint trail around the perimeter of the village, only stopping when the clues ended. She looked all around and panic rose in her chest.

_No! I followed it right here! It can't just end here like this. _She clenched her jaw as she scanned the area, kneeling to examine the underbrush thoroughly. _There's nothing here! How is that possible?_

She crouched in the shade of a tall tree and crossed her arms. _Think, Natsumi, think. They couldn't have just flown off or vanished into thin air while carrying someone. If they'd gone underground, there would be evidence of overturned and recovered earth. And there's no evidence that someone hid their tracks, either or any signs that they'd doubled-back._

She pursed her lips and let out a soft breath.

_There's gotta be a clue here somewhere._ She adjusted and sat, and the paper in her pocket crinkled. She pulled it out and looked it over again. _There's nothing useful here, either. Just the starting coordinates._

She sighed and lowered the page and then quickly turned her attention back to it. _Some of the pen's ink was smudged before it dried._ She leaned closer and tilted the page at different angles until she smiled. _There are indents in the page from the one before it. But I can't read what it says._

Natsumi looked all around and spotted a brown, wilted cluster of flowers that had been deprived of nutrients by the towering trees surrounding it. Plucking a dry leaf off, she crumbled it in her hand to make a dark powder and gently rubbed it against the indentations in the page.

The Kanji were faint and barely legible, but it was enough. She held the page up to the light and read the message.

…_the third training ground for…_ Natsumi narrowed her eyes to look more closely but the rest of the message was missing.

"The third training ground for… what?" She folded the paper up and tapped it against her lips. _It could be where the kidnappers went…. But it could just as easily be a note for something completely unrelated._

She looked up and eyed the area again, her eyes resting on the final footprint that led to nowhere.

_It's the best lead I've got, though, even if it is kind of cheating._

She adjusted her direction and shot off toward the training ground, clutching the paper in her fist.

_Please let me be right._

Natsumi slowed her pace as she neared the area, watching for paper bombs or traps as she went.

_It looks all clear… it seems wrong. There should be a trap or something._

She landed in a branch concealed by heavy foliage and peered out into the large clearing. There, tied to one of the three posts, a girl was tied.

_That must be her, but no one's guarding her?_ She bit her lip. _Everything about this screams that it's a trap._

From the woods beyond the posts, a masked man in a heavy coat emerged. He tugged at the front of his pants momentarily before leaning against another post.

_A… pee break._ She snorted to herself. _But he seems to be alone and I don't see any evidence of a trap. It looks like he's waiting for someone. Probably to hand over the girl._

Natsumi quietly hopped down and pressed her back to the tree's trunk as she peered back at the man.

_I should be able to take him out quickly if I can lure him away from her._

She formed a hand seal and summoned a clone, whispered to it quietly, and then formed a series of other hand seals, vanishing belowground.

Above her, the clone kept to the shadows and carefully hid in the brush. It froze and saw a paper bomb attached to a nearby tree, along the path that Natsumi was originally supposed to take.

A small smile spread on the clone face as she stood to approach it. "Check." It muttered and struck the bomb, disappearing in a puff in the explosion.

Natsumi traveled underground and felt the earth shake around her. _Was that the distraction?_ She finished counting and reached her destination, slowly emerging from the ground under cover of the thick brush.

In front of her she could see the opposite tree line that she had come from. Smoke rose into the air and the guard straightened and took a kunai from his sheath running toward the small explosion.

_Now!_

Natsumi took a final look around and leapt out from hiding, landing softly in front of the post and the girl.

The girl was a few years older than Natsumi with short, straight, brown hair and soft blue eyes. Up close, Natsumi saw that her gag was loose— all part of the simulation.

She wiggled her face and worked the gag off of her face and smiled at Natsumi.

"Hey, it's you!" She smiled and greeted Natsumi quietly. "Or, I can assume it's you, since you're here."

Natsumi blinked, then copied her smile and moved to untie her. "I'm Natsumi."

"The Uzumaki girl." The girl nodded and shrugged the ropes off once Natsumi had finished. Then, she extended her hand. "I'm Sena. Sena Itou. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Natsumi looked around, then remembered Kiri's instructions and retrieved the small flare gun from her pocket and fired it into the air.

"You got here a lot faster than we expected. Good job." Sena praised and then covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Oops. I'm supposed to be playing a damsel in distress. Sorry."

Clearing her throat, Sena titled her head back dramatically and brought a hand to her forehead. "Oh, I'm so _happy _to be free! Those terrible men kidnapped me. You're my hero!"

She giggled again and Natsumi laughed.

"How was that?" She asked. "Convincing?"

Natsumi nodded with a grin. "Very." She looked around. "So… the test… is it over?"

Sena shook her head and crossed her arms. "Not yet. Not until your "backup" arrives."

"Oh, right." Natsumi stood close to Sena and looked around. _Kiri said that there would be people dressed as enemies, but so far there's only been the one._

Natsumi eyes widened and she threw her arm around Sena and shoved her to the ground as a Kunai passed by her head, barely missing her head before it lodged itself in the post.

_I should have expected that._ Natsumi scolded herself and quickly stood and turned in the direction of the strike. Without any time to think she brought her arm up to parry a thrust, avoiding the kunai and immediately countered with a firm kick to the attacker's gut.

The force was enough to push back the attacker long enough for Natsumi to dislodge the Kunai from the post and hold it out defensively as she took a grounded stance.

Her attacker was none other than Kiri— wearing in a black cloak and a cloth mask that covered the lower half of her face now.

"Don't ever drop your guard because of a familiar face." Kiri spoke low and Natsumi furrowed her brow and raised the kunai.

Kiri lunged at Natsumi who flickered behind her and swung a wide kick at her ribcage. Kiri leapt to the side to dodge and threw a pair of shuriken at Natsumi.

Natsumi blocked the shuriken and rushed Kiri, swinging the kunai only to be blocked repeatedly.

_She's so fast!_ Natsumi blocked a volley of attacks, struggling to keep the kunai firmly in her grasp against Kiri's. _She's so much stronger than I am. How am I going to beat her?_

Natsumi dodged another strike and leapt out of the way only to be pursued by the woman.

_I don't even have enough time to form any hand signs!_

Natsumi blinked and her feet were swept underneath her. _Oh no!_

She fell to the ground and rolled to dodge Kiri's stomp.

_Now's my chance!_

Natsumi formed a series of seals and plunged belowground and navigated to a safe distance away, summoning a handful of clones. They appeared aboveground as a distraction and Natsumi took a breath.

_I don't have a choice but to use that technique. It's the only way I can beat her when she's both stronger and faster…_

Natsumi took a breath and formed a hand sign. _Please let this work._

Natsumi knelt on the ground, panting from exhaustion. _I did it… but I used up all of my Chakra._

She turned to look at Kiri, who lay nearby, on her back, breathing hard as she looked over at the girl.

"That was…" Kiri laughed. "That was awesome." She sat up slowly and let out a long breath. "I didn't expect you to have something like that up your sleeve. Nicely done."

Natsumi blinked and smiled at the praise. "R-Really? You're not mad?"

"Mad?" Kiri broke into loud laughter, holding a hand on her stomach. "Why would I be mad? You had a good plan and you beat me fair and square."

Natsumi let out a sigh. _At least I won't be getting in trouble. That's a relief._

Kiri stood slowly and dusted herself off. "There's just one little thing."

Natsumi looked at her and Kiri grinned. "What?"

The woman knelt in front of her and whispered. "I have a trick up my sleeve, too."

Natsumi's eyes widened as their eyes locked and Kiri tapped her temple.

"Genjutsu."


	6. Chapter 4: The Scroll, Traitor, and Fox

Iruka lay on his back in his bed, looking out of the window above him at the full moon, replaying an old conversation with the Hokage in his head.

_"Iruka."_ Lord Third had begun.

_"What is it, Lord Hokage?"_

_"I know how you feel, but... Naruto also grew up without the love of his parents... like you."_

A memory of the day his parents died flashed in his mind, as if it had only been recently that the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon had attacked the Village, and that he was carried away from the danger, protesting loudly.

_"Stop it! Let me go! My parents are still fighting!"_

Suddenly, a pounding on his door interrupted his thoughts and he opened his eyes.

"Wake up, Iruka-sensei!" Mizuki's voice came from behind the door.

Iruka hopped out of bed quickly and opened the door to see Mizuki, who looked panicked.

"What's the matter?"

"Come to Lord Hokage's immediately!" Mizuki explained hurriedly. "I heard that Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealing."

Iruka's eyes widened and the color drained from his face. "The Scroll of Sealing?!"

* * *

Naruto sat deep in the woods near an abandoned wooden shack and opened up the large scroll before him, looking it over with the moonlight illuminating the paper.

"Hm... let's see..." He muttered as he began to read. "The first Jutsu is... Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

He smacked his forehead and groaned loudly.

"What?! Already a Jutsu I'm no good at?"

* * *

Natsumi's eyes fluttered open as loud arguing broke through the silent darkness.

"—I swear, if you've killed her, I am going to cut all of your hair off!" Sena prodded Kiri's chest with a hard look. "You went way too far! You'd already told her that you were beaten. Using your Genjutsu like that was too much."

Kiri raised her hands. "Hey, I said I was sorry! I released it right away, so it's not really my fault!"

"She's just a kid! You shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Hey, I just wanted to test her. I didn't know she would pass out like that."

Natsumi blinked slowly and lifted her head from the pillow and saw the two bickering back-and-forth.

"G-Guys?" She sat up slowly and rubbed her head. "Where am I? What happened?"

They turned to her immediately and Kiri wrapped her in a tight hug. "You're okay!" She rubbed her cheek on Natsumi's. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to go too far. I'm so glad that you're alright."

Natsumi gasped and then smiled. "I-I'm fine. But you're hugging too tightly."

Kiri let her go and let out a sigh. "Sorry."

"You had us really worried." Sena sat on the edge of the bed. "After Kiri released you from the Genjutsu, you wouldn't wake up."

Kiri scratched her cheek as Natsumi looked back at her. "Sorry." She apologized again. "As it turns out, you're just really weak to Genjutsu."

"I am?"

Sena nodded. "Some people are innately born with high resistance to it. Like Kiri." She motioned toward the woman. "Then, you have the average people, who can learn to become more resistant through training."

"And then there's you." Kiri crossed her arms. "Apparently some people are born with an extreme susceptibility to Genjutsu. And, according to several different experts, you're one of them."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she looked down at her hands. "I failed the mission, right?"

Sena blinked and shook her head. "No, no, you—"

"Technically, yes." Kiri interrupted, holding up a finger. She lowered it and smiled sheepishly when Sena shot her a look. "So, the mission to rescue the target was technically a bust, but I was primarily testing your tracking. You did a great job. Don't feel bad."

"You did really well." Sena smiled and gave her a quick, one-armed hug.

"T-Thanks." Natsumi smiled faintly. "So... uh..." She laughed awkwardly. "How long was I unconscious for?"

Sena and Kiri looked at each other and then Kiri chuckled under her breath. "W-We'll just say a long time and leave it at that. What matters is that you're fine."

Natsumi turned to look out of the window of the hospital room and gaped. "T-The moon? It's already night?!"

Sena patted her head and shrugged. "Kiri's right; what matters is you're finally awake and that Kiri knows not to do it again, _right?_" She glowered at her senior.

"Oh, damn." Kiri muttered, ignoring Sena, and then met Natsumi's eyes. "I almost forgot... The Hokage wanted to see you as soon as you woke up."

"Huh?" Natsumi felt the color drain from her face. _Is this about... that?_

Sena's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! If you're feeling up to it, you have to go there as soon as possible. It's about your brother."

Natsumi's eyes widened. "What? Naruto? Why didn't you say something sooner?!"

She hopped out of the bed quickly, her legs buckling, and Kiri carefully steadied her. "Hey, go easy now. You were blacked out for a while."

Natsumi shrugged her hands away and then rushed to the door.

"Sorry, but I have to go! It was nice meeting you!"

* * *

"Lord Hokage!" A ninja clenched his fists and scowled. "We can't forgive him! This is not just a mere prank!"

"The Scroll is a dangerous item that the First Hokage sealed!" Another one shouted, and the crowd around him filled the air with angry shouting and muttering. "Depending on its use... it will be a major disaster if it's taken out of the village!"

Iruka clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists. _"Naruto... why would you do something like this?"_

The Hokage released a puff of smoke from his lips and nodded.

"Yes, I agree. Bring Naruto here at once!" he commanded.

"Yes, sir!" The assembled Ninja snapped to attention and then quickly left to search for the boy.

Iruka stopped on a rooftop, panting, as he looked at the Village below.

_"Where did you go, Naruto?"_ He thought, his chest tight and his stomach uneasy.

Mizuki moved quickly through the village as he searched for Naruto with a smirk on his face.

_"I'll tell everyone in the Village about this and eliminate Naruto... and then the Scroll of Sealing will be mine!"_

Naruto sat in the open field near the shack with the scroll slung over his back, panting heavily from training. Slowly, footsteps approached and his eyes caught a glimpse of the shadow that loomed over him and he glanced upward.

Iruka stood over him, bent down to rest his fists on his thighs as he breathed heavily to catch his breath.

"Hey you, Naruto!" His eyes narrowed at his pupil, who smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head and laughed.

Iruka straightened and Naruto stood.

"You found me..." He chuckled. "And I've only learned one Jutsu."

Iruka froze and looked down at him. _"He's been practicing the Jutsu...until he's become this exhausted and dirty?"_

Naruto lowered his arm and his eyes grew in excitement.

"Listen, listen! I'm gonna show you this amazing Jutsu! You're gonna let me graduate if I can do it! Isn't it true that I can graduate if I can do one of the Jutsu written here?"

Iruka's eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. "W-Who told you that?"

Naruto raised his arms, moving them as he spoke, still grinning in pride. "Mizuki-sensei. He told me about the scroll and this place..."

Iruka stared at him, unable to move or speak. An image of Mizuki surfaced in his mind and his stomach twisted into knots.

_"Mizuki did?!"_

Before he could reply, Iruka turned quickly to see a volley of Kunai launched at them. Instinctively, he shoved Naruto out of the way but was struck by the blades instead, some of them piercing his legs and pinning him to the building behind him. He drew in a sharp, hissing breath in pain.

"I'm impressed that you found this place." A voice called out to him. Iruka looked up at the figure, knowing the voice easily.

"I see now... how it is." He spoke slowly with his breathing ragged.

Mizuki crouched on a thick tree branch with his left hand resting on the truck. He carried two enormous Shuriken on his back and looked down at Naruto.

"Naruto, give me that scroll." He smirked.

"Wait... Wait..." Naruto's eyes were wide and his mouth gaped as he looked from Iruka's injuries to Mizuki. "What's going on here?"

Iruka huffed and a line of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he tore himself away from the wall and removed the Kunai from his leg.

"Naruto! Never give him that scroll!" He glared at Mizuki, breathing raggedly as he clenched his jaw. "It's a dangerous object that contains forbidden Ninja Jutsu. It was sealed. Mizuki used you in order to get it for himself!"

Mizuki straightened to a stand, still smirking as he put a hand on his hip.

Naruto glared and his body went rigid as he stared at Mizuki. "W-What?"

"Naruto," Mizuki chuckled. "Iruka is only afraid of you holding that scroll!" He held out his hand to the boy.

"Huh?" Naruto's body relaxed and turned his head to Iruka.

"What are you saying, Mizuki?" Iruka narrowed his eyes at Mizuki and turned to Naruto. "Don't let him fool you, Naruto!"

Mizuki laughed coldly. "I will tell you the truth, Naruto."

Iruka froze for a moment and recovered quickly. "Idiot! Don't do that!" He barked back.

Mizuki rested one hand on his knee, ignoring Iruka and looking at Naruto. "After an incident twelve years ago, a rule was created."

"A... rule?" Naruto kept his eyes on his senior with a strange chill filling his body.

"That is, Naruto, a rule everybody but you knows."Mizuki glowered at the boy.

"Except me?" Naruto gasped. "What is it?"

"Stop it, Mizuki!" Iruka yelled, but Mizuki's face darkened.

"The rule forbids anyone from revealing that you are actually the Demon Fox Spirit!"

Naruto's eyes widened and his heart raced. "H-Huh?"

"You are actually the Demon Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit," Mizuki continued and his voice gradually rose to a yell. "The one who killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our Village!"

"Stop it!" Iruka snapped and clenched his fists.

Naruto's body went completely rigid with his mouth frozen open. His hands trembled as he listened to Mizuki's explanation, recalling how everyone in the village treated him, even going so far as to scold their children and keep them from playing with him at the playground.

"Everyone has been deceiving you ever since." Mizuki twisted grin stretched his features as he watched Naruto reeling before him. "Didn't you find it strange? Why everyone hated you so much?"

Naruto trembled as his eyes filled with tears and spilled over. "No... no..." He clenched his fists and two trails of tears fell down his cheeks. "No! No! No!"

He closed his eyes, shaking more noticeably now, and Iruka stared wide-eyed as a ring of visible Chakra formed around Naruto on the ground, emitting from his body out of rage.

_"Naruto..." _Iruka opened his mouth, but no words would come.

"Nobody accepts you!" Mizuki yelled at him with a venomous tone. "That's why Iruka hates you so much!"

Iruka flinched as the wound in his leg throbbed with pain and he pressed his hand over the wound to slow the bleeding with gritted teeth. "Keh..." He groaned and gripped his leg harder as another memory of the Hokage returned to him.

_"Iruka... Naruto grew up without the love of parents. Everyone avoids him like the plague after what happened. That's why he keeps misbehaving. It's the only way for him to get any attention or acknowledgment. He pretends to be tough, but inside he is really hurting. Even with a twin sister, he is filled with loneliness."_

Mizuki retrieved a shuriken from his back and spun it above his head as he did.

"Die, Naruto!" He yelled and launched the weapon at the boy.

Naruto fell backward in shock, unable to move as he stared at the shuriken for a moment and then quickly got up and attempted to run. His body moved slowly from his exhaustion and training and he stumbled.

"Naruto! Get down!" Iruka shouted and quickly moved in front of him, shielding him with his own body. Naruto covered his head with his arms, shaking uncontrollably.

Blood spurted as the weapon pierced flesh and Naruto stared up in horror at Iruka and the giant shuriken plunged into him.

Iruka coughed blood and gasped for air, trembling as he struggled to hold himself up over Naruto as a shield.

Mizuki glared and gritted his teeth at his miss and Iruka's sacrifice.

Naruto stared unblinkingly at his teacher as he shook. "W-Why...?" He asked in a quivering voice.

"...Because you and I are the same." Iruka answered slowly. "After my parents died, nobody paid any attention to me or gave me any support. I wasn't a good student in school. I was the class clown... because I wanted people to notice me. I couldn't get noticed through excellence, so I kept doing stupid things."

Iruka choked again and more blood dripped from his mouth and fell around Naruto, a few drops landing on his face.

"It was so hard..." Iruka muttered as his eyes moistened and spilled over. "Isn't that right, Naruto? You felt so lonely... right? And you suffered inside, right? I'm sorry, Naruto... If I had been more responsible, maybe you wouldn't have suffered so much."

Naruto's lip trembled as he sat up and was unable to look away from Iruka.

Mizuki laughed from his branch, quietly at first and then louder and angry.

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka has always hated you, ever since you killed his parents! He's just saying all that to get the Scroll of Sealing back!"

Naruto looked between the two and quickly got up, running away into the woods with his hands balled.

"Naruto!" Iruka called out after him but was unable to move. "Naruto!"

Mizuki hopped down from the tree and squatted for a moment as he smirked. "He's not the type of kid who will change his mind. He will take revenge against our village using that scroll!"

Mizuki stood and approached Iruka slowly. "Didn't you see his eyes? Those are the eyes of a Demon Fox."

Iruka took in a breath and reached behind him, dislodging the weapon from his back and gasping in pain. Then, he managed to stand on unsteady legs and turn to Mizuki with a scowl.

"No... Naruto i-isn't like that at all!" Iruka glared and threw the Shuriken at his opponent. Mizuki dodged easily and scoffed as it whirred by and stuck itself into a tree behind him. Iruka staggered forward and nearly fell to his knees.

"All I want to do is kill Naruto and get the scroll." Mizuki chuckled. "I'll take care of you later."

Iruka forced himself to a stand as Mizuki vanished, wavering as he regained his balance.

"I-I won't let you..." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

"Well, well." The Third Hokage muttered as he gazed into the glass sphere before him, watching the encounter between the teachers. "Mizuki has a big mouth!"

He watched as Naruto dashed through the trees with his eyes burning with rage and tears.

_"Naruto feels worse than he's ever felt." _He thought and released a puff of smoke, chewing thoughtfully on his pipe. _"At this rate, he might unleash the power locked up inside of him. The Scroll of Sealing is now with him... there's a slight chance that he might actually release the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed inside of him!"_

He sat up straighter with a grim expression on his face.

_"If that happens..."_ He gazed back into the ball and his mouth formed a hard line. _"Who knows how much damage it will cause?"_

"N-No..." A quiet voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned.

"Natsumi..." His eyes widened slightly as she stood stiffly with her face contorted in shock. "How long have you been there for?"

Her eyes remained fixed on the crystal ball. The Hokage softened as he noticed that she was trembling.

"I-Is it... is it true?" Natsumi's voice quivered and she blinked finally and met the old man's eyes. "Is Naruto really... the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Hiruzen let out a long breath and motioned for her to come closer. Her body remained frozen in place.

"Mizuki was wrong to tell him... that rule was put in place for a reason." He spoke quietly.

Natsumi's eyes filled with tears and spilled over. "I said, is it true?!" She rose her voice and her hands shook more noticeably.

"Natsumi..." He paused, standing to walk over and place a hand on her shoulder as he met her eyes. "The answer to that is complicated. Will you allow me to explain?"

She pulled away from his grasp and shook her head quickly.

"Naruto is in trouble... I have to help him."

"N-Natsumi—"

She turned and rushed out of the room.

_Naruto, I'm coming! Don't let him catch you!_

The Hokage sighed and returned to his chair and watched Naruto in the glass sphere.

_"I suppose there's nothing to be done about it now. They already know the truth... if only it could have been postponed until they were older..."_ He chewed on the end of his pipe. _"All we can do now is hope for the best."_

* * *

Iruka quickly bounded in the trees, pushing his body faster and faster beyond its limits and the pain until a blur of orange came into view.

_"I've found him!" _Iruka drew closer to Naruto, who was frantically moving faster and consumed by his emotions. "Naruto!"

Naruto turned his head and saw Iruka closing in.

"Everything Mizuki said was a lie! Give me that scroll, quick! Mizuki is after it!"

Naruto glared and landed on a branch, shooting forward hard and striking Iruka in the stomach. Iruka spluttered and coughed and was sent flying by the force. His wounds tore open further and blood continued to seep from them.

Naruto landed on his feet and slid to a stop, glaring at the body as it crashed to the ground, and panted.

"It can't be..." He muttered to himself. Naruto pulled the scroll from behind his back and held it tightly in his arms, pressing his back against a tree before he slid down and fell hard on the earth.

"Why is it, Naruto?" Iruka struggled to get up, then turned his head to Naruto with an icy glare. "How... did you know I wasn't Iruka?"

Mizuki glowered and was enveloped in a cloud of smoke as he transformed back to himself.

Naruto chuckled and met the man's gaze, returning his glare. Then, his body also became surrounded by smoke to reveal the real Iruka sitting in his place.

"Because I'm Iruka." His lips twitched upward in a smirk.

* * *

Natsumi rushed through the woods as fast as she could with tears flowing from her eyes as she replayed Mizuki's words.

_"You are actually the Demon Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit! The one who killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our Village!"_

_"Didn't you find it strange? Why everyone hated you so much?"_

_"Nobody accepts you!"_

Natsumi wiped her face as she continued forward.

_It can't be true! Naruto isn't a demon! Naruto is a person, like me! He's not a monster... he would never hurt anyone!_

Her lip quivered as, one by one, memories replayed. Parents tugging their children away from her and Naruto at the playground. Adults whispering as they went by and glaring as if they were no better than wild dogs.

_It can't be true!_ Natsumi stopped on a branch, choking back a sob. _It's not... It can't be._

She stared down at her shaking hands. _If Naruto is the Demon Fox... then what am I? We're twins... does that mean that I'm a monster, too? Why aren't I the monster?_

Natsumi rubbed her sleeves on her face and bit her lip. _Why couldn't I have been the monster instead? Naruto doesn't deserve it... he's a good person. He hasn't done anything wrong._

Her stomach twisted as her heart thumped in her chest. _It's not fair... why do people have to be so horrible to Naruto? He's not a Demon Fox. He can't be._

She shook her head quickly. _I have to hurry! He's in trouble!_

She shot off again, moving tree-to-tree until she saw a small clearing with two adult figures. Landing quietly, she hid behind a thick trunk and peered out at the two figures.

_It's Iruka-sensei and Mizuki!_

Her eyes widened at Iruka's wounds and Mizuki's look of absolute bloodlust.

_This is bad... I have to help him!_ She trembled and her face paled. _I can't move! I..._

She swallowed as she looked at Mizuki's face expression again.

_He looks like... a monster._

* * *

Mizuki stood and dusted himself off. "I see." He put his hands on his hips and stepped toward Iruka. "What's in it for you to protect the one who killed your family?"

From behind a tree, Naruto carefully peered out to watch as he caught his breathe and remained out of sight.

"I'm not going to let an idiot like you have the scroll." Iruka hissed as his wounds throbbed and oozed.

"You're the idiot. Naruto is the same as me." Mizuki laughed.

"The same?" Iruka asked with a steely gaze.

"Anyone can do whatever he wants once he has the scroll. There is no way that monster, that Fox Spirit, won't take advantage of the power of that scroll!"

"You're right..." Iruka mumbled.

Naruto's eyes widened and he felt ice flood his veins as he listened, then he lowered his head and gripped the scroll tighter.

_"I guess it was true all along!"_ He thought bitterly. _"Iruka-sensei never cared for me at all!"_

"... if he was the Demon Fox Spirit." Iruka finished and Naruto blinked and raised his head. "But Naruto is different! I know that he is an exceptional student. He works very hard, and he's single-minded and clumsy at the same time. No one accepts him, but he knows the meaning of human suffering. He is not the Demon Fox Spirit."

Iruka paused and furrowed his brows. "He's Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village!"

Naruto held the scroll closer, unable to contain his tears anymore and they fell fast and soaked the front of his jacket. He sniffed and felt his eyes gush harder on their own.

Mizuki scoffed and retrieved the second shuriken from his back and held it at his side. "You're so gullible, Iruka. I was going to take you down later, but I've changed my mind."

He spun the shuriken and drew it back, pushing off the ground to rush at Iruka. "Die!"

Iruka lowered his eyes but a small smile remained on his face. _"I guess this is the end for me..."_

Before his strike could land, Naruto erupted into view and struck him. The unexpected force knocked him back a considerable distance and the shuriken missed its mark and instead flew off in an arc away and deeper into the forest.

Iruka's eyes widened as he saw Mizuki finally land and Naruto set safely down on the ground in front of him.

_"Naruto?!"_ Iruka's mouth came open as he watched the boy stand.

"You surprised me there, freak." Mizuki spat and pushed himself off the ground and turned to Naruto.

Naruto's expression darkened and he rested one end of the scroll on the ground, clutching the other end tightly.

"If you ever lay a hand on Iruka-sensei, I'll kill you!"

"Shut up!" Mizuki hissed. "I can take care of a kid like you with a single blow!"

"Why don't you try, then?" Naruto released the scroll and brought his hands together for form a seal. "I'll strike you back a thousand-fold!"

"Let's see you try!" Mizuki cried out. "Show me what you can do, Demon Fox!"

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto announced and Iruka's eyes widened further as the entire area filled with copies of Naruto, too many for him to count.

_"Naruto! You've... Those aren't just images... but actual clones! That's a highly advanced Ninjutsu!"_ He smiled as he looked to Naruto.

Mizuki turned frantically, staring at the army as he stammered.

"What's the matter?" The clones said in unison. "Come on! Weren't you going to get me with one blow? I'm right here!" They laughed and Mizuki fell back in shock.

The Narutos grinned and balled their hands into fists. "In that case... I'll come to you!"

Mizuki trembled uncontrollably and let out a loud scream as the clones rushed him and struck him with an endless barrage. Soon enough, Mizuki lay unconscious on the ground, covered in scrapes and bruises. The clones vanished after a short time and Naruto looked up from Mizuki and to Iruka, scratching his head as he laughed to himself.

"I kind of got carried away. Iruka-sensei, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Iruka answered after a moment and the dim light from the sunrise broke through the trees and illuminated the clearing. _"He really is something. Maybe it is true. Maybe he will surpass the Hokages."_

"Naruto!"

He turned to see his twin emerge from the trees and wrap him in a big hug.

"Natsumi!" Naruto staggered back, then smiled and returned the embrace. After a moment, she pulled back and held him at arm's length.

"Naruto, that was incredible!" Natsumi breathed and grinned from ear-to-ear. "Your clones... and the way you took care of him like that... you're amazing!"

"Hee hee." Naruto scratched his head again. "Well, of course I am! I'm the one who's going to be Hokage one day, after all!"

Natsumi laughed and wrapped him in another tight hug. "I'm glad you're alright." She paused and then scrunched her face as she gripped his collar tightly. "In that case..." She exhaled and shook him back-and forth. "How could you do something so stupid, Naruto? Stealing the scroll like that! Those Jutsu are forbidden for a reason! You could have killed yourself, or blown up the village, or... or..."

She bit her lip and released his shirt, her hands shaking. "I was so worried. When I found out what happened, I was afraid that I would get here too late."

Naruto blinked and softened. "H-Hey... don't make that face. I'm alright, see?"

Natsumi smiled faintly, nodded shortly, and laughed. "Yeah. Just promise that you won't do anything like this again, okay? You're going to make me die of a heart attack while I'm still a kid."

"Alright, alright... stop being so dramatic." Naruto chuckled and nudged her. "You can go back to telling me how awesome I am, though."

Natsumi laughed and shook her head. "You're hopeless."

Iruka smiled as he watched the two and then called out to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto, come over here. I'd like to give you something."

* * *

In the Village, the crowd of Ninja reassembled, empty-handed.

"Has anyone found Naruto yet?" They asked each other.

"No." One answered grimly.

"Damn... this is going to be bad..." Another groaned.

The Hokage approached the group, taking his pipe from his mouth to speak clearly.

"There's no need to worry anymore." The group all turned to see him as he stepped closer with one hand behind his back.

"Lord Hokage!"

The old man smiled faintly. "He'll be back soon."

"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto complained as he kept his eyes tightly shut.

"Okay, you may open your eyes now." Iruka beamed and Naruto's eyes opened slowly.

The bright morning sunlight flooded the area and warmed their skin and birds woke and began to sing and flutter around.

Naruto blinked and stared at Iruka, not understanding.

"Congratulations..." Iruka's smile grew, holding up Naruto's goggles in his hand. "On your graduation."

Naruto's eyes widened as he processed his words. _"My... graduation?"_

"In celebration, we'll have ramen tonight!"

Naruto's lips quivered and Iruka opened his eyes to look at him as he stood unusually quiet.

Finally, Naruto leapt forward and wrapped his teacher in a strong embrace, knocking him to the ground in excitement. "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka cried out in pain, though he was smiling. "That hurts!"

Naruto sobbed and wrapped his arms around Iruka's neck as he patted his back.

_"Naruto..." _He looked down at Naruto as he thanked him repeatedly. _"I was going to lecture you... that the road gets more difficult now that you're a Ninja. But... I guess I'll just wait to tell you that until we get to the ramen stand..."_

Naruto gave Iruka a tighter squeeze and he complained, pushing Naruto back and reminded him of his injuries.

After some time, Naruto was able to calm down and he sniffed and wiped his face on his sleeve, gripping his headband proudly and turning to Natsumi.

"Natsumi, look!" He paused and saw that she was crying with a large smile on her face. In the morning sunlight, her hair looked even more vibrant, almost as if it were fire. "Nat...sumi?"

Natsumi choked back a sob and wiped her cheeks, laughing under her breath.

"S-Sorry, I don't mean to cry and ruin the mood. I can't stop..." She sniffed and Naruto stood, walking to her. "I.. I'm just so happy, Naruto. You finally were able to graduate. All your hard work paid off. I k-knew you could do it. I-I'm..." She sniffed again and another rush of tears spilled out. "I'm so proud to be your sister!"  
Naruto's eyes watered and he tackled her as well, hugging her tightly. "Natsumi!"

"N-Naruto... you're..." She laughed and shoved him away. "You're crushing me!"

He chuckled and rubbed his head. "Sorry."

Natsumi smiled and hugged him quickly, releasing him to look at his headband. "I knew you could do it, you know. I always believed in you, and I always will."

His eyes sparkled and she rolled hers as she tapped his headband, looking at Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, is it really alright if you give Naruto yours?"

Iruka smiled and nodded. "I want him to have it."

Natsumi copied his smile and then came over to him, frowning as she looked him over. "Are you okay? We should get you to the hospital for treatment."

Iruka winced, then leaned back against the tree. "It doesn't hurt so much if I stay like this."

Natsumi narrowed his eyes and met his. "Sensei..." She crossed her arms.

Iruka chuckled and winced, reaching out to ruffle Natsumi's hair. "I'll be alright. There's no need to worry."

Natsumi's eyes fell and her stomach slowly sunk.

Iruka's arm lowered and he titled his head, frowning. "Natsumi? What's wrong?"

Naruto came over to them and squatted next to his sister. "Natsumi?"

She blinked and looked to Naruto, then at Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei... about what Mizuki said... is it true?"

Naruto felt an icy chill rush down his spine and he looked into his teacher's eyes. Iruka's expression softened and he let out a quiet breath.

"You two... do you know what happened twelve years ago?"

Natsumi looked up. "The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon attacked the village... and the Fourth Hokage was the hero who stopped it... right?"

Naruto pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes.

Iruka nodded. "That's right. However," He paused, looking at Naruto. "it's not the whole story."

Naruto met his gaze. "It's not?"

Iruka shook his head. "You see... the Tailed Beasts cannot be killed. They might die for a time, but they will always come back to life. So, the Fourth Hokage stopped the attack on the Village the only way he could... by sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of someone."

The twins' eyes widened and Natsumi looked to Naruto, whose hands began to tremble slightly. She slid her hand into his and gently squeezed it.

"But why... why me?" Naruto asked softly.

Iruka shook his head. "No one knows the answer to that, but because the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed inside of you, the Village was saved."

Natsumi gave Naruto's hand another squeeze and then furrowed her brow. "But... doesn't that mean Naruto is a hero?"

Naruto's head shot up and he stared at her. "Natsumi?"

"Without him, the Village would be completely destroyed. He helped save everyone... so why does everyone treat him so poorly?"

Iruka's eyes fell and then rose again, looking between the two of them. "That's because they are afraid. They don't know any better, so they don't understand that Naruto is his own person and not the monster that's sealed away."

Natsumi closed her mouth and stared at the ground. "Even so... they shouldn't be like that. Naruto is a good person, and they don't even try to see it."

Iruka patted her head and she looked up at him.

"Many people lost loved ones that day, so it's easier for them to direct their grief and hatred on someone than for them to heal and put it behind them. In time, I'm sure they'll come around."

"But you don't feel the same way, right, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto watched as his teacher smiled faintly.

"Things were even difficult for me, too, at first. When you first became my students several years ago, I asked the Hokage to move you to a different classroom. But," He paused and his smile grew. "he explained to me how similar you and I were, and then I got to know you over time as your teacher. You were able to change my mind, simply by being yourself. I believe the same is possible for the rest of the village, once they get to know you better and see what a great Ninja you've become."

Naruto grinned and rubbed his nose, then formed a thumbs-up. "Then that's what I'll do!" He declared. "I'll get everyone to acknowledge me and I'll be the greatest Hokage ever."

Natsumi smiled at her brother and nodded. "As long as I can still nag you from time to time. Even a Hokage needs a good advisor."

Naruto stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms. "And who says that I'll choose you? You'll see, I'll be so great that I won't need any help."

Natsumi laughed and Iruka sat up straighter, sucking a hissing breath through his teeth in pain.

"Iruka-sensei!" She frowned and touched his arm. "We really need to get him to the hospital."

"Hey, Natsumi!" Kiri landed behind them, followed by Sena. "You—" Her eyes fell on the trio and she smiled. "You found him already. I guess you don't need help, after all."

Natsumi reached a hand out to them. "Wait! He's hurt and he needs help. I think we have to treat him before we can get him back to the Village."

"Hurt?" Sena approached them and examined his wounds, nodding. "I'll get started right away." She met Natsumi's eyes with a smile. "I'm a Medical Ninja, you know."

"Really?" Natsumi broke into a grin. "That's great!"

Kiri knelt beside Sena, looking Iruka over. "Have we met before?" She pointed at him. "You're pretty cute."

The teacher blushed and blinked. "I... w-what?"

Sena laughed. "Ignore her. She can't help herself around men and can be a real pain, but she's mostly harmless."

Kiri scowled and turned away, her nose in the air. "Jerk. I don't know why we're even friends."

Sena placed a hand over Iruka's back, took a breath, and began to channel Chakra to it, beginning to heal him. "It's because I know too much about you for you to just get rid of me so easily."

Kiri pursed her lips. "Hmph."

Naruto blinked in confusion and looked between the two Kunoichi. "Natsumi, who're they?"

"Oh, sorry." She laughed. "This is Kiri and Sena." She pointed to each of them. "I was training with them before."

Kiri waved at Naruto, winking. "Hey there, kid." She leaned closer and Naruto blushed as her face drew close. "You have really nice eyes." She said finally, sitting back and crossing her arms.

"T-Thanks." Naruto's eyes wandered to her chest and his cheeks grew hotter.

Natsumi pinched his earlobe and tugged. "Hey, you pervert! Stop it!"

"Ow ow ow ow!" He swatted her hand away and rubbed his ear with a heavy pout. "I didn't do anything."

Sena moved her hand from Iruka's back and gently set it on his shoulder. "There, that should be fine for now. How does it feel?"

Iruka sat up straighter and relaxed. "Better, thanks."

Sena giggled and slid her arm around him, helping him to a stand. "Alright, then, let's get you to the hospital and I can finish the treatment there."

"Wait, I need to return the scroll to the Hokage." Iruka looked at the scroll, which sat in the grass.

Kiri picked it up and held it under her arm. "I've got it."

Iruka rubbed his head slowly. "Actually, I'd rather do it myself."

Kiri turned her body slightly, pulling her left sleeve up so that he could see the crimson tattoo there before she slid it down again. "Don't worry, it's safe with me. I'll get it to the Hokage."

Iruka's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "O-Of course."

Kiri held up a hand sign and vanished, and Sena looked at Iruka, muttering something so that only he could hear.

"Really? You both are...?"

She nodded. "Are you ready, then?"

Iruka nodded and the two disappeared as well, leaving only the twins.

"We should go, too. I'm sure the Hokage wants to see us both."

Naruto nodded slowly and met her eyes. "There's just one thing..."

"Hm?"

"Did you know? About the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Natsumi shook her head. "No, not until I heard Mizuki talk about it." She paused and saw the worry clouding his eyes. "Hey, you're a hero, remember?" She smiled as he blinked and his lips curved upward. "So, don't be sad, okay?"

They shared a grin.

"Hey... do you want to race back?" Natsumi offered.

He shook his head and took her hand instead. "Nah, that's alright."

She looked down at their hands and smiled, and they pushed off the ground, heading to the Hokage's together.


	7. Chapter 5: My Name is Konohamaru!

Natsumi stepped out of the bathroom and looked around the apartment and she towel-dried her hair.

"Naruto?" She stopped and saw him standing in front of her mirror as he examined his reflection and blinked. "What do you think you're doing?"

He jumped then relaxed and turned back to the mirror, turning his head at all angles. "What does it look like? I'm getting ready for our Official Ninja pictures."

Natsumi rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of her bed to begin wrapping bandages around her right thigh. "I see..." She looked him over and tilted her head to the side. "Don't you think you'll get in trouble for looking like that?"

He chuckled and turned to her with his hands on his hips. "Hey, I've worked hard to Graduate... I should be able to look however I want in my pictures."

Natsumi shrugged and finished wrapping, then strapped on her kunai sheath, and stood to attach her two packs to the back of her waistband.

"Well, if that's what you want to do, go ahead. Who am I to tell you what do you?" She shrugged on her jacket and zipped it up halfway before it became stuck at her bust and was unable to pull it any further. Finally, she completely unzipped it and frowned. "Stupid thing... I can't even zip it up anymore."

Natsumi took her coin purse out of her nightstand drawer and counted the money inside, muttering to herself. "Looks like I'll have to buy a new one today. Who knew that becoming a woman would ever be a problem?"

Naruto blushed and turned away from her. "Would you stop talking about those things around me?!"

Natsumi rolled her eyes and pocked the coin purse. "If you don't like it, just ignore it." She peered at her reflection behind Naruto. "Well, I'm off, then."

"Huh?" He crossed his arm and watched her walk away. "But you just came back."

"Well, that was because of my morning training. I had to shower and have breakfast." She stuck her hand into her pocket. "It's been a few days and I want to try to find Sena and Kiri and thank them for helping Iruka-sensei before. I was thinking of maybe giving them each a ramen coupon that I've been saving up."

"But... what about the pictures?"

Natsumi smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be there! I just want to make a quick stop, first."

"O-Okay." He pressed his lips together and his focus returned to the mirror. "Bye."

"See you later, Naruto." She shut the door behind her and her brother stuck out his bottom lip.

"Training, training, training. That's all she ever does anymore. And now she has friends. What about her brother, hm?"

Natsumi left the building and looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun as she smiled at two birds that flitted overhead, singing to each other. Then she retrieved a slip of paper from her pocket that Kiri had given her only the day before, reading the address again at the bottom of the note.

"Hmmm... I think it's this way." Walking quickly, she found the street and turned down it, looking at the large houses as she went. "This area is where a lot of the wealthy people live... Kiri must be rich."

She stopped in front of a large manor and looked between the note and the numbers on the mailbox. "Well, this looks right."

She approached the door and raised her hand, knocking three times gently. There was a pause and the door opened, an older teenage boy peering at her with a stern expression. He looked her over and crossed his arms.

"Who are you?"

"Uh..." Natsumi blinked, then scratched her cheek. "I-I'm Natsumi. I'm looking for Kiri? I might have the wrong house."

He scoffed and leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, his long white-blonde hair falling over one of his blue eyes and draping on his shoulder.

"Yeah, she's my aunt." He rolled his eyes. "What're you need her for?"

_Oh, that's right. _She remembered. _She did say something about having an adopted brother and sister. I didn't know they all lived together._

"Um..." She met his eyes and felt her cheeks warm. _He's cute!_

"She helped me out with something a few days ago and I came to return the favor by treating her to lunch or something."

The seventeen-year-old leaned forward, bringing his face close to her. His stern look was replaced with a smirk and he tilted her chin up with his thumb.

"Hey, you're pretty cute." He met her eyes and her face turned hot as he winked. "I'll tell you where she went if you give me a kiss."

_A kiss?_ The heat spread to her ears and she stammered. "U-Um... I... uh..."

He chuckled and leaned closer until the tips of their noses almost touched. "I'm Yuuta. It was Natsumi, right? You're really cute."

"U-Um..." She stuttered, unable to think clearly.

"Yuuta!" A man's sharp voice came from the foyer and he gripped his son's shoulder and pulled him back. "I've told you before to knock off that attitude. Women are not playthings."

Yuuta scoffed and shoved his hands into his pocket. "Whatever, old man. Why mom even married you, I'll never know."

He raised his hand to wave at Natsumi and winked again. "To be continued, my red-haired princess." Then, he disappeared inside the house and the man stepped onto the front step with Natsumi.

"I apologize for his behavior." He spoke quietly and adjusted his glasses, pushing them higher on his nose. His short, smooth hair was a medium brown and his eyes were a thoughtful brown. "My son seems to consider himself a gift to all the women of the world. He's very narcissistic."

He looked Natsumi up and down. "You must be Natsumi. Kiri has been speaking a great deal about you and your trial. It appears as if you've impressed her."

"I-I have?"

The man nodded. "I am Fumio Takahashi. You're looking for my sister-in-law?"

Natsumi nodded. "Yes, sir. Do you know where she went?"

"I do." There was a long paused before he answered. "She went to Sena Itou's. Would you like the address?"

"Yes, please."

Sato relayed the address and pushed up his glasses again. "I expect that she'll be there all day, so you don't need to worry about missing her."

"Thank you very much." Natsumi bowed her head respectfully and turned, walking down the path and repeated the directions in her head.

Finally, she reached the place. It was a small house surrounded by a large flower garden with blooms as tall at Natsumi herself.

_It's beautiful!_ She turned in a circle to admire the flowers and then approached the door and raised her hand to knock when she heard Kiri's loud groan coming from the backyard.

Natsumi moved to peer behind the side of the house and saw Sena and Kiri lounging on a pair of reclined chairs at a garden table, already sipping on a cup of sake and loudly talking.

"Can you believe he said that?" Kiri scoffed and gulped down the contents of the small cup. "I mean, what did I even do wrong this time?"

"K-Kiri..." Sena laughed quietly and reached over to take the bottle from her, only to have Kiri hold it out of her reach. "I don't think this is the right time to be drinking. It's really early."

"Shaddup, you!" Kiri laughed, reaching over to poke her nose. "You're supposed to be comforting me in my time of need."

Sena rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. "You call it a time of need and I call it a taste of your own medicine. It was _you_ who left halfway through dinner. Not many men like to be dumped like that."

Kiri took a long drink out of the bottle and exhaled slowly.

"Well, it's not my fault that he wasn't relationship material. The guy was really clingy and kept talking about his mom all evening. I-" She spotted Natsumi from across the yard and raised her arm above her head and waved.

"Hey! It's you!" She giggled and hiccuped.

Sena turned and her eyes lit up and she set down her cup to wrap Natsumi in a hug. "Hi!" She let her go and led her over to a spare chair and made her a cup of tea. "It's good to see you again."

Natsumi watched Kiri lay on her arms, still mumbling to herself.

"As you can see," Sena smiled slightly. "Kiri had a date last night, and it didn't go very well." She rested an elbow on the table and held a hand up to her mouth to whisper. "Kiri is a bit of a day-drinker when she's upset. I've been trying to get her to quit for years, but it's hopeless."

"I can still hear you." Kiri lifted her head up, glaring at Sena and raising her middle finger. "It's not my fault that I end up getting asked out by losers. There's gotta be _someone_ out there for me."

Sena sighed and sipped her tea, setting the cup down. "Arisa _found_ a nice guy for you, remember? A few years ago? You blew the date."

Kiri raised her finger again and laid her head down on her arms again. "I chalk it up on the bad luck."

"Bad luck?" Natsumi drank her tea and turned to Sena.

She nodded. "Arisa- that's the matchmaker- says that it's bad luck if you peek at the special outfit that she chooses for you before your date."

Natsumi looked to Kiri, who set the bottle down and sighed heavily as she pouted.

"And, I peek every time. I just can't help it."

"And I keep telling you," Sena sighed. "There's no such thing as bad luck!" She shook her head. "Honestly, Kiri, you're a grown woman! You shouldn't believe in stuff like that. Just admit that you blew the date and move on."

"I don't wanna." Kiri mumbled and closed her eyes.

"Why do you use a match-maker when you have Kotetsu?" Natsumi looked at Kiri, who jumped and blushed deeply.

"K-Kotetsu?" Kiri shook her head quickly, bright red.

Sena laughed and crossed her arms. "Kiri, you told her about Kotetsu?"

"I-I didn't!" Kiri pursed her lips and turned away. "The little squirt figured it out."

Natsumi giggled and finished her tea. "If you like him, just say so. You don't need to sulk about it."

"T-That's..." Kiri frowned. "It's complicated."

"Natsumi has a point, you know." Sena held up a finger and nodded. "You've only had a raging crush for him since you were five. Almost twenty years later and you're still making excuses for not doing anything about it. It's sad."

"You guys are terrible."

"But right." Sena passed Kiri a cup of tea. "You need to drink this and get the alcohol out of your system."

Natsumi slowly smiled, an idea forming. "If... Kiri won't do anything, why don't we go find Kotetsu and drag him to her?" Natsumi laughed and Kiri blushed again. "We could solve this whole mess right now."

"W-What?" Kiri stood up and gaped at her. "You can't do that!"

Sena grinned nodded in approval. "_Oh_, I like how you think, Natsumi. I know what he's doing today, too! Let's go ambush him!"

Kiri paled and waved her hands. "No, don't! I'm not so pathetic that I need you guys to set me up with anyone."

"Apparently you do." Sena turned to Natsumi and giggled. "So, are you ready to go?"

"I-" Natsumi's eyes widened. "Sorry, maybe another time. I actually have to be somewhere very soon, but I'd love to hang out more later, if I'm allowed to come back over."

"Of course, you are!" Sena hugged her quickly. "I'll even make something special for dinner, so let me know beforehand so I can get the ingredients we need."

"I'd like that!" Natsumi nodded. "Oh, I brought these for you." She pulled out the ramen coupons and handed them each one.

"What's this?" Kiri turned it over and looked at Natsumi.

"It's for my favorite restaurant. I'll take you guys there sometime as a thank you for helping Naruto and I before."

Natsumi blinked and their eyes sparkled and they hugged her tightly.

"Oh, you're so sweet!" Kiri rubbed her cheeks to hers. "You're like the little sister I never had!"

"Hey," Sena looked at her sideways. "I thought I was the sis-"

"Shhh..." Kiri patted her head. "Natsumi can be my sister, too."

Natsumi wriggled out of their grasp and giggled. "Sorry, I really have to go. I'll come back tomorrow I promise!"

* * *

The photographer gritted his teeth and leaned against the camera with a sneer at Naruto.

"Hey, you! Are you sure you want to look like that?" He motioned to Naruto, who waved his arms in frustration.

"Yes, of course! C'mon! Hurry, hurry!"

The man let out a hot breath and rubbed his bald head, then ducked his head under the drape.

"Fine. But don't regret it later." He grumbled and Naruto sat still as he prepared the camera. "Say cheese!"

Naruto struck a pose as he clicked the button and Natsumi giggled from where she stood behind the photographer.

"Yup. That's a keeper." She covered her mouth, nearly snorting as she looked at Naruto's expression and his face paint. _At least no one can ever try to tell me that my brother doesn't have any personality._

* * *

Naruto and Natsumi sat in the Hokage's office at the Academy, seated on hard wooden chairs in the center of the room. Seated at a table several meters away was the Hokage himself and a quiet man she didn't recognize. They each had a small stack of papers in front of them and were looking over the Uzumaki twin's files.

The Hokage held up Naruto's paper and stared at the eccentric portrait of the boy there and his eyes turned to Naruto, who grin and rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. Hiruzen's focus returned to the paper as he let out a quiet breath and tendrils of smoke swirled around him.

"I couldn't decide how to look." Naruto started to ramble as the two men remained quiet. "It took me three hours to decide. But, as you can see." He lowered his arm and rested it against the back of the chair. "It's more of a work of art. Doesn't it look great?"

Natsumi rolled her eyes and smiled as she looked at him from the corner of her eye. _Naruto definitely is a knucklehead... but that's one of the things I love most about having him as a brother. There's never a dull moment._

"Take it again." The Hokage finally spoke with his pipe still between his lips, setting down the paper in front of him.

Naruto's eyes widened and he leaned forward in the chair. "What?!" He protested loudly.

The Hokage closed his eyes and removed the pipe from his mouth. "Take it again." He repeated calmly.

Naruto screwed up his face and gripped the seat of the chair with both hands as he complained. "Stop saying that!"

Natsumi laughed under her breath, turning to Naruto and whispering. "N-Naruto... it's probably best to just do as he says."

"No way!" Naruto snorted and narrowed his eyes, then stared at the Hokage without blinking. For a long time, the two of them stared intensely at one another, until Naruto gritted his teeth and brought his hands together to form the Ram hand seal.

"Transform!" Naruto's body was hidden by a cloud of smoke and when it dissipated, the nude, female version of him stood in his place. He leaned forward to emphasize the breasts and winked, blowing a kiss at the Hokage. "Oh please, Lord Hokage..."

The Hokage blinked slowly, then his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. A trail of blood came from his nostril and he fell back in his chair, his face twitching. "Aah!"

Natsumi's mouth opened in shock as she watched the Hokage fall back and she covered her mouth quickly to hold back a snort of surprise. _It works even on the Hokage... I guess Kiri was right... all men are perverts deep down._

Naruto transformed back into himself, his expression pale. "Uh..."

The Hokage blinked and the other man helped him up off of the floor. He adjusted in his chair and took out a handkerchief, wiping his nose gingerly as he cleared his throat quietly.

"Erm... the Sexy Jutsu... That's quite a devious technique." He closed his eyes as he spoke so he wouldn't meet Naruto's eyes.

Naruto sat back down, laughed quietly to himself and scratched his head.

Hiruzen opened his eyes, looking at the boy, and lowered his hand. "By the way, Naruto, where's your headband?"

Naruto rubbed his goggles with a serious expression.

"I won't wear it until the orientation. It might get scratched."

"Well, that's fine." The Hokage spoke, inserting his pipe back between his lips. "but the Ninja Registration form is a very important document held in high regard by our village." He looked down at the page again, holding it up to examine Naruto's face paint. "Why do you want to look like this?"

"Because!" Naruto answered loudly and leaned forward in his seat to complain. "Anyway, how should I know about all that stuff?"

Hiruzen furrowed his brows and stared at Naruto. Natsumi turned her eyes to the door that was opened just a crack, but saw nothing.

_That's strange... I thought I heard something..._

Naruto and the Hokage's attentions both shifted to the door as well as it suddenly was pulled open and an eight-year-old kid stepped into the room, holding a shuriken in his hand as he glared at the Hokage.

"Old Man! Get ready to fight!"

The twins' eyes widened as the boy charged the Hokage, though the Hokage's expression never changed.

"I am going to be the Fifth Hokage!" The boy shouted as he held up the shuriken. He stepped on his long scarf, tripping and falling face-first onto the hardwood floor as they stared in disbelief.

The boy clutched his head and covered his face, curling up into a ball. "Ouch..."

Hiruzen let out a small sigh and tilted the front of his bamboo Kage hat down, eyeing the child on the floor. _"Hmph... if it's not one thing, it's another..."_

As the boy began to get up off the ground, another ran through the doorway- a man wearing strange, dark, round glasses and his forehead protector as a bandana. He stared in shock at the boy.

"Darn! Is this a trap?" The boy sat up and glared again as he looked around the room.

"Are you okay, Honorable Grandson?" The man gaped at the boy and adjusted his glasses. "May I just inform you that there aren't any traps here..."

Naruto blinked at the boy, his eye almost twitching. _"What's with this runt?"_

Natsumi pressed her lips together tightly and looked between the boy and the Hokage. _Honorable grandson? Oh... _Her eyes fell on the boy. _I do remember something about Lord Third having a grandchild now._

"What?" The boy looked at Naruto, shooting back a stern look.

The man in glasses blinked as he recognized Naruto. _"I know this kid... he's that Nine-Tailed boy!"_ His mouth formed a hard line. _"Hmph. He's a good-for-nothing scoundrel!"_

The boy stood and approached Naruto, ignoring Natsumi as he thrust his finger at Naruto accusingly.

"You must have done this to me!" He exclaimed.

Naruto glowered and stood quickly, grabbing the boy by his scarf and clenching a fist. "You tripped all by yourself, stupid!"

"Hey! Let go of him!" The man in glasses shouted at Naruto, gritting his teeth. "He is the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage!"

Natsumi clenched her hands into balls and glared at the man. _That's the same look and tone every other adult always gives Naruto._

"Watch yourself, Four-Eyes." Natsumi warned in a low voice.

"Natsumi!" The Hokage quickly looked at her and her lips pressed shut again, though she glared at the man again.

_Don't you dare look down on my brother!_

Naruto looked from Natsumi to the man slowly and then down at the boy he was holding several inches off the ground. The boy kept staring at Naruto intently, smirking as a tense silence filled the room.

_"He stopped as soon as he learned who I am..."_ The boy watched Naruto's expression as he thought and lowered his fist. _"Heh. He's just like my four-eyed teacher. He's just like everyone else!"_

"What's the matter?" He shouted in Naruto's face. "Weren't you gonna hit me, huh? Can't do it 'cause I'm the Hokage's grandson, eh?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he got in the boy's face, matching his glare. "As if I care about that! Imbecile!" Drawing his arm back again, he brought his fist down on the top of the boy's head, which was protected by the helmet he wore.

The boy's eyes widened as he fell to the ground. _"This guy..."_

Natsumi's eyes grew and she shoved Naruto. "Hey! Was that really necessary?"

The Hokage laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on the table, bring his hands close to his face as he remained quiet, but the man in glasses gaped and held up his hands, stuttering.

"W-What?!"

_"Good grief..." _Hiruzen released a quiet breath and shut his eyes momentarily.

"Listen," Ebisu took Konohamaru aside to lecture him, resting on hand on his hip. "You are the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage." He raised a finger as he spoke. "Even though that scoundrel hit you, you must not associate with his kind. Nothing good will come of your tangling with him."

Konohamaru turned away from his sensei to stare at the floor.

The man closed his hand and touched it to his chest. "This is your distinguished teacher, Ebisu, and I am never wrong about these things!"

The boy continued to stare at the floor with his face scrunched in irritation.

"Don't you want to become the Fifth Hokage?" His teacher continued. "Then, allow me to teach you Ninjutsu so that your dream will become a reality." He smirked and pushed his glasses up. "That's right. Stick with me and you will gain a shortcut towards becoming the Fifth Hokage. Is that clear, Honorable Grandson?"

Ebisu blinked and looked around, realizing that his ward was gone, then brought his hands up to his head in panic.

"He's gone!"

"It seems he's gone after Naruto." The Hokage revealed in a level voice.

"What?! Oh no!" Ebisu turned to the Hokage with his mouth still hanging open. "This is terrible!" He quickly ran from the room, running down the hall. "Honorable Grandson!"

Hiruzen watched with furrowed brow as the Jonin left, chewing on his pipe. _"How did he become like this?"_ He brought his hands up again, closed his eyes, and took a breath. _"That was the twentieth sneak attack today... And now he's in the company of Naruto... I'm a bit worried. However, with Natsumi there, I'm sure she won't allow them to cause trouble." _He let out a sigh. _"I just hope he doesn't pick up any more foolishness."_

* * *

Naruto and Natsumi walked down the street, Naruto with his hands in his pockets and Natsumi with hers at her side. After some time of walking in silence, Natsumi nudged her brother and smiled faintly.

"It's a shame that you've got to retake the picture, right?"

He met her eyes and pressed his lips together in an exaggerated pout. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

Natsumi slid her arm around his. "Well, in any case, I can ask the Hokage if he'll let us keep the original. That look was your masterpiece so maybe I'll frame it and hang it up on a wall."

He blinked and straightened, looking at her. "Huh? Really? You'd do that?"

She nodded quickly. "Of course! You worked really hard to get that look right, and you were proud of yourself. It'd be a shame to let it just get thrown away."

Naruto scratched his head and chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. You're the best, ya know?"

"I know." Natsumi grinned and gave his arm a squeeze. "So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

"You mean, you're not going to ditch me for training today?" His eyes narrowed at her as he teased.

Natsumi felt her face pale slightly as she laughed. "I don't ever mean to ditch you, Naruto. And, I've already done my training for today this morning. Today's my easy day."

"Hmph." He turned his face away. "Maybe I'd know that if you let me train with you anymore."

Natsumi furrowed her brows and pursed her lips. "If you really want to train with me, you can join me tomorrow. But, you have to be up at dawn or I'll leave you behind."

"Do you mean it?"

Natsumi nodded. "Just don't sleep too late or I will leave you behind. I don't believe in wasting daylight."

He clenched his fist and pumped it into the air. "Yahoo! You're gonna see that it was a mistake leaving me out all this time. It'll be much better than training on your own and you'll see just how much better I am at a lot of things, but don't feel bad. I'll even teach you my special Jutsu so you can catch up."

Behind them, Konohamaru hid behind buildings as he watched them.

Naruto and Natsumi stopped walking, listening quietly. A small footstep made them both turn just in time to see Konohamaru cover himself with a sheet that was the same color as the streets.

"Hm?" Naruto stared at it for a while and his eyes fell on the feet that were completely visible. They shared a look, and then turned their attention back to the road ahead and continued forward.

_Why is that kid following us?_ Natsumi heard the sheet shuffle as the footsteps resumed. _What's he trying to do?_

They stepped onto the sidewalk with their steps identical and Konohamaru matched their pace evenly in an attempt to disguise the sound.

_I don't know what he's doing... but he's not doing too terribly. He should know not to follow people too closely, though._

Naruto stopped again, and Natsumi copied him, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. His eyes were narrowed and his face twitching in irritation. He quickly turned and pointed at Konohamaru, who lifted the sheet up over himself in an attempt to blend in with the fence behind me, but the slats were facing the wrong direction.

"Stop following us!" Naruto shouted and pointed directly at him. Natsumi smiled as the boys' hands and hair were visible over the stop of the sheet.

_He's just as persistent as Naruto._

"What is it now?!" Naruto yelled again, then lowered his hand slowly as his eye twitched. "Your camouflage is pathetic."

Konohamaru remained quiet though his hands were shaking, making the sheet unsteady and wrinkled and he laughed from behind it, then lowered it finally.

"You've seen through my disguise..." He looked at Naruto with a smirk. "Your reputation is well-earned. I'll allow you to make me your apprentice."

Naruto's mouth hung open as he looked at the boy with a blank expression. "Eh?"

_He wants Naruto to train him?_ Natsumi took a step toward them and looked between the boys. _Maybe being a mentor will help Naruto mature more._

Konohamaru lowered his hand and then clenched them as his eyes burned with determination. "But you must first teach me that "Sexy Jutsu" technique you used to beat Grandpa Hokage."

Natsumi blinked. _Or... not._

Naruto crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "You gotta be kidding." He muttered.

"I beg you to say yes, boss!"

Naruto opened his eyes. "Huh? Boss?"

_Oh geez. He's done it._

"Boss! Boss! Boss!" The boy repeated pleadingly.

Naruto smirked slightly and rubbed his head. "I guess I have no choice."

Natsumi sighed deeply and facepalmed. _I knew he wouldn't be able to resist that. Guess I'll have to supervise, them, now._ She straightened, crossed her arms, and sighed again. _It's like having two Narutos at once._


	8. Chapter 6: The Ultimate Technique Part 1

"Listen," Naruto looked at Konohamaru as they walked, his hands in his pockets. "In order to become a skilled Ninja, you must first learn to control your Chattora."

"Chattora?" Konohamaru looked up at the older boy.

"Yes, Chattora." Naruto repeated.

"Boss, I think you mean Chakra."

Naruto flinched and then regained his composure. "Silence! That's what real Ninjas call it!"

Natsumi walked on Konohamaru's left side and sighed as she glanced at her brother. _Oh, man. He can be a real knucklehead sometimes..._

"Oh?! I didn't know that!" Konhamaru's eyes widened in excitement.

_This is going to be a really long day._ Natsumi shook her head slowly, keeping quiet.

Naruto wiped his forehead and turned his face away. _"Whew. I'm glad he's a fool." _Turning back to the boy, he continued his lecture. "Listen, Chakra essentially means..."

"Basically," Konohamaru interrupted, holding up a finger while resting his fist on his hip. "it's the energy needed in order to use Jutsu."

Naruto looked at him. "Huh?"

"In other words, fundamental Ninja Arts combine the Chakra, the physical energy accumulated from each cell in the body, with spiritual energy intensified through training and experience. This combined energy is summoned with certain hand signs."

Naruto blinked and realized that the boy was reading the information from a scroll. "You made me think you knew all that when you were just reading from a scroll!"

Natsumi giggled and Konohamaru looked up at her. "Still, it's an important lesson for him to know." She smiled at him. "It's also a very complex subject so I'm impressed that you're reading scrolls like that. I can tell that you are really dedicated to becoming a strong Shinobi someday."

Konohamaru blinked and looked at her, his eyes almost watering. "Nee-chan..." He hugged her, nuzzling his face into her chest.

Natsumi blinked. "Aw, you're so sweet..." She looked down as he rubbed his face in her breasts and she clenched her jaw, clearing her throat. "Konohamaru..." She warned.

"Hey!" Naruto grabbed his shoulder, pulled him away, and smacked his head. "Don't act like that to my sister, you pervert!"

Natsumi crossed her arms over her chest as she blushed. _Boys..._

Konohamaru sniffed and clasped his hands together, pouting at Natsumi. "S-Sorry, Natsumi-neechan."

She sighed and rubbed his head, kneeling in front of him as she smiled faintly. "It's alright. Just don't do it again, alright?"

He nodded slowly and wiped his eyes.

_He reminds me a lot of Naruto when he was little._ Natsumi grinned. _He's so cute._

"Oh, you're just so adorable!" She hugged him quickly, squeezing him as she did. "I just want to take you home and you could be my brother."

Konohamaru blushed and rested his head on her shoulder and Naruto pointed at his twin. "Hey! You already have a brother, ya know! Me!"

Natsumi stuck her tongue out at him and then released Konohamaru. "But you're all grown up. Konohamaru is still sweet and adorable."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "I can be sweet and adorable, too."

Natsumi looked back at Konohamaru with her hands on his shoulders. "Maybe later I can show you one of my favorite Jutsu, too. Would you like that?"

Konohamaru nodded. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

"H-Hey... what about me?" Naruto pointed to himself. "What happened to your "Boss"?"

Natsumi giggled, then whispered to Naruto. "It's because I'm a girl, you goof." She stood and ruffled Konohamaru's hair. "I can show you my Jutsu later. Naruto's already claimed you for today, and I'm not going to interrupt his lesson."

_Even if it is totally ridiculous and inappropriate._ She nearly rolled her eyes as she smiled.

He nodded. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

Naruto cleared his throat and his pupil turned his attention back to him. "So, getting back to what I was saying..." He put his hands on his hips. "Much has been said about perfecting the Ninja techniques but it really boils down to just one thing."

"What's that?"

Naruto held up a finger, closing his eyes. "Hard work and guts."

"Hard work and guts?" Konohamaru clenched his fists and furrowed his brows in determination.

"That's right." Naruto smiled and lowered his arm. "So be ready for the challenging tasks I'll give you."

"Yes, boss!" Konohamaru shouted in excitement.

Natsumi blinked. _I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does._

"Good. Let's start right now. Transform for me."

"Huh?" The boy blinked.

"Let me see first how much you already know." Naruto returned his hand to his hip.

"But what do I transform into?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked around, then spotted a pretty woman with long, brown hair in a ponytail buying fruit from a nearby stand. He pointed. "Okay, first, transform into that lady."

Konohamaru looked at the woman then grinned. "An easy task, boss!"

_Oh, boy._ Natsumi crossed her arms and stood back.

Konohamaru took in a deep breath and made a hand sign. "Transform!"

Once the cloud disappeared, a woman did stand in his place, though she was overweight, puffy, and bloated. Natsumi cringed.

"Well, do I look like her?"

"Uh..." Naruto blinked and stared at him. "Well... the clothes do and..."

The twins cringed and turned slowly to see the woman glaring at Naruto as she trembled in anger. "What's so similar about that?!"

She drew her fist back and knocked Naruto on the head and Natsumi's eyes widened. Her eyes narrowed and a tremble ran through her body as fire spread through her veins.

_How dare she! I'll—_ Natsumi unclenched her fist and took a step back, breathing out slowly. _What's wrong with me?_ She looked down at her hands. _Just now... I imagined myself hurting her._

She looked at Naruto and bit her lip. _But she had no business hitting him!_

"Honorable Grandson," The woman smiled at Konohamaru. "If you're going to transform into me, at least try to look a little cuter, okay?" She waved and walked away.

Konohamaru shuddered and watched her leave. "She's scary!"

Natsumi knelt and helped her brother off the ground.

Natsumi sighed and dusted him off, looking at his head as she muttered. "There's a knot forming there, but it doesn't look too bad. Good thing she wasn't that strong."

"W-Why am I the one who gets hit?" He mumbled.

Naruto stopped walking in front of a bookstore and put his hands on his hips. "Okay! Now, we'll do some research on sexiness!"

"Yes, boss!"

Natsumi groaned and turned to Naruto. "N-Naruto, whatever you're planning on doing, you're probably going to get in trouble for it."

"Our research is too important to worry about consequences."

Natsumi sighed and shrugged. "Alright. At least I tried."

Naruto opened the shop door quietly and eyed the clerk, so was sleeping on his chair behind the counter. Naruto smirked and snuck inside quietly with Konohamaru close behind. Natsumi sat outside with her arms crossed.

Naruto pulled a magazine from the rack and opened it so Konohmaru could it. Their eyes widened as they stared at the woman in the bathing suit with a confident, seductive expression. The boys blushed and flipped the page to see another woman with her cleavage nearly spilling out of her bikini.

"I told you that I don't allow children to read these things, Naruto!"

The boys winced and slowly turned to see the clerk glaring down at them with a switch over his back.

"Uh oh." Naruto gulped and the clerk swung at him until the boys ran out of the shop. "And don't come back!"

Naruto rested his hands on his knees and caught his breath. "Ow ow ow..."

Natsumi looked up at them and let out a quiet breath as she stood and noticed Naruto's black eye. "I told you that you'd get in trouble."

"All in the name of research!" Naruto crossed his arms. "If you're not helping, why are you coming with us?"

"I already know that I can't stop you once you get something into your head." She shrugged. "So, I might as well supervise to make sure you don't do anything too crazy."

"Hmph. Fine." He turned to Konohamaru. "Time for the final step! Follow me!"

Naruto headed in a different direction, leading Konohamaru as Natsumi stayed several meters behind.

_Normally I wouldn't allow Naruto to be such a bad influence on a kid like this, but if Naruto had refused, Konohamaru would have just gone and done this all on his own anyway. _She pursed her lips. _Supervising them is the better choice but they're still acting like idiots._

After walking a while, Naruto finally stopped, smiling at Konohamaru. "This is the last test so put all of your effort into it!"

"Yes, boss!"

Natsumi looked up at the sign of the building. "T-The bathhouse?!"

They transformed at the same time— Naruto appearing as his typical, cute female self in his normal clothes, while Konohamaru looked like a bloated, breasted version of himself.

Natsumi grimaced and then smacked her hand to her face. _They're not going to fool anyone at all!_

Nodding at each other, the boys headed into the women's side of the bath confidently. Natsumi crossed her arms and approached the building's exterior wall, gently hitting her forehead against it. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

A moment later, a chorus of screams erupted. "Naruto! It's you again!"

Natsumi looked up and groaned. "'Again.' Of course, it's 'again.'"

_Naruto, you're lucky that you're my brother!_

* * *

Naruto, Natsumi, and Konohamaru stood in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by tall, old trees and Naruto sighed.

"Why is it always me?" Naruto complained and gently rubbed his bruises.

Konohamaru's lip quivered and he looked down and balled his fists. "Sorry." He muttered softly.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, the syllable distorted by his swollen cheeks.

"It's because I'm the Hokage's grandson." Konohamaru explained under his breath.

Naruto attempted to smile. "Don't worry about it."

Konohamaru looked at him and his stomach sunk as he saw the bruises again. "Huh?"

"You're now ready to perform the Sexy Jutsu!" Naruto grinned and looked at the boy with one eye swollen shut and gave a thumbs-up. "You just need more practice."

Konohamaru blinked and then broke out into a large smile. "Alright! Yes, boss!" Looking around Naruto, he waved his hand at Natsumi. "Neechan, did you hear? I'm ready to do the Jutsu now!"

He stopped as he saw her there with her back pressed against a tree, her face pointed at the ground as her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. She was trembling and didn't seem to hear.

He lowered his arm and Naruto turned, furrowing his brows as best he could as he looked at his sister.

"Natsumi? What's wrong?"

Natsumi blinked quickly and jerked her head to looked at them, suddenly unclenching her fists and looked between them.

"I... w-what?" She forced a laugh and fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. "Sorry. I was thinking about something. Did you say something?"

"Neechan... are you okay?" Konohamaru frowned.

Natsumi nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah, sorry. I've been spacing out lately. I think it's because I haven't been sleeping well."

Naruto leaned closer to her to study her face. "You're lying." He finally said.

She leaned back and crossed her arms, chewing on her bottom lip. "Am not."

"Are too." Naruto leaned closer.

"I am not! Just leave me alone!" She shouted, then covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell. I just... haven't been feeling well."

Naruto's expression softened and he touched her forehead. "Maybe we should take you to the doctor. You do feel a little warm."

Natsumi stared at him blankly for a moment before laughing loudly, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

Konohamaru leaned closer to Naruto, holding up his hand as he whispered. "Something's definitely wrong. She's acting crazy."

The laugh trailed off and Natsumi hiccupped, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm fine, really." She smiled. "If anyone should see a doctor, it's you, ya know. You look terrible, and I bet it hurts."

"Pssh." Naruto pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips. "I'm fine! It's nothing to worry about, and, besides, it's not worth leaving Konohamaru's training unfinished."

The boy blinked. "Really? You mean it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah! Let's keep going!" He laughed. "Keep in mind, the point is for 'boom boom boom.'" He raised his fist into the air in excitement. "Now do it!"

Natsumi smiled faintly and hugged her arms close to her. _Maybe he's right. Maybe I should have Sena look at me. I'm sure she'd know what was wrong. _Shaking her head, she looked between the boys again. _But that can wait. I want to just have fun for now._

"Yes, boss!" Konohamaru shouted and pumped his fist into the air. He brought his hands together and formed a hand seal. "Transform!"

The smoke dissipated and a taller, female Konohamaru definitely stood in his place. She wore only a bra and panties, but the girl was still puffy and fat, and her face was bloated and unattractive.

_Oh... that's still pretty bad. _Natsumi covered her mouth to hide a giggle. _But he's not doing badly for only just starting._

"That's no good!" Naruto shouted. "Try again!"

Naruto raised a finger, then pointed at the transformation. "Make it more slender."

"Yes, boss!" Konohamaru nodded and tried again. "Is this okay?"

Naruto looked over the girl and crossed his arms. "She's slender, but plain-looking. More attractive."

"Yes, boss!" Another puff of smoke cleared and Konohamaru struck a pose? "How about now?"

Naruto cringed. "No, no! Too old! Try it again!"

Natsumi giggled again.

_He's so determined... he really is a lot like Naruto._

* * *

Ebisu stood on top of the observation platform of Hokage Rock and looked over the village with a scowl.

_"That Naruto! What is he teaching the Honorable Grandson?"_ He groaned as he scanned the area below. "Where the hell could they be?"

He let out a hot breath and adjusted his glasses. "I am a distinguished teacher training a potential Hokage. All those who interfere will be eliminated." His eyes narrowed and he straightened to his full height, flickering himself elsewhere.

* * *

Naruto took a long slurp out of the can of juice in his hand as he sat on a log near the vending machines.

"You know, I've been wondering... you seem obsessed with beating your Grandpa Hokage."

Konohamaru looked at Naruto and then looked down at the ground quietly.

"My name is Konohamaru. It was Grandpa who gave me that name. He named me after our Village." He paused and Natsumi watched his expression shift as she sat on his other side as he continued. "It should be easy for everyone here to remember. But nobody ever calls me by that name."

His face fell and she spoke quietly. "When they see me, all they see is the grandson of Lord Hokage. No one sees me for who I really am. I can't stand it anymore. That's why..."

Konohamaru clenched his fists, his hands trembling as his gaze intensified. "That's why I want the title of Lord Hokage now."

Naruto blinked and looked to the ground. "Idiot... who do you think will accept you, huh?"

Konohamaru looked up at him. "Hm?"

"You won't win the title that easily, you know."

Konohamaru stood and glared at him. "What?"

"It's not that simple. If you're really serious about gaining the title of Hokage..."

"What?" He gritted his teeth.

Natsumi brought her drink to her lips and smiled faintly. _I was right. They really are alike._

Naruto smirked and looked at his junior. "You'll have to beat me first!"

Konohamaru froze and his eyes widened.

* * *

The Third Hokage stood on the roof of the Hokage building with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked up at the monument.

"Lord Hokage! I've been looking for you." A familiar voice called out as Iruka Flickered onto the room and smiled.

"Iruka."

Iruka approached the Hokage. "Did Naruto re-submit his Ninja Registration Form?"

"Yes." Hiruzen released a small puff of smoke and chewed thoughtfully on his pipe.

"When I lectured him the other night at the ramen stand, he said that he will make everyone accept him now that he's a Ninja. He's been in a good mood since then."

The Hokage stood in silence as he listened, staring at the image of the Fourth Hokage.

"It might not be easy for Naruto to realize that dream." He replied finally.

"Huh?"

"As you know, only the villagers who fought the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit twelve years ago know that the monster is sealed inside Naruto. I ruled that no one should speak of that incident and I have punished those who have broken this rule. Now, our children know nothing about it. That is the only positive development for Naruto that has come of it."

He let out another puff. "Before the Fourth Hokage trapped the monster and died, his last wish was for the villagers to see Naruto as a hero."

"A hero?" Iruka repeated under his breath.

"Yes." Hiruzen nodded. "The Fourth Hokage sealed the monster into the navel of a newborn baby, whose umbilical cord had just been cut. As a vessel for the Fox Spirit, Naruto saved the village. Unfortunately, the other villagers don't see him like that. Some even say that Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon himself. Little by little, that attitude has been passed down to their own children."

He sighed and lowered his eyes from the mountainside. "Iruka, do you know?"

"Know what, sir?"

"When someone is hated and people refuse to accept his existence, that he sees it in the eyes of the people around him."

Iruka's eyes fell to the ground and he contemplated the Hokage's words.

"I don't know how it must make him feel... but I am sure that he is suffering on the inside." Hiruzen spoke softly.

Iruka blinked and remembered Natsumi's words in his head. _Doesn't that mean Naruto is a hero? Without him, the Village would be completely destroyed. He helped save everyone._

Iruka glanced down at the ground momentarily. _"That's right... she was the one who said that, too."_

"Natsumi believes in him." Iruka found his voice. "She sees him as a hero."

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Natsumi... what a good child." He smiled faintly. "It's good that he is not totally alone. She has a good head on her and is always willing to put Naruto first, even at the expense of herself."

Iruka nodded. "She balances him out well and does what she can to keep him in line."

Hiruzen turned slightly and held his pipe in his hand, blowing out smoke. "Iruka, are you aware of the full extent of her sacrifices for her brother's sake?"

"S-Sacrifices?" Iruka stepped forward but kept a respectful distance.

The Hokage nodded. "About four years ago, we started to notice rapid development in Natsumi. It seemed as though she became completely motivated in her education and within only a year, Natsumi was easily exceeding all expectations. Out of curiosity, I instructed Hidemi to give her the Graduation Exam. She passed easily."

"Three years ago...?" Iruka blinked as he thought. "I don't understand. What was she still doing at the Academy if she'd already passed years before?"

The old man smiled faintly. "I took her into my office to discuss the Exam results with her and offered to fit her into a three-man squad right away. She was more than ready. However, she refused. She insisted on staying at the Academy."

"But why?" Iruka put his hands into his pockets.

"Natsumi simply refused to leave Naruto." He explained. "The other students treat Naruto poorly and Natsumi is, at times, the only buffer there is. She has stepped in many times when Naruto has been bullied and comforts him when their peers ignored him completely. She refused to allow him to face his peers alone."

Iruka nodded. "That sounds just like her..." He looked at the Hokage. "But, what has she been doing at the Academy all this time if she knows all the material?"

"She was studying an advanced curriculum that I was overseeing. During the school day, she would act as if no different from her peers, but each assignment she was given was different from theirs. Once school released, Hidemi would test Natsumi on that day's lesson and send me reports on her progress. She's an exceptional child."

_"All that extra work and secret-keeping just to look out for her brother? She really is an exceptional sister to him."_ Iruka met the Hokage's eyes as he returned the pipe to his mouth. "Why is it that Naruto doesn't know?"

The old man shook his head. "Natsumi herself asked that the information stay within a small circle so that Naruto would not be made aware of it. As a result, until he was able to finally pass the Exam as well, she was given a false failing grade as well, in order to keep them together. She felt that telling Naruto would only make him feel guilty for holding her back, instead of recognizing that she chose that path out of love."

"You know him well, so you understand, Iruka." The Hokage nodded as he spoke. "That Naruto would have felt even worse if he believed that he was a burden on the only family he has. That is why she has worked so hard to maintain her façade as a student to make it as realistic as possible. Her devotion is admirable."

Iruka stood in silence for a long time until he spoke again. "But, sir. The number of Graduates is uneven. Once they are arranged into Three-man squads, Natsumi will be left out. By waiting for Naruto, she's missed her chance to join a team."

The Hokage turned to fully face the teacher and raised a hand to pat his shoulder. "Don't worry. I've found a solution already. I'll be keeping a close eye on her."


	9. Chapter 7: The Ultimate Technique Part 2

Ebisu landed on a thick branch and knelt as he spotted his student. He scowled as he saw the boy sitting with not one, but both of the Uzumaki children.

"I've finally found you!"

The trio turned up at the tree. "Huh?"

Ebisu stood with one hand on his hip as he scowled down at them. _"That Demon Fox! And his smart-mouthed sister."_

Naruto clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes and balled his hands into tight fists. _"That cold look! It's always like that!"_

Natsumi glared at the man and felt the seed of rage spread through he chest again. _Not this guy again..._ Her expression darkened and she clenched his fists. _Let's see him try to say something bad about Naruto now! The Hokage isn't here..._

Ebisu looked between the twins. _"That wild, unpredictable anger... he's definitely the Demon Fox." _He adjusted his glasses and looked at the red-haired girl, his scowl deepening. _"And that look! She looks just as much as an animal!"_

Ebisu landed on the ground and cleared his throat. "Honorable Grandson, we have to go now."

"No way!" Konohamaru shook his head quickly and furrowed his brows. "I want to beat Grandpa right now so I can win the title of Lord Hokage! Don't get in my way!"

Ebisu approached him with a smirk and Natsumi tightened her fists.

_He always looks so arrogant! I can't stand it!_

"A Hokage must first know about virtue, honor, etiquette, wisdom, loyalty, faith, judgment, obedience, and all that. He must be skilled at more than a thousand techniques... And then,"

Konohamaru scowled and brought his hands together into the Ram sign. "Transform!"

Chakra swirled around him with a soft blue light and a cloud formed around him. It vanished and a pretty brunette girl replaced him.

"Take this! Sexy Jutsu!"

Ebisu's eyes widened and his mouth hung open in shock, standing rooted in place.

Konohamaru returned to his original form. "What? It didn't work!"

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and the corner of her mouth curved upward. _He was finally able to do it!_

Ebisu blinked and blushed, though shot a look at the boy. "What kind of a disgraceful spell is that?! I am a gentleman! Such vulgar attacks will never work on me!"

Naruto balled his fists again as he quietly listened.

Ebisu grabbed Konohamaru by the scarf and tried pulling him away. "Honorable Grandson! That rascal will only make you an imbecile! You must stick with me and you will gain a shortcut towards becoming the Fifth Hokage. Now, let's go!"

"No way!" Konohamaru pulled himself in the other direction with all of his strength. "I won't go with you!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out and filled the area with solid copies of himself.

Konohamaru gaped at the clones. "Wow! Fantastic!"

"Ha!" Ebisu adjusted his glasses and stepped into the center of the clones. "That's nothing. I am a distinguished teacher. I'm not as weak as Mizuki."

"Maybe not, but you're twice as arrogant and ten times more annoying!" Natsumi snapped and the man scowled at her.

"Such a smart-mouthed girl." The Jonin looked her over. "Someone ought to teach you some manners before your bad attitude wears off on anyone."

* * *

The Third Hokage sat at the table and looked at the scene unfolding in the crystal ball before him, his hands folded as he rested his elbows on the table. He watched as Ebisu stepped into the crowd of clones.

_"How troublesome."_

* * *

Konohamaru stepped back and watched Naruto. "Boss..."

Ebisu took a fighting stance and Naruto narrowed his eyes. "No one talks to my sister like that!" He modified his hand seal and smirked as each clone, in turn, copied him. "Transform!"

Naruto's nude female form appeared all around the clearing. Konohamaru beamed at the technique and Ebisu stopped to blink in surprise.

"E-Eh?"

The clones surrounded Ebisu and reached out for him to embrace him and blow kisses.

"Oh, Master Ebisu..."

Ebisu's nose poured blood and he flew back and collapsed on the ground, twitching in shock.

Naruto's clones vanished and he returned to his ordinary appearance with a smirk. "I call this one 'Harem Jutsu!' It's my ultimate technique!"

* * *

Hiruzen stared down at the orb and cleared his throat. "He's combined the Multi-Shadow Clones with his Sexy Jutsu..."

He touched the rim of his hat and frowned slightly as his cheeks colored. _"That's another devious technique. I probably wouldn't even survive that one..."_

* * *

The sun sank lower in the sky and cast a soft orange glow over Konoha, igniting Natsumi's hair to a fiery crimson.

Konohamaru groaned and gritted his teeth. "Ugh! I can't even beat that four-eyed teacher of mine! I want to be Hokage so badly! I want to be recognized by everybody! But I keep failing!"

"You think it's that easy?" Naruto turned to him.

"Huh?" Konohamaru looked at the older back and relaxed his fists.

"That title is only given to the greatest Ninja in the village. Everybody must learn to believe in you." He paused and crossed his arms. "I've been through a lot already. It's been one struggle after another. But, after all that, I found someone who accepts me." He smiled as he thought of Iruka. "I had to go through a lot... just for one person. So, you had better push yourself."

"For what?"

Naruto turned away and rested his hands on his hips. "The path of getting the title of Hokage is a brutal one." A strong wind blew through the area and scattered leaves around them as Naruto turned and smiled. "There are no such things as shortcuts."

Konohamaru furrowed his brows and turned away from Naruto, scoffing. "Who do you think you are, lecturing me like that?"

Naruto turned to the other boy.

"I won't be your apprentice anymore. From now on, you're my rival." He grinned and Naruto smiled in return.

"Unfortunately for you, tomorrow I graduate from the Ninja Academy, so that gives me a head start. Still, I'll consider you an equal someday when we fight for the title of Hokage. I look forward to that, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru looked at the older boy with admiration and nodded in agreement.

Natsumi coughed and the boys turned to see her, as she was standing with her arms crossed. "'Just one person who accepts you,' is that right?"

Naruto laughed quickly and scratched his head. "Natsumi! I didn't mean it like that! You know I didn't."

She pressed her lips together in a pout and narrowed her eyes. "No, no. I see now that even my own brother forgets about me."

"H-Hey, now..." He made the same face and met her eyes. "it's not fair when you say things like that."

"I'd never forget about you, Neechan!" Konohamaru smiled and grabbed her hand.

"Aww!" Natsumi hugged him and stuck her tongue out at Naruto. "See? Somebody loves me. Just... one... person."

She released Konohamaru from her embrace and the two of them laughed.

"Neechan, do you know how to do that technique, too?" He tilted his head to the side and she giggled.

"The Sexy Jutsu, you mean?"

"Idiot!" Naruto scolded him. "She's already a girl! She doesn't need to make herself into one!"

Natsumi stuck out her tongue again and straightened. "Oh, yeah? Watch this!"

She formed the Ram seal and smirked. "Transform!"

Her natural form was replaced with a tall, mature woman with deep black hair, golden eyes, full, bold red lips, and tiger stripes tattooed from her right collarbone and shoulder down to the wrist. Her only modesty came from the skimpy bandaging covering her crotch and wrapped loosely around her breasts to emphasize their size. She winked seductively and put her hands on her hips, speaking in the voice of a velvety, mature older woman.

"Eat your heart out, little brother."

Both boy's eyes widened in surprise and their faces flushed a deep red as they looked the transformation over.

"W-When did you learn that?!" Naruto quickly shielded his eyes and turned his face away. "Y-You're my sister! I thought you didn't agree with lewd stuff like this?!"

Natsumi laughed and stepped toward him, bending to look him in the eye. "What's wrong? Have I beaten you at your own Jutsu?"

Naruto blushed deeper and he clenched his jaw.

"What?! No way! My transformation is much sexier!"

The woman laughed and her breasts jiggled, attracting Konohamaru's wide eyes. "Your transformation is of a cute girl... mine is of an experienced, sensual woman. There's no comparison! Ask any man!"

"I'll prove it to you!" Naruto transformed into his female form and turned to the other boy. "Konohamaru! Whose transformation is sexier?"

Konohamaru blinked as his face was nearly purple and looked between the women. "I... um... uh..." He gulped and forced himself to look away. "Neechan wins."

Naruto returned to his normal form and stared blankly at him. "W-What?"

Natsumi grinned and patted Konohamaru's head. "You're such a sweet kid, you know. I really like you."

He blinked and gulped again, closing his eyes. "Just transform back already!"

She chuckled and sighed. "If I have to. Seeing Naruto like this is really funny."

Ebisu began to slowly sit up from where he had lost consciousness and looked over at the commotion. His eyes swelled at the sight of the gorgeous woman and blood poured from his nose again.

"G-Gah! T-Those tattoos! Those measurements! That voice!" He grasped his head and gaped at her. _"S-She's like a goddess! A real-life succubus!"_

Natsumi turned to the Jonin and smirked as she crossed her arms, leaning down to give him a hard stare. "You're not enough of a man to handle a woman like this."

Ebisu's face reddened and his eyes fell on her bust. _"Damn! Not again!" _He fell back onto the ground, unresponsive again.

Natsumi frowned and transformed into herself again. _He really was pathetic._ She knelt and picked up his glasses, taking out a small knife from her pocket, and carved a small symbol into each of the round lenses.

She turned to Naruto as she held them up to show him the Kanji "Pervert."

"Well, what do you think?"

Konohamaru laughed but Naruto crossed his arms.

"Isn't that a little overkill?"

"You said before that you wanted me to pull more pranks, didn't you?"

Naruto frowned and scratched his cheek. "I-I guess. But it seems like it's going too far."

She shrugged and put the glasses back in place, glaring at Ebisu and whispering as his eyes started to flutter open. "Next time you say something bad about my brother, I _will_ make you regret it. That's a promise."

Barely conscious, a hint of comprehension flashed in his dazed eyes as she smiled sickeningly sweetly.

She stood and dusted herself off and stood at her brother's side and clutched her stomach. "Let's go home and eat; I'm starving! And, tomorrow's our graduation and we need to get plenty of sleep for it."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Right." He lifted a hand and waved at Konohamaru. "See you later!"

"Bye, boss!" Konohamaru waved back. "Bye, Neechan!"

"Bye, Konohamaru! See you around!"

* * *

The Hokage watched the children part ways and he smiled. _"You still have a long way to go to become a real Ninja... but perhaps this will be good for Naruto, having someone looking up to him and reminding him to be a better influence."_

The image in the ball faded and he clasped his hands together. _"And then there's Natsumi..."_

Hiruzen retrieved an envelope from his robes and held it in front of him as he read the name written there— _Uzumaki Natsumi_.

_"There's no denying her skill, though that expression of hers at that time... it is a bit worrying." _His eyes returned to the envelope. _"If it serves as any indication, her development could potentially go in the wrong direction— which is why it's all the more important for her to be mentored carefully."_

He let out a slow breath and pressed his lips together. _"Fourth Hokage... If you were here, what would you have to say about this?"_

The door opened quietly and the Hokage's assistant stepped inside and smiled faintly.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Hokage?"

The old man nodded and looked at her over her shoulder. "Yes, Kin."

He waved her closer and she bowed her head respectfully as she approached. He held out the envelope to her.

"Please see to it that this is delivered to Natsumi Uzumaki."

Kin nodded and took the letter from him and bowed her head again. "Of course, Lord Hokage." She turned and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. Hiruzen laced his hands together and leaned against the table once more as he summoned the image of the Uzumaki girl in the crystal, watching as she walked alongside her brother.

_"All that's left now is to simply hope that I've made the right decision. Lord Fourth... I wonder if you are watching her."_


	10. Chapter 8: Sister, Crybaby

Natsumi's eyes opened and she groaned lazily. _It can't be morning already… _

Rolling over she picked up the clock on her nightstand and frowned. A moment later, it began to beep softly and she groaned again. _I always wake up before it…_

She set the clock back down and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. _I don't want to get up._

A snore from the opposite end of the room and Natsumi sat up quickly to see her brother and she crossed her arms.

_You said you'd get up early no problem!_ She puffed her cheeks and grabbed her pillow, throwing it at him. _I knew this would happen!_

The pillow hit Naruto directly on the face and Naruto continued to snore with drool pooling on his pillow. She sighed.

"You know, I hate waking up early, too." She muttered and slid out of bed and stretched, sitting on the edge of the bed quickly when a wave of dizziness hit her. Once it passed she stood again and rubbed her eyes, slowly making her bed until the blankets were smooth and crisp. Walking over to his bed, she retrieved her pillow and put her hands on her hips.

"Naruto, wake up! You said you wanted to train with me this morning!"

Naruto's finger twitched in his sleep, but he remained deep asleep. Natsumi raised the pillow and hit him several times with it. "Nar-u-to! Get. Up. Already!"

She lowered the pillow and growled. "Fine! I'll just have to try harder."

Natsumi slid her arms under his body and grimaced. "Ewwww! Since when did you start sweating in your sleep? There's practically a puddle here."

Clenching her jaw, she lifted him up enough to roll him to the edge of the bed and push him onto the floor.

His snoring stopped and Natsumi let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, finally!"

Naruto curled into a ball on the floor and began snoring again as Natsumi smacked her palm on her forehead.

"Oh, come on!" Tapping her foot in thought she shook her head. "Fine. I tried."

She placed her pillow neatly on the bed and stepped over him, bumping into the dresser. "Oof!" She held up her arm and frowned at the small bruise already forming on her elbow. "Aw, man."

She rubbed the spot gently and looked around the room. _We really should get bunk beds or something. There's really not even enough room to walk around or to open the door all the way._

She retrieved a fresh change of clothes and a towel and headed into the bathroom as she yawned again. She turned on the shower and looked at her face in the mirror to pinch her cheeks. _Come on, Natsumi. You don't want to go back to sleep. You want to go run for twenty kilometers and then work on your Taijutsu. Then, you're going to practice your Jutsu._

She leaned closer to her reflection, narrowing her eyes as she pointed at herself in the mirror. _And you are going to like it._

Natsumi sighed and locked the bathroom door as she pulled her cat pajamas over her head and removed the matching cat sleeping cap. Slipping her fingers in between her skin and underwear, she tugged off her bottoms and dropped them into the overflowing hamper of clothes.

_I really need to do laundry today. _

She turned into the mirror and blushed as she looked at herself and her eyes fell on her chest. She turned slightly and then crossed her arms to cover her breasts.

_I'm still not really used to looking so different. It's so… strange._

She tore her eyes away from herself and stepped into the shower, letting out a happy sigh as the hot water hit her, standing in the stream with her palms against the wall as she relaxed. _I wish I could stay like this forever._

She pushed off from the wall and stuck her face into the water and began to wash off. Her mind wandered and she bit her lip as a memory surfaced.

* * *

_Natsumi sat on the tree swing watching the other children playing on the playground. She bit her lip. _

I wish Naruto was here… I wish we were in the same class…

_Her eyes filled with tears and she wiped them away with her hand and held onto the rope with both hands. She sniffed again and shook her head to keep from crying. _I can't cry anymore! I'm big now!

_"Hey, look at the little red-haired crybaby there." _

_Natsumi looked up and saw a tall boy and three of his friends looking down at her with a smirk and his hands on his hips. Her eyes widened and she gripped the rope tighter as she recognized the same group that always antagonized her._

_"P-Please leave me alone." She murmured and cast her eyes at the ground, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat."_

_The boys laughed, and the biggest stepped forward and leaned down to meet her eyes with a sneer._

_"Why would we do that? It's real fun to pick on you because you cry so easily." He flicked her cheek hard and the stinging spread through her face like fire._

_Natsumi let out a cry of pain and tears sprang to her eyes as she pulled away from him, losing balance and falling off of the swing. They laughed harder and she cried softly and held her red cheek._

_"See? What'd I tell you? I didn't even do it hard." He stepped toward her again and flicked the other cheek even harder, and she cried out louder. "You're such a baby."_

_Natsumi scooted back away from them as she cried and her lip quivered. "Please just leave me alone."_

_"Or what?" Another both laughed, the sound annoying and hissing through his teeth. "You'll cry more? You can't even defend yourself."_

_"You have no business being at the Academy if you're such a crybaby." Another laughed, snorting unpleasantly. "You're not even good at fighting."_

_"I-I don't like fighting. I don't want to hurt anyone."_

_They laughed collectively and the big boy grabbed a fistful of her hair, shaking her. "You're so weak you couldn't even hurt me if you tried. Not that you'll ever be anything but a pathetic scaredy-cat."_

_Natsumi grabbed at his hands, trying to untangle his fingers from her hair. "P-Put me down! It hurts!"_

_"That's the point, stupid!" He balled his free hand into a fist and brought it close to her face. "How about after we finish scaring you out of the Academy, we go after your dumb brother? We could get rid of both freaks in one day."_

_Natsumi's eyes widened and she trembled. "D-Don't!" She shouted, and then her voice lowered to a whisper as he scowled. "Don't hurt Naruto. Leave us alone. We've never done anything to anybody."_

_"I heard my momma say that you and your brother are monsters." The snort-laugh boy crossed his arms. _

_"Yeah, I heard my dad say the same. He called you demon spawn." Hiss-laugh boy pointed a finger at her. "Demons need to be exterminated."_

_Natsumi's eyes stung and she shook her head. "We're not! We're the same as you!"_

_"Idiot!" The big boy shook her head again and pulled her hair tighter. "Are you calling our parents liars?"_

_"Ow!" Natsumi struggled against his grip. "We're not monsters!"_

_He scowled and balled his hand into a fist again. "Shut up!" he landed a hard punch in her gut and she cried out._

_He let go of her hair finally and she fell forward onto her hands and knees, gasping for air uselessly as the wind had completely left her. Her chest burned and she choked, grabbing at her throat._

I can't breathe!

_The boy laughed and his friends followed suit. Finally, she gasped and air returned to her lungs. She coughed harshly and her head pounded as black spots receded from her vision. Suddenly, the boy released her hair and fell over. Natsumi looked up and saw Naruto had tackled him to the ground. _

_"Natsumi, are you okay?" Naruto clambered to his feet and looked her over._

_She nodded slowly. "He hit me… I couldn't breathe."_

_Naruto growled low in his throat again and whipped his head around at the boys, who crossed their arms and smirked._

_"Oh, look, now there are two freaks."_

_"You hurt Natsumi!" Naruto stood between his twin and the boys and they laughed._

_"That's the point of punching someone, moron." The big boy leaned into Naruto face and spoke in a mocking tone. "Man, you two aren't just freaks, but stupid, too."_

_"Shut up!" Naruto glared at him, drawing his head back before slamming it on the boy's head. His eyes widened in surprise and he stumbled back. "Apologize for hurting my sister!"_

_The boy rubbed his forehead and glared at the blond boy. "Excuse me? I don't think so."_

_"Apologize! Or you'll regret it!"_

_He flicked Naruto's forehead and sneered. "Make me, freak."_

_Naruto drew his fist back and landed a solid punch on his nose, sending him flying back unexpectedly. "No one messes with my sister!"_

_The boy got up slowly and stared in shock at Naruto. "H-How dare you! Do you know who my father is?"_

_His friends grabbed each of Naruto's arms and held him in place as he clenched his fists._

_"I'll show you!" He hit Naruto hard in the stomach until blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. Then, he struck his head and a gash opened on Naruto's forehead, red mixing in with the blond. "That's what you get for touching me, you orphan freak!"_

_He pulled his hand back from another strike and his friends released Naruto quickly and his arm was stopped by Iruka, who was glaring darkly._

_The student's eyes widened and he relaxed his hand. "I-Iruka-sensei! I wasn't… I didn't do anything!"_

_A hand gripped his collar and the female teacher lifted him into the air and pressed the boy's back against the tree._

_"I leave for five minutes to talk to the Hokage and you beat the snot out of two kids?" Hidemi snarled, her eyes lit with fury._

_"Hidemi!" Iruka stared at her, then looked down at the three other boys, who immediately fell to their knees._

_"We're so sorry!"_

_"We only joined in because he started it!"_

_"Please don't tell my mom!"_

_"P-Put me down!" The boy glared and kicked his feet. "My father—"_

_"I don't care who your father is, you little prick! I don't tolerate bullies and unauthorized fighting! Let's have a chat with the Hokage right now, shall we? Remember, if I say the right things, you'll get kicked out of the Academy for good and your daddy will get really embarrassed about his good-for-nothing son."_

_The boy paled and a wet stain formed on the front of his pants._

_"Hidemi!" Iruka warned and the woman lowered the boy to the ground, glaring at her four students. _

_"Report to the Hokage's office right now. I'll meet you there after I take Natsumi to the infirmary." She pointed a finger at the boys. "And if you don't tell him the complete truth of what you've done, I'll make sure to find a way to get it out of you."_

_They winced and nodded quickly, running inside the building._

_Hidemi knelt in front of Natsumi, whose eyes were large and glossed over in fear. "Are you alright?"_

_She didn't answer._

_Hidemi sighed and picked up Natsumi, holding her in one arm with her head resting on her shoulder._

_Iruka watched the boys run off and looked back at the other teacher, then he knelt to meet Naruto's eyes, which were swollen and red from holding back tears._

_"Naruto, are you alright?" The boy pressed his lips together and turned his head away stubbornly. He sighed. _

_"I'll take him to the Infirmary with me." Hidemi knelt and scooped him up into her other arm._

_"I'm fine!" Naruto wriggled. "Put me down!"_

_Hidemi narrowed her eyes and met his. "Stop wiggling. And stay quiet."_

_Naruto gulped as the ice in her eyes and fell silent, and she stood and looked at Iruka. "You should get back to your other kids now. I've got these two."_

_Iruka nodded and his eyes followed them into the building. Hidemi stopped in the doorway to look at the remainder of her class, who seemed to be frozen in place on the playground. "What are you looking at? Mind your own business!"_

_Natsumi blinked and she suddenly recognized the infirmary._

How did I get here?

_She quickly looked around. "Naruto!" _

_The nurse was applying a bandage to his forehead and he smiled at his twin._

_"Oh, good." The nurse smiled at her. "You were in shock and not responding, but you seem to be fine now. How do you feel?"_

_Natsumi ignored her and stared at Naruto's bandages and how smalls spots of red were already staining them._

_"Is he okay?"_

_"It's just a small scrape, but it looks scarier than it actually is." She finished the bandage and knelt in front of Natsumi. "May I?"_

_She nodded slowly and the nurse lifted her shirt to examine the bruise, gently touching it. Natsumi yelped in pain and the nurse lowered her hand._

_"Nothing seems to be broken, but you'll have that bruise for a while. Be very careful while it heals and you should be fine. You're lucky that your brother stepped in when he did." She muttered. "Michi is a very short-tempered boy, so you should avoid him."_

_Iruka rapped softly on the door and stepped inside and looked between the twins, sighing. _

_"You two always get involved in trouble."_

_Natsumi hung her head and Naruto stared at the teacher, furrowing his brows. "We never start anything! They attacked Natsumi when she was just sitting by herself!"_

_"I know." Iruka said and stepped further into the room, sitting beside him. "Still, trouble finds you anyway." He looked at Naruto's bandage then ruffled his hair gingerly and turned to the nurse. "If you're finished, I'll walk them home now."_

_She nodded and bowed her head to him. "Yes, they'll be fine."_

_Iruka led them towards home, holding each of their hands as they walked slowly in silence._

_"Why do they hate us so much?" Natsumi whispered as she stared at her feet as they moved forward. Left. Right. Left. Right._

_"You know," He began. "Kids act out like that because they're hurting in some way. It doesn't excuse their behavior, but I'm sure there's something he's struggling with that he takes out on other people. But, he still has no right going after those weaker than him."_

_"We're not weak!" Naruto scowled._

_Natsumi froze and stopped walking and her hand slipped out of Iruka's. _

Weak? _Her lip quivered and her eyes fell on Naruto's bandage._ No… Naruto is always brave and helping me… _Her hands began to tremble and she touched the bruise through her shirt._ It's my fault that he's hurt. I'm the weak one.

_Iruka stopped walking and he looked down at her. "Natsumi? What's wrong?" Kneeling in front of her, he saw tears filling her eyes. "Natsumi?"_

_She met his eyes and felt her eyes spill over. She turned and ran quickly away as she cried._

That's right… I am weak. Naruto's always getting hurt by standing up for me.

_She hid behind a stack of crates behind a restaurant and sunk into the ground, drawing her knees close to her as she cried._

Weak. Useless. Crybaby.

* * *

Natsumi blinked and shook her head quickly and gasped as she pulled her face out of the water. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands. They were trembling.

_That's right… that's when I decided I had to get strong._ She clenched her fists and exhaled slowly. _No slacking off, no excuses. Just training. Until I'm finally strong enough to be the one protecting him._

She rinsed quickly and stepped out, wrapping the towel around herself and stared into the mirror.

_You, Natsumi, are still weak. But you're getting stronger every day. Today we're going to give it all we've got. You are not going to be the crybaby anymore._

Natsumi dressed and pulled her jacket over herself and blinked as the zipper got stuck at her bust again.

_Oh, no! I forgot to get a new jacket!_ Unzipping it, she folded her arms and sighed. _Maybe no one will notice… these._

Natsumi took one last look at Naruto as he slept soundly in a heap on the floor and exited the apartment quietly, locking the door behind her.

_Alright, Natsumi. No breakfast until training is over._

Her stomach growled in protest and she scowled and pinched it.

_No excuses. No slacking off. I'm still too weak._


	11. Chapter 9: Sister, Guardian

Naruto yawned and stretched, then rubbed his face and blinked. _"Huh? I'm on... the floor?"_

He opened his eyes fully and jerked to a full sit. Bright sunlight streamed in through the window and he clutched his head with his hands.

"Gah! I slept in!" He rapped himself on the head with his fists and groaned. "And I got left behind!"

The door unlocked and he snapped to attention, standing quickly as he went to the door. Natsumi stepped through, nearly dripping with sweat as she dragged her feet over the threshold.

"Natsumi!"

She cringed and nearly dropped the bag in her hand. "Ah!" She stopped and let out a breath. "Naruto, you scared me!"

He stuck out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. "You left without me?"

Natsumi crossed her arms. "I _tried_ to wake you up. I even pushed you off the bed. You wouldn't wake up."

Naruto crossed his arms and groaned. "Aw, man..."

"Don't worry about it. I train in the evenings sometimes, too. You can definitely come with me then."

He narrowed his eyes at her. _"Can I?_"

She gently shoved his shoulder. "Yes, you can. I did try to wake you up, so stop looking at me like that."

She moved to sit at the table and opened the brown bag and smelled inside. "I'm starving!"

Reaching inside she retrieved a steaming take-out box of dumplings and a pair of chopsticks, popping one into her mouth though it was still hot, chewing with her eyes closed happily. "Hmmm... so good."

She brought a second dumpling to her lips and stopped, the treat hovering just a few centimeters from her mouth. She looked at Naruto from the corner of her eye and caught him drooling as he stared at the food.

"Did you... maybe get some for me?" He brought his hands together and widened his eyes in a pout.

Natsumi sighed and retrieved a second, smaller container and held it out to him. "Here. Normally I have to earn my meals with a tough work out, but I knew you'd be jealous."

He dug in quickly and stuffed the dumplings into his mouth. "Wait," he muttered with his cheeks stuffed with food. "You mean that you buy breakfast regularly and don't share?"

Natsumi popped the dumpling into her mouth and shrugged. "I only treat myself if I train hard enough. Today I ran an extra eight kilometers and didn't take breaks when working on my Jutsu, so I'm beat, but in a good way."

Naruto smiled as the hot food slid down his throat. "So, where do you train anyway? What do you do?"

"It depends." Natsumi bit another dumpling. "Sometimes, I go in the forest and practice tracking wild animals. Other times, I do conditioning to make my body tougher. Sometimes, I even make a clone and fight it." She stuffed the rest of the dumpling into her mouth. "It's really hard to beat yourself in a fight, you know. You know everything that the other is going to do, but I think it's worth it. It really makes me more dynamic and creative in a fight."

He blinked and looked at her. "That sounds... really hard core."

Natsumi laughed and waves her hands. "I-It's really not! Training by myself is very limiting, so I'm always trying to find new places to train. I found this really neat place a few years ago that is perfect for everything I need."

Naruto beamed at her, leaning closer. "And... you're planning on showing your brother, right?"

Natsumi rolled her eyes and smiled. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. "It's not fair to keep secrets. We're family."

Natsumi froze and her eyes wandered down to the table as she fell silent. Naruto caught her eye and poked her shoulder.

"N-Natsumi?"

She blinked and smiled. "Yeah?" She laughed awkwardly and scratched her head. "Sorry, I'm just really tired from training."

Natsumi finished her food quickly and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, cleaned up her mess, and then pointed at him as he began to prepare instant ramen for himself.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, but you need to make sure to clean up after yourself, okay? And then we need to make sure we're ready to leave on time."

Naruto set the pot on the burner and turned it on. "Huh? Leave? Where are we going?"

"It's Orientation Day, you goof." She giggled.

His eyes widened and he grinned. "That's right! I can't wait!"

Natsumi giggled to herself and pointed between him and the trash can. "Don't leave a mess, alright? I'll be back out in a minute."

She headed into the bathroom and Naruto made a mouth with his hands, moving it has he muttered in a high-pitched voice. "Don't leave a mess, Naruto."

"I heard that!" Natsumi called over her shoulder and he stuck his hand quickly behind his back and laughed.

"W-What? I didn't do anything."

Naruto heard the water in the shower come on and he poured the hot water into the ramen cup, setting the timer. Before he could sit to wait, a soft knock came on the door. He opened it slightly to see the Hokage's assistant smiling on the other side.

"Oh, hello there. Is Natsumi available?"

Naruto blinked and then shook his head. "Uh... She's busy at the moment."

Kin held out an envelope to him and he turned it over and read Natsumi's name.

"What's this for?"

"It's from the Hokage. It's very important, so have her read it right away." She waved shortly. "I've got to go now, but make sure you pass that to your sister."

Naruto shut the door and looked at the envelope carefully. _"'Very important,' huh?"_ He held it up to the light but couldn't make out what the letter inside said. _"What if she's getting in trouble for something? Maybe the Old Man saw what she did to the Closet Pervert's glasses!"_

Naruto grinned and balled up the envelope and threw it into the trash. _"She can't get in trouble if she doesn't know to meet him."_

He eyed the timer and chuckled to himself as the last of the sand fell to the bottom and he sat to eat. _"I'm a genius!"_

* * *

Natsumi peered into the mirror and watched Naruto tug at the collar of his jacket and examine his reflection.

"You're not wearing your headband?"

He looked down at Iruka's headband on the dresser and picked it up, smiling as he turned to look at her. "Of course, I am!" He quickly took off his goggles and tied the headband around his forehead, posing in the mirror. "Oh man, this really looks good on me! I was born to be a Ninja, after all."

He turned to his twin and pointed his thumb at himself. "What do you think? Don't I look good?"

She nodded and lifted her arm to rest it on her shoulder, prodding his cheek. "You look more respectable now."

His eye twitched as he remembered the height difference and swatted her hand away. "What do you mean 'now'?"

She giggled and kissed his cheek, wrapping him in a hug. "I'm just teasing. I just mean that you look grown-up like that."

He wiped his cheek and laughed. "I guess this means you can't call me your 'little' brother anymore, then."

Natsumi crossed her arms. "Uh... no. You'll always be my little brother— even when you've finally hit your growth spurt. It's still our birth order."

He scowled turned back to his reflection, grumbling to himself. Natsumi stepped next to him and examined herself in the mirror and frowned.

_Without the jacket... they're really obvious!_ She blushed and eyed her jacket that lay on her bed and looked sideways at Naruto, who was flexing his muscles and making faces at himself.

"H-Hey, Naruto?"

He stopped mid-flex and turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Could I... maybe borrow one of your extra jackets? Mine is too small."

Naruto chuckled and retrieved it for her, holding it out proudly. "I knew you'd come to love orange someday! Try it on!"

She zipped it up successfully and looked at her reflection and grimaced. "O-On second thought... orange is more your color."

"Huh? But it looks good on you."

Natsumi ran her fingers through her air and frowned. "Not with my hair... the colors clash." She took off the jacket and passed it back. "Sorry, Naruto."

She tried on her jacket again and left it unzipped. "I guess this will have to work." She turned to her brother and put her hands on her hips. "Naruto, it's not that obvious, is it?"

"What's not?" His eyes lowered and he blushed and turned around quickly. "J-Just wear my jacket, already!"

She covered her chest with her arms and blushed. _That's not going to happen... _She sighed. _I'll just try to keep myself covered up, then, and not draw attention to myself._

* * *

Naruto hummed as he walked in long, confident strides while Natsumi walked with her arms folded to block her bust.

"You're in a great mood today, Naruto." She smiled and nudged him with her elbow.

"Of course, I am!" He laughed. "Today is the day that I begin my journey as a real Ninja. It's my first step to becoming Hokage."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. "So, that's it? You're not just excited because you're hoping to be assigned to the same team as a cute girl?"

Naruto's face flushed and he stammered. "W-What? No! I don't know what you're talking about."

Natsumi giggled and stood in front of him, walking backward carefully as she watched his blush deepened.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about having a crush, ya know. I'm your sister. You can talk to me about these things. I'd love to give you girl advice."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Hmph!" Finally, he sighed and lowered his arms. "It just feels a little... awkward talking to you about stuff like this. Especially since you don't tell me about your crushes."

Natsumi blinked and laughed, stopping and moving out of the way so he didn't bump her.

"My crushes?" She stuck out her tongue. "I've never had one."

"Huh? Not ever?"

Natsumi nodded. "Not ever." She started to walk again, placing one foot directly in front of the other with her arms out to balance her. "There have been a few boys that I thought were cute, but none of them attracted my attention. Good looks are one thing, but I'd never like someone who had a bad personality."

Naruto crossed his arms again and closed his eyes. "Heh." He opened his eyes and smirked. "It's not as if I would let boys near my sister, anyway! We're all perverts on the inside and I won't let anyone try to pull any moves on my sister!"

Natsumi giggled and slid her arm around his. "You mean... like how you peek on women in the bathhouse?"

His cheeks warmed and he turned his face away. "T-That's... I mean..." He grunted and avoided her eyes. "It's just different, okay?"

Natsumi laughed out loud and reached over to ruffle his hair. "If you say so." She adjusted her pace to match his evenly. "But, with you, you're just peeping at other people's sisters."

"E-Eh?" He blinked quickly and stared at her.

"Gotcha." She nudged him and turned her head, staring at... a strange, lumpy area on the fencing ahead. She raised a finger to point at it and Naruto followed it with his eyes, chuckling under his breath. The twins shared a look and instantly knew what the other was thinking.

_Let's play along for now._ Natsumi smiled and stifled a laugh. Naruto nodded.

As they continued forward, Konahamaru threw down the camouflaged sheet and took a ready stance.

"Naruto! Fight me here!" Taking a step forward to run at his rival, Konahamaru tripped on the sheet and fell onto his face.

Naruto sighed and blinked slowly. "What're you doing, Konahamaru?"

"Very good, Naruto. You're the man I expected you to be." He muttered into the dirt without moving.

"...I didn't do anything, you know." Naruto stood in place and watched him.

"Konahamaru!" Natsumi helped him up with a smile, and the boy blushed faintly when she dusted him off.

"H-Hi, Natsumi-neechan."

"Hi back." She ruffled his hair and stood. "Ambushing Naruto, now?"

He turned to Naruto with his cheeks pink, then furrowed his brows.

"Let's fight fair!" He made a hand sign but Naruto interrupted.

"Sorry! I've got an Orientation meeting to go to." He scratched his head.

"Orientation meeting?"

Natsumi nodded and he looked up at her. "That's right!"

"As of today, we're Ninja!" Naruto beamed and pointed to his headband.

Konahamaru's eyes widened. "Oh..." He looked at Natsumi. "Neechan, you too?"

She nodded and took her headband out of her pocket, holding it up. "Yup! Although I still haven't decided how I'm going to wear mine." She looked down at it in her hand, and then looked at the boy. "Say, Konahamaru, you pick for me. How do you think it would look best on me?"

He blushed and then eyed the headband and looked at her. "Hmm... I think the same way as Naruto would look nice." He pointed at his forehead. "Since you're twins."

"I'll do that, then." Natsumi tied it around her head and adjusted it, smiling at the boys. "Well?"

"Looks good." Naruto nodded in approval.

"You look really pretty, Neechan!"

"Awww... you're so sweet." She hugged him tightly. "We've got to go now, but we'll see you later, okay? Keep working on your camouflage!"

He nodded slowly and eyed Naruto, narrowing his eyes. "Next time! I'll get you next time!"

Natsumi grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him along. "C'mon! We're going to be late at this rate!"

"Alright, alright! I'm coming! Don't pull my arm off!"

* * *

Naruto and Natsumi stepped into the classroom and looked around.

"Heh. A lot of people aren't here yet." He found a seat and slumped into the chair and Natsumi sat on the edge of the desk, kicking her legs back and forth in the aisle as he watched. "Don't you have your own Orientation to go to?"

Natsumi leaned back and rested her palms on the desk. "Yeah, but there's still some time before it starts. I'd rather sit with you than wait there by myself."

"Heehee." He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms above his head. "That's because I'm so awesome."

She giggled. "Definitely a step up from the people in my class, for sure."

"Don't you have anyone that you're hoping to be teamed up with?"

Natsumi blinked and her stomach twisted into knots as she imagined their faces in her mind. "A-Actually, I kind of... hate them all."

Naruto stared as she laughed awkwardly and her legs fell still. "Well, maybe not hate, but none of them are really people I'd say were reliable or trustworthy. I'm really dreading to see who my teammates are, actually."

"Well, maybe you'll get lucky and your teammates won't actually be as bad as you think."

She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together into a tight line. "I hope so..." _Because they're all real jerks! Who talk bad about you!_

More students began to file into the room and a boy walked by, recognizing Naruto and stopped to look at him with a blank expression.

"What the—? What are you doing here? Today's meeting is for graduates only."

Naruto sat up and pointed his thumb at his headband. "Hey, don't you see this headband? As of today, I'm a Ninja, too."

The boy narrowed his eyes skeptically and put a hand on his hip. "Hm..." He looked at Natsumi and her own headband. "What are you doing here? You're not even in our class."

"I'm allowed to kill some time before Orientation with my own brother." She crossed her legs. "Besides, Hidemi-sensei really doesn't like when people get there too early. They'll interrupt her morning coffee."

"Hmph." He remained quiet and Natsumi could see him thinking intently behind his eyes.

"Hey, hey." Naruto pointed at his headband again and leaned his elbows on the desk. "What do you think? It really suits me, don't you think?"

A pair of girls burst through the door suddenly, panting heavily from running. Naruto turned and spotted Sakura as a small, goofy smile lit his face.

Natsumi leaned close and held a hand up to her mouth, whispering. "Nice view, huh?"

He blushed faintly and kept his eyes on her. "Quiet! She'll hear you!"

The two girls bickered and Natsumi rolled her eyes. _I'm almost glad to not be in the same class as them. Hearing them in the courtyard is bad enough as it is._

Sakura ran closer and Naruto's cheeks went pinker as he stood, waving slightly. "M-Morning, Sakura-chan."

Without acknowledging him, she shoved Naruto aside and stared at the boy sitting at the table a seat away, holding her hands as she blushed.

"G-Good morning, Sasuke-kun." The boy looked at her without a word. "Mind if I sit here?"

_Did she just—!_ Natsumi scowled and stared at the pink haired girl, glancing down at Naruto on the floor. _She can't do that!"_

The blonde girl grabbed Sakura's arm. "Hey! I'm going to sit next to Sasuke!"

"First come, first serve!" Sakura retorted.

_Keep it together, Natsumi. You told Iruka-sensei you wouldn't get into any more fights. _She exhaled slowly and kept glaring. _But, I really want to!_

"I got in the classroom sooner!" Ino argued and Natsumi clenched her teeth.

_Their voices are so annoying! And they're acting like they haven't done anything wrong!_

"No, I did!" Another girl chimed in, and others surrounded the two girls.

"If that's the case, then I did!"

Natsumi balled her fists tighter as they argued until her knuckled cracked. _Fighting over a stupid boy... they're so annoying!_

Sasuke looked away, disinterested, and Natsumi cleared her throat. The group of girls quieted and stared at her.

"Who's that?" One whispered to another.

"Idiot! That's Naruto's sister!"

"Yikes! The one that beat up Michi that time?"

Natsumi looked over the girls quietly for a moment. "Actually, Naruto was here first." She motioned to where he still sat on the floor with her voice level and cold. "And, it was very unladylike to shove him like that. I think you should apologize."

"What?" The blonde girl pointed at her and frowned. "Who are you to talk like that, huh? You're not even in our class."

"I know!" A brown-haired girl pointed at Natsumi accusingly. "She only came in here to try to steal Sasuke!"

The girls started to step closer to her, growing louder and louder.

"Shut up!" Natsumi shouted. "I could care less about that dumb boy! Why do you even like him so much? All he does is ignore everybody! Go find a different hobby and leave people who want to be left alone, alone!"

The girls blinked and Sakura looked at her. "You mean... you don't think Sasuke is cute?" She peered at Sasuke, who was ignoring the commotion, and then blushed.

Natsumi turned to look at him, her scowl deepening. _This is exactly what I mean! They're getting so worked up and it's pointless! _She turned back around and crossed her arms. "Nope."

"W-What?!" The girls gasped collectively.

"His looks are average at best and looking apathetic all the time only adds to his unattractiveness."

The girls blushed and blinked.

Ino stammered. "Y-You obviously have horrible taste, then!"

"Maybe it's _because_ I have taste that I don't bother myself with boys like that. If I were going to like someone, it would be because they were nice and not..."

She peered over at Sasuke, who blandly and briefly met her eyes. "...like that."

"T-Take that back!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

Natsumi exhaled slowly. _I will not hit them. I will not hit them. I will not hit them..._

* * *

The third Hokage gazed into his crystal ball with a group of Jonin around him. The image displayed was of a quiet, dark-haired boy.

"Is that this year's top rookie, Sasuke Uchiha?" Asuma asked with his arms crossed.

"Yes." The Hokage replied.

"The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan?" Kurenai asked.

"Yes." Hiruzen answered again.

The image shifted to the boisterous cluster of girls nearby, where Naruto still sat on the floor and Natsumi sat on the desk, glaring at the girls in silence as they argued and shouted at her.

"Naruto Uzumaki, eh..." A silver-haired Jonin eyed the blond-haired boy carefully. _"And, there's that twin of his I've heard about..."_

* * *

Natsumi turned and saw Naruto sitting in a kneel on the desk in front of Sasuke, glaring at him. The other girls noticed as well and began to shout at him.

"Naruto! Don't glare at Sasuke!"

Naruto looked at the girls and back to the raven-haired boy. _"Everyone's all 'Sasuke, Sasuke.' What's even so great about this guy?_"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and shot back a glare.

"Just beat him up, Sasuke!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Natsumi cracked her knuckles and attracted several pairs of eyes. "I'd stop saying that if I were you." She murmured under her breath.

Several of the girls shuddered and fell quiet, taking a step back.

The group suddenly all went wide-eyed and frozen in place. "W-What?"

Natsumi turned and saw Naruto bumped by the boy in the front row and... kiss Sasuke. She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

_Naruto!_ Her body trembled as she kept herself quiet. _I'm definitely going to bring this up later!_

The boys pulled away quickly and wiped their mouths, coughing and spitting.

"Naruto! I'll kill you!" Sasuke muttered.

"Gaaah! My mouth is rotting!" Naruto spat and gagged.

Natsumi laughed loudly, unable to contain it anymore as she bent over and her eyes crinkled shut. "N-Naruto... your first kiss..." She laughed harder and wiped a tear away as she laughed. "was to a boy."

Naruto shot her a look, his face red. "Hey, cut it out! It was an accident!"

Natsumi leaned against the desk for support and wiped her other eye. "I wish I had a camera... your face... it's hilarious."

"Cut it out, I say!" He narrowed his eyes at her, then blinked. _"I...feel rage..."_

He spotted the group of girls as their eyes burned.

"Naruto..."

Naruto gulped and helped up his hands. "It was an accident, I swear!"

"You're so annoying!" Sakura's expression darkened and she cracked her knuckles.

Naruto cringed. _"Yikes!"_

Natsumi's laughing stopped immediately as the girls rushed Naruto and pummeled them with their fists.

_They completely forgot about me..._

She tightened her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white.

_Sorry, Iruka-sensei. I can't keep my promise._

The Hokage sighed as the Jonin blinked at the scene.

"That Naruto is at the center of trouble, as usual." His eyes fell on Natsumi, who was standing off to the side, almost out of his line of sight. _"There's that expression of hers again... it makes me uneasy._"

_Sorry, Iruka-sensei. I can't take it anymore._

Natsumi appeared in front of both Sakura and Ino with her eyes closed, reaching out to grab their fists before they could strike Naruto again. She looked up slowly at them as their eyes widened, with her eyes icy and dark.

_"No way! She... stopped us!"_

_"She's fast!"_

They tried to pull their hands away, but she clutched them tighter, holding them in place. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors about what happened to the last kid who tried to hurt my brother, right?" Her stern expression held them rigid in place. "That kid, Michi?" Her lips curved upward in a smirk. "I heard that he was in the hospital for a full month— and _he _only managed to get in half a punch."

The girls shuddered and tried to pull away again.

"Meanwhile, you both got in at least five that I counted." Natsumi gripped their hands tighter. "Or, was it six?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at his twin. _"Natsumi?"_ He opened his mouth to say something but nothing would come out. _"She's never looked like this before..."_

Natsumi raised her leg quickly, aiming high at Sakura's head. She flinched and shut her eyes, bracing for impact only for Natsumi to stop only a centimeter away. Sakura opened her eyes and she trembled.

_"She's scary!" _He shuddered.

Natsumi lowered her leg and looked between Sakura and Ino, who were both shaking.

"From now on... leave my brother alone, got it?" She jerked their fists closer, pulling them in as she leaned her face between them to whisper darkly. "Because I never miss more than once."

She shoved them back and looked around at the other girls, feeling eyes all around the classroom burning into her.

"Sit down." She spoke quietly, but the group of girls quickly separated and took a seat. Natsumi reached down to help Naruto up, smiling broadly now. "You okay?"

Naruto stared dumbfoundedly and only nodded. "Y-Yeah."

_"When did she get that strong?"_

Iruka stepped into the classroom and Natsumi poked her twin's shoulder.

"Well, that's my cue to leave. See you later!"

She ran to the door, past Iruka with a smile.

"Natsumi?" He turned to look at her and she stopped in the doorway. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting with the Hokage this morning?"

_M-Meeting?_ She blinked at him. "W-What?"

"You were supposed to get a notice." The teacher muttered under his breath, and Natsumi jerked her head in Naruto's direction, who had sunk low into his seat in an attempt to hide.

"So... that's what that was." He chuckled. "I, uh... might have thrown it away."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes. "Naruto!"

"Heh..." He scratched his head. "S-Sorry."

She shot him a look that he recognized instantly. _I'll deal with you later._ And ran quickly from the classroom.

_You better hope I'm not late, Naruto!_


	12. Chapter 10- New Friends and Secrets Pt1

Natsumi rushed to the Hokage's office and gasped to catch her breath.

_I hope I'm not late. I hope I'm not late. I hope I'm not late._

The assistant, Kin, spotted Natsumi and smiled. "Oh, you made it. I was almost worried that your brother had forgotten to give you the Hokage's letter."

Natsumi straightened and laughed under her breath. "Well, he did. But I'm here anyway." She let out a quiet breath. "Am I late?"

"Oh, no, you're fine." Kin smiled and nodded. "The Hokage's previous meeting has run a little late, so I'm afraid that you'll have to wait for him to finish with that first before he can see you."

Natsumi sighed in relief. _I'm not late after all. What good luck._

"I don't mind waiting." She smiled. "I'm glad that I wasn't late."

Kin smiled and listened carefully for a moment. "I think they're finishing up right now. You got here just in time."

_No thanks to Naruto!_ Natsumi played with the bottom hem of her shirt nervously. _Why did he throw it away? It was probably important._ She sighed and then gulped. _What if… What if I'm getting in trouble?_ She remembered defacing Ebisu's glasses. _Oh, no. That jerk probably made sure to tell the Hokage! Or…_ She pressed her lips together. _This is probably about that one prank I pulled…_ Natsumi hugged her arms close. _Oh, no. This is probably… about… that._

The longer she stood there, the surer she became. _I'm dead. I'm so, so dead._

The office door opened and a group of Jonin and Chunin filed out. Natsumi pressed herself against the far wall of the hall to give them room. Izumo recognized her and stopped to greet her.

"Oh, Natsumi. Hi." He waved and gave a friendly smile. "You're here to see the Hokage?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know what it's about."

He chuckled. "Well, you're a good kid, so I'm sure you're not in any trouble." He ruffled her hair.

_If only you knew!_ She scratched her cheek and laughed softly. "Y-Yeah, I guess I'm just paranoid."

"Well, I've got to go get back to my post, but it was nice to see you again." He leaned closer with his hand to his mouth and whispered. "Kotetsu is still a little embarrassed that he was beaten so easily by a little girl, but between you and I, I think he needed to be knocked down a peg or two."

She giggled. "I think he'll get over it."

Izumo nodded. "Oh, he'll be fine. His ego is just a little bruised."

He began to turn and leave and Natsumi smiled as an idea came to her. "Izumo-sensei, wait."

He turned back to her. "Hm?"

"Does Kotetsu like Kiri?"

Izumi blinked and crossed his arms. "Kotetsu… and Kiri?" He leaned closer to her. "Why do you ask? Do you know something that I don't?"

Natsumi giggled and waved her hand. "N-No, I was just curious. It just seemed as if there was something between them."

He grinned and straightened. "Well, there has been someone he's had a kind of… puppy love for since he was a kid. But, I'm sworn to secrecy."

_I think that's definitely a yes! I can't wait to tell Sena!_

"Oh, Natsumi, you're here already." She turned to the Hokage, who stepped out of the office and nodded his head at her in greeting. "Good."

Natsumi bowed her head respectively and swallowed. That's right… I almost forgot what I was doing here.

"Good morning, Lord Hokage."

A silver-haired Jonin followed him out of the office and closed the door quietly. He was tall and covered most of his face with a black mask and his headband pulled down over his left eye. Natsumi stopped as she looked at him and was unable to turn away.

"Natsumi, this is Kakashi Hatake." The Third Hokage motioned to the man and introduced. "He's going to be Naruto's teacher from now on." Hiruzen turned to Kakashi. "And this, of course, is Natsumi Uzumaki; Naruto's twin."

Kakashi raised a hand and smiled, though she could only tell by the way his cheeks lifted and his eyes closed, crinkling at the sides.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you."

_He's… really handsome! Her cheeks warmed and she waved in return. But why does he cover up his face like that?_

Natsumi smiled and quickly lowered her arm to stick her hands in her pockets. "It's nice to meet you, too."

He looks really cute when he smiles. Natsumi blinked at the thought and she quickly turned away from him to the Hokage as he approached her.

"Um…" She cleared her throat and her thoughts quickly. "Lord Third, can I ask why you wanted to see me?" She lowered her eyes to the ground momentarily. "If… this is about Ebisu's glasses, I'm sorry. I kind of… got caught up in the moment of it. It seemed funny enough at the time…"

He chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pipe. "No, this isn't about that."

_Crap! She bit her lip. Quick, think! What else is there?_

"O-Or how I moved everything in your office to the left a little bit. I didn't mean to cause any problems for you, I was just… curious to see if I could sneak into your office and not get caught."

He blinked slowly. "So… that's why something seemed off… and why I've been bumping into things more than usual." He breathed out quietly. "No, Natsumi."

"Um…" Natsumi gulped and lowered her eyes to the floor as her voice lowered to a guilty whisper. "I am really, really sorry for sneaking in and reading forbidden scrolls. I swear that I didn't try to learn anything there, I was only curious as to what they said and why they were forbidden. I'm so sorry. And I swear that I never told Naruto about it or told him how to get to the Scroll of Sealing. I had no idea of his plan to take it until after the fact. Honest."

"Natsumi!" He interrupted and she swallowed and looked up at him. "I didn't call you here to scold you or—" He stopped and looked her over. "You've read… the Scroll of Sealing?" He asked quietly.

_Crap! Her eyes widened in panic. It wasn't about that! Crap! Crap! Crap! I'm dead for sure!_

"D-Did I say that?" She chuckled awkwardly under her breath and avoided his gaze, feeling her cheeks burning. Natsumi, you're a moron! He had no idea, and you just told him everything!

Hiruzen released a puff of smoke and held his pipe out as he sighed. "We can discuss that matter later." He glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi, who was watching Natsumi very intently. "There are some things that I still need to discuss with Kakashi, so if you will wait for me at your home, we will discuss the original topic there."

Natsumi glanced up and forced herself to meet his nodding, pressing her lips together tightly as her stomach tightened. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Iruka stood in front of the class and looked over his students with a smile.

"As of today, you all have become fully fledged ninjas…however, you're still Genin. The tough part's still to come!" He paused and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

The kids muttered to each other and looked around, some with anxiety in their eyes as others smiled in excitement.

Naruto sat with his head resting on his arms, carefully to avoid applying pressure to the bruises already forming as he half-heartedly listened. "I wonder what Natsumi's doing now…"

"From here on, you'll be in a squad of three and carry out your missions under your Jonin teachers."

Naruto opened his eyes and blinked. "Oh, yeah.

"I wonder who's going to be with Sasuke." Ino leaned forward to whisper to Sakura in the row in front of her.

Sakura blinked and kept her eyes forward. "I don't know…" She looked over her shoulder at the blonde and clenched her jaw. "Cha! I'll be with one grouped with Sasuke, naturally!"

Sasuke scoffed under his breath. "Squads of three, eh. It'll just slow me down…"

Naruto sat up and rested his cheek in his hand as he thought. "First will be Sakura. And for the other person… anyone other than Sasuke!"

"The groups have been determined so that the strengths of the groups will be balanced. Now," Iruka continued and brought the paper he'd been holding behind his back forward for him to read. "for the assignments!"

He began to list off names for the first group and Naruto listened carefully for his name, groaning quietly as her wasn't called. He closed his eyes again and replayed Natsumi's intervention during the fight in his head Iruka continued on.

After several minutes Iruka paused and cleared his throat. "Now then, is Group Seven… Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto perked at his name and blinked to focus on Iruka now.

"Sakura Haruno."

Naruto raised his arms into the air and cheered. "Hooray!"

Sakura's eyes widened and she hung her head. "I'm with… Naruto?"

"And, Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto slumped in his head and groaned. "I'm with… Sasuke?"

Sakura's eyes lit up and she cheered. "Hooray!"

"Next is Group Eight." Iruka looked up from his page. "Hinata Hyuga!"

"Y-Yes." The shy girl looked at Iruka from Naruto to listen carefully.

"Kiba Inuzka! And… Shino Aburame!"

Sakura turned to Ino and grinned. "Yes! Love is victorious!"

Ino glared at her. "Why is this happening?"

"Group Nine!"

Ino clenched her fists and glared as Sakura turned around, blushing as she looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

"Man…" The boy beside Ino watched her. "Why do girl always think that guy's so great?"

Ino lowered her arms and looked at him. "Don't you understand, Shikamaru?"

He looked at her with his brows furrowed. "Well, I'm not a girl…"

Ino sighed and shrugged. "That's why you're not popular with girls. I definitely don't want to be grouped with you."

"Group Ten." Iruka read off. "Ino Yamanaka. Shikamaru Nara…"

Ino's eyes widened. "Huh?"

Shikamaru smirked. "It appears we're in the same group."

She shot him a look and didn't reply.

"And… Choji Akimichi."

The boy stuffed potato chips into his mouth and Ino glanced over at him in the other row and grabbed her head and grimaced. "And Fatty on top of that…"

Iruka cleared his throat and lowered the paper. "That's all for group divisions!"

Naruto growled and stood, pointing at Sasuke. "Iruka-sensei! Why does an exceptional student like me have to be in the same group as this guy?!"

Iruka looked at him and frowned. "Sasuke has the best grades of the graduates. Naruto, you're at the bottom!"

The room broke out into laughter and Iruka spoke over the noise. "Of course, this is how it is when trying to balance the strength within groups."

"Just don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke spoke to Naruto without looking at him.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "What did you just say?

"Do you want to fight, loser?" Sasuke's mouth twitched in a smirk. "Or do you need your sister to handle it for you?"

Naruto clenched his fists and emitted a low growl. "Why, you—!"

"Knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura shot him a look in irritation.

Iruka put his hands on his hips and sighed, then spoke again. "In the afternoon, I'll introduce you to your Jonin Teachers. You're dismissed until then!"

The students arranged themselves into their groups and filed out of the classroom, talking. Once outside, Sakura looked all around.

"Sasuke-kun!" She walked around the building, calling out for him. "Sasuke-kun! Where did you go?"

She continued to search and felt her heart sink slowly. "I thought since were in the same group and all, we'd eat together."

Naruto caught up with her and waved happily. "Sakuraaa-chan!" She turned to see him and groaned. "Since we're in the same group and all, let's eat together!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Why should I have to eat with you?!"

Naruto blinked and slowly lowered his arm. "Well, we're in the same group, so…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and scowled. "You're annoying." She turned quickly and began to call out to Sasuke again, leaving Naruto behind.

Naruto blinked and watched her leave, letting out a small sigh and stuffing his hands into his pocket. "I wonder where Natsumi is? She's probably with her new team, too."

Naruto situated himself on a room and looked at the area below, kicking his feet as he sat. "Darn. This is no fun. I'm finally in the same group as Sakura… and then it's like this." He sighed deeply. "I wonder if something good will happen…"

He lowered his head and then sighed again. "I wonder where Natsumi is. I know she's probably already with her team, but I hope she didn't get in trouble with the Old Man. I'm the one who pulls all the pranks." He scratched his cheek. "Although I haven't done anything in a while. I wonder what he wanted to talk to her about."

Naruto crossed his arms and hugged them close. "She'll probably tell me later but I hate having to wait. And I want to know what kind of people are in her team, too. I hope they're nice."

He opened his eyes and spotted Sasuke sitting inside the building across the street, eating his lunch. He broke out into an impish grin and chuckled. "That's it!"

Shikarmaru, Choji, and Ino sat on a balcony and ate their lunch. Ino ate slowly, Shikamaru took thoughtful bites, and Choji shoved the rice balls into his mouth as quickly as he could, humming happily as he chewed.

"Listen up!" Ino looked between the boys. "As long as we're in the same group, you'll follow my instructions."

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru muttered dismissively and took another bite, then looked up at her from where he sat. "She becomes a real pain in the neck when people try to argue with her, so…"

"Let's all go out for some Barbeque sometime." Choji smiled and offered.

Ino groaned and smacked her palm to her forehead.

Shikamaru looked up from his rice ball and saw Naruto sneaking carefully undetected to the window where Sasuke was, smirking.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru muttered and Ino turned to look.

"Hm?"

Naruto leapt inside of the window and knocked Sasuke down and the two began to struggle.

"Jerk! This is Naruto, isn't it!" Sasuke's voice was muffled.

"Darn! Just be quiet!" Naruto muttered and the panel slipped and blocked the view into the building.

Ino balled her hand and stared down at the window. "Naruto! If you hurt Sasuke, I won't forgive you!"

The struggling grew louder from inside until it finally went quiet and Ino and Shikamaru stared at the window.

"What happened?" She mumbled.

Suddenly the panel opened again and Sasuke hopped out, smirking slightly.

"So, Naruto got beaten by Sasuke." Shikamaru mused.

"Of course!" Ino smiled and shrugged. "Naruto is no match for Sasuke."

* * *

Natsumi sighed as she walked and kept her arms close to her. I_ have this horrible feeling that I'm going to really get it… Why did I have to go and blurt it all out like that? I'm such an idiot!_

She bit her lip and hung her head. "All I can do now is beg for mercy and maybe Lord Third won't take my headband away. I did do something pretty serious…

A small yap interrupted her thoughts and she looked up in time to see a small dog leap at her. She caught it quickly and he started to lick her cheek. She giggled.

"Oh, hi there!" Natsumi scratched under its chin. "Aren't you cute? Where did you come from?"

The puppy laughed and licked her hand, sniffing her eagerly.

"You really are so cute!" She nuzzled her face into his fur and hugged him. "I could just take you home with me!"

It sniffed her torso all over and stuck its face into her pocket and pulled out the small bag of jerky she had brought as a snack, wagging happily. Natsumi laughed.

"I see… you only like me because you want me to share."

She set the dog down carefully, kneeling in front of him as she opened the bag and pulled off a small piece of meat and smiled at the dog.

"Do you know how to sit? I'll give you some if you sit."

The puppy yapped and quickly sat down and Natsumi grinned and held out the treat. "Oh, you're such a smart boy!" She retrieved another piece. "Can you lay down, too?"

He yapped again and lay down, wagging his tail and looking up at her expectantly.

"Awww… you're a good boy." She handed him the bite and scratched his head affectionately. "I wish I could take you home with me. You're so cute."

"Akamaru, stop taking everyone's food! You're not starving!"

Natsumi glanced up and recognized one of Naruto's classmates. He stopped as he met Natsumi's eyes and his cheeks turned pink. "S-Sorry about him. He's pretty pushy."

Natsumi handed over the remaining jerky and watched as the dog happily munched. "He's adorable. I don't mind."

Kiba scratched his cheek and, finished eating, Akamaru leapt into his arms. "I've only ever seen her from far away… but up close, she's really cute!" He watched Natsumi reach out and rub Akamaru's head, and his eyes lowered until he blushed and forced himself to look away. "Really… really… cute."

He cleared his throat and blushed deeper. "I-I'm Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka."

"I know." She said quickly and her eyes rose from the dog to its owner quickly. "I've heard of you teasing Naruto before."

He blinked quickly and gulped. "That's right… I guess… I have…" He chuckled awkwardly. "Um… I didn't mean it, you know."

"Yes, you did." She replied flatly. "Or you wouldn't have said it." She returned her focus back to the spoiled pup. "But, since I didn't see it in person, I'll pretend that it never happened… since it won't happen again."

He gulped again at the cold look in her eyes and remembered her intervention in the classroom. "Just some dumb kid stuff… we're too mature for that." He smiled weakly. "I really don't want her angry with me, too!"

Natsumi straightened to a stand and smiled sweetly. "I'm glad! I'm really hoping everyone can move on and we can be friends."

"Yeah, I like you." He stopped himself and stammered. "Your idea, I mean. I'd like to be friends."

She giggled. _This guy is acting so weird… but, he has a cute dog._ "I'd like that."

"You know," he cleared his throat again. "What you did before, in the classroom, that was really cool. You're really strong."

"Hm?" She smiled and clasped her hands behind her, "Thanks, but I didn't even do anything."

He blinked. "What?! I've never seen someone our age stop a punch like that before. It was… impressive."

Natsumi laughed and leaned close to him, holding up her hand to whisper. "Between you and me… those girls are really weak. I didn't even really have to try hard."

"R-Really?" He laughed and whispered back. "I guess it makes sense. They don't look strong."

She laughed and pulled away again and then paled quickly. "Sorry, I just remembered that I still have to meet the Hokage. I've gotta go!"

She ran off and raised a hand to wave. "Bye! See you around!"

Crap! I hope I'm not late!

"So, that's Naruto's sister?"

Kiba jumped and turned to see his new teammate. "Don't sneak up on people like that! It's creepy!"

Shino stuffed his hands into his pocket, ignoring Kiba as he watched Natsumi disappear out of view. "She's very pretty."

"She seems very nice."

A small voice came from his other side and Kiba jumped again, then loudly sighed. "Hinata! Not you, too!"

"S-Sorry." She quickly apologized.

* * *

Sakura sat alone on a stone bench eating her lunch slowly in silence, then shut her lunch box and sighed once she was finished. "There's no need for me to feel rushed to get back… from here on out, I'll be in the same group as Sasuke for the long haul…"

She set aside her lunch box and rested her hands on her lap. "But…" She sighed a second time and rested her elbows on her knees, holding her face as she leaned forward solemnly. "Even if I were to use my feminine charms… my… proportions are below average. All that I have above average is how big my forehead is… What should I do?"

Suddely she looked up and her eyes widened, noticing a familiar figure standing across from her as he leaned against a tree, watching her intently with his arms crossed.

"Huh?" Sakura blushed. _"No way! Sasuke-kun is looking… this way! And with such a passionate look!"_

Sakura's blush deepened and she averted her eyes, imagining Sasuke approach her with a faint smile on his face.

"You have a charmingly wide forehead… it makes me want to kiss it."

Sakura sighed quietly to herself. "Yeah, right… like that would happen… I'm not some kid who believes in fairy tales. There's no way something like that would happen in real life."

"You… have a charmingly wide forehead." Sasuke spoke up.

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked at him. "W-What?"

Sasuke stepped in front of her and smiled slightly. "It makes me want to kiss it."

"Cha! This fairy tale is for real!"

"Or, that's what Naruto would say." Sasuke chuckled, watching Sakura carefully.

She lowered her head and felt her stomach sink. He sat beside her as she stared downward.

"I've got something to ask you."

"Hm?" She turned to him and studied his expression.

"What do you think… of Naruto?"

Sakura tensed at his name and frowned. "He's quite at home interfering and enjoys when I make mistakes. Naruto doesn't understand anything about me… he just annoys me!" She balled her hands into fists. "And, his sister really gives me the creeps!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he listened.

"All I want… is for you to accept me, Sasuke."

"For me to accept you?" He repeated softly.

Sakura met his eyes and her cheeks flushed again. "I'll do anything for the sake of that." She turned her body toward him and closed her eyes, leaning in with her lips puckered.

His eyes opened wide as she drew nearer and his heart began to pound.

The real Sasuke struggled against the ropes with a scowl. "I was careless!" He remembered tying Naruto up after his ambush, only to discover that it was substitution Jutsu— just before he was attacked by a group of shadow clones.

"I didn't that that someone who couldn't even perform the Clone Jutsu properly could do the Shadow Clone Jutsu…"

Naruto— as Sasuke— watched Sakura lean closer and blushed faintly. "I finally know why I… like Sakura so much."

He began to lean in to close the gap between them and cringed as pain shot through his stomach. He clutched his gut and grimaced, feeling himself pale. "Oh no! Diarrhea? At a time like this?!"

He got up and ran away as quickly as he could. Sakura opened her eyes and watched him leave. "Wait! What's wrong?"

"I-I'll be right back!" He managed to squeak out as he rushed away.

Sakura giggled to herself. "Sasuke is so shy! I guess he needs a moment to prepare himself mentally…"

Naruto ran into the bathroom quickly as sat down in time, wiping his forehead. "Oh, man. That was so close. My stomach was hurting so much that the Jutsu was about to wear off! Why does something like this have to happen at such a good time?!"

He let out a quiet breath and his eyes lowered to the floor. "So, I'm annoying… huh? She said it again." He chuckled to himself as he thought. "In that case… I'll play an obnoxious Sasuke and make her hate him!"

Sakura looked up from the bench and stood, grinning happily as Sasuke approached.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're such a shy bad boy! Are you ready now? I'm raring to go!"

He continued to walk past her without acknowledging her and her face fell.

"H-Hey, Sasuke…"

He stopped walking and looked at her over his shoulder, studying her thoughtfully for a minute. "Where's Naruto?"

Sakura laughed quietly, shifting awkwardly. "Oh, there you go changing the subject again… just leave Naruto alone! All he does is pick fights with you!" She crossed her arms and hardened her expression. "It's all because he wasn't raised right! You know! He doesn't have any parents, right? Just that sister…"

Sasuke shot her a look and clenched his jaw as she continued to talk on her own.

"He always is selfish and does whatever he wants! My parents would scold me if I did something like that!"

He narrowed his eyes as she kept going.

"There are no parents to nag you if it's you alone! So his selfishness comes out all the time."

Finally, she stopped and put her hands on her hips and Sasuke kept his back to her.

"The loneliness." He muttered under his breath.

"Hm?" Sakura looked at him and blinked.

"It's something worse than being scolded by parents…" He spoke in a cold tone.

"W-What's gotten into you?"

He turned to meet her eyes with an icy gaze. "You annoy me."

Sasuke walked away without another word, while Sakura stared in shock as he disappeared out of sight.

* * *

"So, this is Naruto's home…" Kakashi looked around the kitchen and dining area. It was reasonably clean and organized, with the exception of Naruto's breakfast that he had neglected to clean up.

He noticed some pictures had been taped up along the wall. He looked over them and found simple, candid shots of the twins over the years eating ramen, playing cards, or camping. Most of the photos were of Naruto, though a few had been taken by Naruto while Natsumi was sleeping, or laying in the grass as she looked at the stars. In one photo, Kakashi was sure he could tell that she'd just been pushed into a river by her brother and looked angry as she climbed out of the water to snatch the camera from him. The last photo of them was a partially blurry self-portrait of both of them at their last birthday where they sat each with a single cupcake in front of them as they smiled.

"And," The Hokage continued with his hands clasped behind his back. "Sasuke of the Uchiha clan is also in the group you'll be in charge of. I wish you good luck."

Kakashi turned to and picked up the carton of milk left out. "The expiration date… has passed quite a while ago…" He shook it gently and it squelched as the curdling slopped around. "He'll get sick if he drinks this. It seems like things are going to get disastrous…"

_Please don't be there already. Please don't be there already._

Natsumi huffed and went to unlock the apartment door and found it unlocked. She gulped and slowly stepped inside and spotted the Hokage with the silver-haired Kakashi from before. She spotted Naruto's mess on the table and the carton in his hand and blushed immediately.

"I-I'm so sorry about the mess. I told Naruto to pick up before we left…" She grabbed at the hem of her shirt and bit her lip. "And I'm sorry for getting here late. There was a dog and—" She quickly shut her mouth and waited for the Hokage to speak. "Nevermind. It's not important."

"Come." He motioned to the table. "Sit."

Natsumi nodded and sat as the Hokage took a seat in the second chair. Please don't bring up the Scroll. She fiddled with her shirt nervously. But, what else is there to talk about?

"I reviewed the report from Izumo, Kotetsu, and Kiri's tests and, I must admit, that your progress is very impressive." He finally broke the silence and Natsumi looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly.

"S-Sir?"

"At first, I was concerned with the idea of having you stay at the Academy longer, but you have excelled even more than I had anticipated. You should be very proud of yourself."

Natsumi nodded and remained politely quiet.

He watched her expression carefully and released a puff of smoke into the air. "For the matter of your graduation, you may not be aware, but the number of graduates this year exceeds the number of places on a three-man squad that are available."

Natsumi blinked and felt her stomach twist into knots. "So… I won't be assigned to a team?"

"That's correct."

She fell silent and her eyes lowered to the table. What am I going to do?

The Hokage watched her expression fall and he cleared his throat quietly. "However, I have found a much better use for your talents. I would like you to join the ANBU under my direct command."


	13. Chapter 11: New Friends and Secrets Pt 2

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stared up at him. She opened her mouth and then quickly closed it again.

_The ANBU?! He wants me to join... the ANBU?"_

She swallowed and clenched her hands tightly into fists.

_But, I'm just a kid! I'm not qualified for that! This is... crazy._

She kept her hands on her lap to hide their trembling but she did not reply. The Hokage sat in silence and he glanced over to Kakashi, who was looking at him questioningly.

Hiruzen reached into his robes and retrieved a stack of papers and passed them to the Jonin.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked, unfolding them and beginning to skim them over.

"The final reports from her evaluations." The Hokage answered simply.

Kakashi looked them over and his eyes widened slightly. _"These stats... Ninjustu... three. Taijutsu... two and a half. Intelligence... four. Force... two and a half. Speed... three and a half. Stamina... four?"_ His gaze rose to look at the girl, who sat speechless in thought and shock. _"She's quite advanced for someone her age... although her score in Genjutsu is practically nothing. Besides that, she's exceptional."_

He studied her further and continued to read the report. _"She might have the skills required, but, if she doesn't have the right mindset..."_

Kakashi returned the pages to the Hokage, who laid them out on the table before the girl as he cleared his throat.

"Y-Yes?" She glanced up at him and bit her lip._ There must be some kind of mistake. I'm just a kid._

"Your skill evaluation, as determined by your performances in Hidemi's, Kotetsu's, Izumo's, and Kiri's tests. If you believe I have made an error in my decision, you can see for yourself that you are highly qualified."

Natsumi swallowed and reached forward, carefully controlling her trembling and she held up the first sheet and stared at it._ This is... this is how they ranked me?_ She looked to the Hokage and then back down to the page. _Am I really this good?_

"If that does not convince you," He retrieved another small stack of papers from his robes and laid them on the table. "Here are no less than thirteen different letters of recommendation from current ANBU members, all requesting your admission."

Her mouth opened and she quickly grabbed them, looking them over. _No way!_ She flipped through and stopped as she recognized a name. _This is... Kiri? And... Sena?_ She reviewed the last sheet and read the signature at the bottom. _Even Hidemi-sensei is in the ANBU?!_

"As you can see by the dates, we have been very interested in your progress and your recruitment for some time now." He chuckled. "I have even instructed my best agents to test you before, and without even realizing it, you were able to become untraceable to them all. Your stealth is unusually high for someone your age. It's quite impressive."

Natsumi lowered the papers and set them down gently before her. "You mean... you've had me followed? For how long?"

"No need to worry about it; it was only on a handful of occasions." He released a puff of smoke, closing his eyes briefly as he paused. "And yet, you were able to cause them all to lose your trail, break into my office without detection, and even read the Forbidden Scrolls without anyone's knowledge. Ordinarily, you would be punished severely for such actions..." He met her eyes and let out a breath. "However, I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if we utilized your talents instead."

_I'm... not going to get in trouble?_ The corners of her mouth twitched in a smile. _He's letting me off the hook? Just like that?_

Natsumi sat up straighter. "T-Thank you, Lord Hokage."

The old man chewed on the end of his pipe. "Do you have anything you would like to ask?"

_Where do I start?_ Her heart raced and her eyes moved over the papers spread out before her. _There's so much I want to ask..._

She looked up at the Hokage. "What... exactly would I be doing? I've heard rumors about the ANBU, but I don't know what they do. And..." She paused and lowered her eyes in thought. "it's very dangerous work, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "You will be put in situations of great danger at times, but I'm afraid I cannot give much detail unless you agree to join the organization. Though they are shrouded by mystery..." His expression darkened and he laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on the table. "the ANBU forces are absolutely vital to the Leaf Village's strength and survival. Joining their ranks is an honor that only the Village's strongest and most valuable Ninja are offered."

She nodded slowly, sitting on her hands as she listened carefully.

"Since you are now aware of the truth that Naruto is indeed the host for the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit, you should be aware that living as a vessel for the Tailed Beast is extremely dangerous. There are many who would seek to capture the Jinchūriki and gain control of the Tailed Beasts for their own gain. There will be an increased risk for him simply by leaving the protection of the Village walls. I'm sure you understand what that means."

Natsumi froze and her heart skipped a beat. _That means... the more acknowledgment and skill he achieves... the more at risk he is for someone discovering the truth! For him to achieve his dream and become a well-respected Ninja, he will be putting his life in danger!_

"Sir, if I join the ANBU..." She leaned forward in her chair, unintentionally raising her voice. "will that make Naruto safer? Will I be able to help protect him that way?"

"Perhaps not directly..." He answered slowly. "however-"

"I'll do it!" She stood and slammed her hands on the table with determination burning in her eyes.

"Natsumi..." Hiruzen watched her. "You should take some time to think about this decision very carefully."

"I don't need to think about it!" She met his eyes. "I want to join! If Naruto is more at risk as a Ninja and performing missions, I can't sit around and do nothing! I want to protect him so that he can achieve his dream! I don't care what I have to do! He deserves this opportunity as much as anyone else, and it isn't fair that he's in danger like this. He didn't choose to be the Jinchūriki!"

"Even if that is your desire, you must think of the bigger picture. You will not be able to tell Naruto that you are an ANBU member or be permitted to speak of your missions with him. Even though you are family, your work would be absolutely confidential."

_So... I'll have to lie to him?_ Her stomach sunk and she sat back down into the chair. _He would be upset if he knew I lied to him..._ She bit her lip. _Although... I have already been keeping secrets from him. If I have to choose between complete honesty and ensuring his safety, then... the choice is easy._

"I want to join." Natsumi looked up at him. "Please, allow me to join. I'll do whatever needs to be done to keep him safe. If I'm not willing to do this for the only family I have, then I'm a horrible person."

_"This girl..."_ Hiruzen puffed on his pipe. _"She reminds me of you."_ He cleared his throat and nodded. "If you're sure, then I will not deny you this opportunity. Come to my office tomorrow morning and we will make it official then."

Natsumi's eyes moistened as she nodded quickly. "Yes, sir! I'll be there! Thank you!"

"Very good." The Hokage collected his papers then stood and Natsumi copied, bowing respectfully until he passed by and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be sure to get plenty of rest tonight."

Natsumi nodded and bowed her head again. "Yes, sir."

Natsumi stepped aside to give Kakashi room to leave. As he passed, he gave her a small, eye-crinkled smile. Her cheeks warmed slightly and she blinked.

"Oh... wait!" The Silver-haired man stopped and turned to her and she rooted to the spot as he looked at her. "Um..." She met his eyes. "Naruto is a really hard worker. He might seem like a knucklehead sometimes, but he's not a quitter. If he gets discouraged or needs motivation, he's very competitive. So, if you know how to push him the right way, you'll see for yourself how incredible he is."

She stopped and shifted awkwardly where she stood. "B-But I'm sure you don't need my advice, being a Jonin and all."

He smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair, kneeling to meet her eyes. "Thanks. I'll be sure to remember that. If he gets too rowdy, I can always tell him that I'll let you know."

She blushed faintly and giggled. "That would do it."

He stood and went to the door and she gave both men a short wave and shut the door behind them.

Natsumi let out a deep breath and pressed her back to the door.

_H-He touched me!_ She blushed. _And he smiled at me! He really is cute!_

Her eyes widened slightly at the thought and she pinched her face as her color deepened.

_What is wrong with me?! He's old enough to be an uncle... or something!_

She sighed and stepped away from the door, resting her hands on the table.

_Me? Joining the ANBU?_ She bit her lip. _What did I just get myself into?_

Hugging her arms close to herself, she looked over the photos taped on the wall. _Naruto, I wish I could ask for your opinion about this..._

* * *

Naruto reached over and tore off a section of toilet paper, wiping as he grumbled.

"Darn! It finally stopped!" He pulled up his pants and zipped them up with a sigh. "I wonder if Sakura is still waiting."

He flushed and quickly washed his hands, rushing out of the bathroom after wiping them on his pants. He ran down the hall and his eyes widened as he saw the real Sasuke walking toward him slowly with his hands in his pockets and a serious expression on his face.

"Gaaah!" Naruto skidded to a stop in front of Sasuke, who stopped. "W-What are you doing here?!"

"I used the Escape Jutsu." Sasuke smirked. "A very basic technique."

Naruto blinked and gulped. "Oh..."

Sasuke looked at him carefully and narrowed his eyes. "What were you planning to do... by transforming into me?"

Naruto scowled. "I thought it'd be fun, so I gave it a try!" He quickly formed a hand seal and clones appeared around him, leaping at Sasuke to try and capture him a second time.

Sasuke took a step back and scoffed. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu again?"

"I'll show you that I'm really amazing!" Naruto smirked. "I'll defeat you... and make you accept me! Prepare yourself, Sasuke!"

Before Naruto and the clones could reach Sasuke, pain shot through their stomachs and they clutched their abdomens, paling.

"Just like that... my stomach again..." The Narutos turned and raced toward the bathroom, fighting with one another to get inside. "I'm first, I say! I need to use it more! I'm about to go in my pants!"

Sasuke watched Naruto arguing with himself and sighed quietly. _"What an idiot."_ He turned and walked away, his interest in Naruto gone.

Sakura sat on the bench with her eyes on the ground.

_"You annoy me'... huh?"_ Her heart sunk in her chest and she let out a soft sigh. _"I see... so this is how Naruto must have felt... I wonder if I can... be a bit nicer next time."_

"Darn..."

Sakura turned to see Naruto muttering to himself as he walked in her direction, holding his stomach.

"Did I eat something bad?"

_"Naruto?"_ Sakura's face twitched as she struggled to force a smile. _"Quick! Smile... smile..."_ She stood and waved at him. "Let's go back to the classroom, Naruto."

Naruto stopped and blinked at her. "S-Sakura...?"

Her face twitched as she held the smile and laughed awkwardly under her breath.

_"Payback for earlier, huh?" _Naruto thought. _"Sasuke's turned himself into Sakura... that has to be it."_

"You're trying to trick me, right, Sasuke?!" His eyes narrowed. "I don't think so!"

He started to form a hand seal again and his stomach twisted and he clutched it again with a grimace. "Ow ow ow... what the heck is going on?!" He turned and quickly ran back to the bathroom.

Sakura watched him leave and she scowled. "Naruto, you're an idiot!"

* * *

Natsumi sighed and looked around the apartment, pulling her eyes from the pictures and staring at Naruto's mess from breakfast.

"Every day it's the same thing." She muttered and picked up the milk carton. "I'm always the one picking up after him."

She covered her nose quickly with her free hand and held the milk away from her. "Gaah! Did he really drink this?! I reminded him to toss it last night and wait until I bought a new one!"

Covering her nose and mouth carefully with one hand, she dumped the remaining contents down the sink, then shoved the carton into the trash can and tied the bag to keep the smell inside.

_Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. I can't believe he drank that! I almost hope it makes him sick!_

She uncovered her mouth and stepped away from the trash to take a fresh breath. _That was gross._

She sighed and crossed her arms. _I wonder what he's up to, now. I hope he's got a good team. His teacher seems... nice._ She blushed faintly and pinched herself again. _Wow, look at the time. I need to do laundry._

Natsumi shuffled around and picked up all the dirty clothes, sorting it into piles and then letting out a slow breath.

_I really don't want to do this..._

She smiled faintly and clutched her coin purse. _I'll do it later. I need to get me a new jacket, anyway._

Natsumi ran to the door excitedly and locked it behind her and headed to the shop. She found an exact copy of her jacket in a larger size, but frowned after a moment.

_If I'm going to be in the ANBU, I should start dressing more seriously, maybe. Bright yellow is so childish._

She turned down another row and bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry! I-" She looked up and smiled. "Sena!"

Sena turned and beamed, then hugged her. "Natsumi! Doing some shopping?"

She nodded. "My jacket's gotten too small, but I was thinking of trying a different look."

Sena kept an arm around her shoulder while several dresses were draped over her other arm. "Want me to help you? I've got a really good eye."

Natsumi nodded. "Sure!"

"Sena, what do you think?" Kiri stepped out of the dressing room in a short black dress and smirked. "Don't I look great in this?"

Sena turned and sighed. "Sure, but this is exactly what I was saying before. Dressing like that attracts the wrong kind of guy that you want to meet." She held up her arm to show Kiri her finds. "Try on at least one of these. You might even like them."

Kiri noticed Natsumi and hugged her tightly, spinning her. Her breath smelled faintly of alcohol as if she'd been sipping from a flask secretly.

"Natsumi!" She set the girl down and turned in a circle. "Tell me, don't I look great?"

"I think Sena's right." Natsumi eyed the dresses on Sena's arm and pointed to a crème colored dress. "I like that one."

"That... one?" Kiri pouted. "But... that one is..."

"Nice?" Sena smiled.

"I was going to say prudish."

Natsumi giggled. "So, why are you looking for a dress?"

Sena groaned. "She's trying to go on another date already."

Kiri stuck out her tongue and slipped back into the dressing room. "Hey!" She protested from behind the curtain. "Just because the last date went badly doesn't mean I can't try again."

"Sure, sure." Sena winked at Natsumi and passed the crème dress to Kiri.

"Do I really have to try it on?"

"I think you should." Natsumi nodded to herself.

"Fine." Kiri mumbled. "But only because you're sweet and young and adorable."

A moment later, Kiri stepped out and put her hands on her hips. "Well?" She gave a sarcastic twirl and the knee-length skirt flowed around her. "What do you think?"

Natsumi and Sena shared a look and grinned. "You look amazing!"

Kiri looked in the mirror and blinked in surprise. "Oh... well... I guess it's not as bad as I thought. But it's such an innocent color. Doesn't it come in black?"

Natsumi circled her and shook her head. "No, I think it looks perfect!" She stopped in front of the woman. "It's different than what you usually wear and it looks really good."

"Hmmm." Kiri turned again and looked down at Natsumi. "I guess it does look pretty damn good on me, but, what can I say? I can make anything look good."

"Alright, we found a dress finally. Now, let's go." Sena laughed.

"Who is she going on a date with, now?" Natsumi turned to the older teen, who shrugged.

"No one, yet. She just wants to pick a random guy up."

Natsumi smirked faintly. "Or you could just go find Kotetsu."

Kiri blushed furiously and crossed her arms and turned away from the mirror. "There's no way I would ever look so ridiculous around him!"

Natsumi giggled. "That's a shame, but Izumo all but confirmed that he likes you."

Kiri turned to her with wide eyes. "W-What? How? W-When?" She scrunched her face. "I-I mean... what do I care if he does?"

Sena grabbed her shoulders, smiling. "What did he say?"

"Just that Kotetsu's had a crush on someone for a long time but he was sworn to secrecy..." Natsumi watched Kiri's blush deepen. "But, that was right after I outright asked him if Kotetsu liked you."

Sena covered her mouth to muffle a shriek of excitement. "I _knew_ it!" She turned to Kiri. "That's it; you're getting that one. That's the one he'll like the most."

"W-What?" Kiri shook her head. "Absolutely not! Don't get involved in my love life!"

"If you didn't want me involved, why do you always bring me shopping for date clothes?" Sena shrugged.

Kiri sighed and stepped back into the dressing room to change back. "Fine! If it will make you stop hounding me, I'll get the dress! As long as you promise that you will not try to force Kotetsu and I together."

"I promise." Sena winked and leaned in close to Natsumi to whisper. "Which means it's all up to you."

Natsumi giggled and Kiri emerged from behind the curtain, eying them suspiciously. "And what are _you two_ talking about?"

"Nothing." They answered at the same time and smiled.

"Mhm. 'Nothing,' they say." She scoffed and looked at Natsumi. "So, what are you here for? Getting ready for a date, yourself?"

Natsumi blushed and quickly shook her head, "No! I've never even had a crush before!"

Kiri smirked and bent to look her in the eye. "Oh? Is that the case?"

"Oh no. Kiri..." Sena groaned. "No."

"Kiri yes." Kiri laughed and put her arm around Natsumi's shoulders. "You know, I'm an expert on men myself. I can always help you find a boyfriend."

Natsumi shook her head again. "I don't want one..."

Kiri pouted and then sighed. "That's no fun." She met Natsumi's eye. "_But_ is there at least someone you think is cute?"

Her blush deepened and she bit her lip. "Um..."

"Hah! I knew it!" Kiri stuck her tongue out to Sena. "Who is it? Can I help?'

"Kiri, you're probably the last person she'd go to for dating advice." Sena patted her friend's back. "Don't take it personally, though."

"Hey, I am plenty qualified to give advice. I go on tons of dates."

"That's my point. Most people want meaningful relationships, not flings."

"Fine." Kiri puffed her cheeks in irritation, smiling again after a moment. "Can I at least know who it is? I'm too curious."

"Um..." Natsumi took a breath. "He's um... well, I just met him today. And... I think he's really cute."

"Yeah? Who?" Kiri grinned and she leaned in closer.

"You'll laugh at me..." Natsumi ducked her head and toyed with her hem of her shirt.

"Me? Nah. Spill." Kiri poked the girl's nose.

"Um..." Natsumi swallowed and lowered her voice. "Naruto's new sensei, Kakashi."

Their eyes widened and Kiri laughed. "Oh, man! You really have good taste! I think every girl who sees him walks by and swoons."

"An older guy, but definitely a cute one." Sena winked. "Nice."

Kiri gasped. "Sena! Did I just hear you say that someone was cute? I thought you weren't interested in romance?"

Sena crossed her arms. "Just because I have sworn off dating altogether doesn't make me blind." The corners of her mouth twitched in a smile. "Besides, it's hard not to find him attractive. Ask anyone."

"Wait..." Natsumi looked between them. "You don't think it's stupid?"

"Why? Because he's older?" Kiri shrugged. "There are plenty of people who prefer older guys. It's no big deal."

"Just keep away from him until you're an adult." Sena giggled.

Natsumi laughed. "You two are crazy."

"And proud of it." Kiri nodded.

"How about we help you pick out a new jacket now?" Sena walked over to a rack and began to leaf through. "What did you have in mind?"

Kiri gently nudged Natsumi and led her over to Sena, following her example and looking through the clothes.

"Well..." Natsumi looked around to make sure none of the other shoppers were nearby. "Lord Third asked if I wanted to join the ANBU, so I thought I should start dressing more seriously. Maybe something black?"

"Black?" Kiri winked. "My specialty. I'll find you the blackest one here."

"So, does that mean you agreed to join?" Sena smiled.

"Yeah, I think so." Natsumi nodded and scanned the row. "I'm really nervous, and I almost didn't, but when I saw that you guys had recommended me, I felt like I had to. If you think I'm good enough for it, then I should put myself to good use."

"I'm so excited!" Sena hugged her. "We had one spot open in our squad, so we were practically begging the Hokage to bring you on. Working together will be great!"

"I get to be with you guys?"

Sena nodded quickly. "Yes! Oh, I'm so excited now! You _have_ to come over for dinner tonight. I'll make something really special!"

"That would be great, actually!" She hugged Sena briefly. "Oh, but... could Naruto come, too?"

"Of course." Sena nodded and rifled through the clothes. "There will be plenty of food."

"_Oh, Natsumi!"_ Kiri cooed from behind the corner and held up a jacket for them to see. "This is the one! You _have_ to try it on!"

Natsumi looked at the jacket and froze. "L-Leather?"

"Yes! Leather!" Kiri brought it closer and held it up to her torso. "Nothing says 'I'm a certified badass' quite like a black leather jacket. You'll look incredible in it."

"I-I'm not sure that's really my style." Natsumi scratched her cheek.

"Neither was that frilly dress," Kiri met her eyes. "But I still tried it on for you."

"Oh. Right." Natsumi shrugged off her yellow jacket and held it between her knees as she pulled the leather jacket on, zipped it all the way up, and looked between her friends. "Well?"

"Get it." Sena nodded and turned to Kiri. "I can't believe your gut was right this time."

Kiri scoffed. "Hah! I have great taste in clothes."

"Too bad you can't have better taste in men." Sena muttered with an impish smile.

"What do you think about it?" Kiri ignored her and turned Natsumi around to face the mirrored wall, then unzipped the jacket down halfway. "That's better."

Natsumi stared at herself, blinking. "I... look a lot older." She turned around slowly. "And I look really cool. I really like it."

She held up her arm and focused on the tag that dangled from the sleeve and then grimaced.

"I... I don't like it anymore."

Kiri and Sena shared a look, then smiled.

"How about, to celebrate you joining our team, we get it for you?" Kiri beamed.

Natsumi's eyes widened. "W-What? Really? This is too much... I can't accept it."

"It's a gift, Natsumi." Sena patted her head. "We want to get it for you."

"But..." She bit her lip.

"If you're really concerned about it, you can make it up to me by coming over for dinner and helping me to eat it all. I always make a ton." Sena winked. "And don't forget to bring your brother. The more mouths, the better."

"She's not kidding, either." Kiri confirmed. "She makes a small feast almost every night. It's great."

Natsumi smiled. "It's a deal."

Natsumi followed them to the counter where they paid for the clothes. They stepped out of the shop and Kiri cut the tag off the sleeve for her.

"Why don't you come hang out with us before dinner? We need some girl time." Kiri stuck her hand into her pocket and draped the shopping bag over her shoulder. "And, you can tell us all about _you know who."_

"T-There's nothing to tell!" Natsumi blushed. "And, I've really got to do some grocery shopping, but I'll be over afterward."

"We'll see you then." Sena smiled. "Have fun shopping!"

"See you later!"

* * *

"Naruto! Stay still and wait." Sakura lectured as she leaned against a desk in the empty classroom.

Naruto was poking his out of the door and eagerly looking back and forth down the hall for their new sensei- who still hadn't shown.

"Why's it that only our squad's leader is late?" He looked at Sakura over his shoulder and complained. "The other teams have gone off with their new teachers already, and Iruka-sensei's also left."

"Don't look at me. I don't know." Sakura muttered and closed her eyes and opened them again as Naruto began to cause a lot of noise. "Hey, what're you doing, Naruto?!"

Sasuke glanced over from where he sat at another desk in silence.

Naruto chuckled and stood on a high stool to carefully place a blackboard eraser in the door.

Sakura stepped toward him, looking up at the eraser and put her hands on her hips.

"Hey!" Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"It'll be his fault because he's late." Naruto turned to her and hopped off of the stool, grinning to himself as he put his hands on his hips.

"Man, you're asking for it!" Sakura chided. _"Truthfully, I like stuff like this, though! Pranks can be so much fun!"_

Sasuke scoffed under his breath and closed his eyes, thinking to himself. "A Jonin wouldn't get caught in such a weak booby trap."

"That's right." Sakura nodded and looked at Naruto. "You're such an idiot..."

A hand touched the open door and Naruto grinned in anticipation and watched as the door was opened and the eraser fell on top of the Jonin's spiked silver hair, creating a puff of chalk dust in the air before it bounced to the ground.

The students stared in shock at the scene until Naruto pointed at the man and began to laugh loudly.

"I got him, I got him!" Naruto bragged.

Sakura flushed in embarrassment as he stayed rooted in place. "I-I'm sorry, sensei. I tried to stop him, but Naruto did it on his own..." She swallowed briefly but laughed in her mind. _"That was great!"_

Sasuke blinked and furrowed his brows as he looked over the man. _"Get real. Is he really a Jonin?"_

Finally, their sensei moved and stooped to pick up the eraser quietly and looked at it. Naruto's laughing subsided and they all looked at the man expectantly.

"How can I put this?" He set the eraser does and brought his hand to chin, closing his eyes momentarily as he thought. "As for my first impression of you guys...? Well... I hate you."

Their expressions fell and they looked at him, appearing wounded.

Kakashi sat on the roof's railings with his arms crossed as he looked over his three new students as they sat in front of him, then spoke after a long period of silence.

"Let's see. First off, let me have you guys introduce yourselves."

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura repeated. "What should we say?"

"Your likes, dislikes, your future dreams, hobbies..." He held up his arms as he explained. "Things like that." He crossed his arms again and looked down at them.

"Hey, before that, please tell us about yourself." Naruto looked over the Jonin in scrutiny.

"Me?" He pointed to himself. "My name's Kakashi Hatake." He lowered his arm and continued. "I don't feel like telling you guys about my likes and dislikes. I've never really thought about my future dream. And, as for my hobbies, I have many."

Sakura turned to Naruto with her eye twitching. "In the end, isn't all we know his name?"

"Next is you guys." Kakashi instructed and looked at Naruto. "Let's start with you."

Naruto grinned and gripped his headband excitedly. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen, but what I like even more is the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei treats me to. What I dislike is the three minutes it takes after pouring hot water in the instant ramen, and when my sister nags me. My hobby is eating and comparing ramen with my twin sister, Natsumi! And my future dream..." He clenched his fists and smirked in determination. "...is to surpass the Hokage! And so, I'm going to get the entire village to acknowledge my existence!"

"I see..." Kakashi mused under his breath. _"I see... this kid's grown up in an interesting way. It's strange to think that he's related to her. They're completely different... she spoke so highly of him but this first impression is... lackluster."_ He looked at Sakura. "Okay, next."

Sakura blushed and put her hands on her lap. "I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like... I mean, who I like is..." She glanced over at Sasuke, who was ignoring them all. "And, my hobby is, I mean..." She looked at Sasuke again and blushed deeper. "And, my future dream is..." She glanced at Sasuke a third time and then squealed to herself and covered her face, which had shifted to a deep red.

Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. "And? What about your dislikes?"

Sakura blinked and scowled. "Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked as though he'd been slapped. "Whaaaat?"

_"Girls at her age are probably more interested in love than the Ninja Arts..." _Kakashi rested his cheek in his hand, looking to Sasuke now. "And, lastly,"

"My name's Sasuke Uchiha." He kept his eyes on the ground and his hands laced together, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke. "I have lots of dislikes, but no likes in particular."

"Oh..." Sakura muttered softly and her heart sunk as she watched him.

"And..." His expression darkened and his tone turned icy. "I don't feel like summing up my ambition as just a dream, but I do have an ambition. The ambition to restore my clan, and, without fail... to kill a certain man!"

A chill shot down Naruto's spine and he stared at Sasuke in silence. _"He doesn't... mean me, does he?!"_

Sakura's cheeks warmed and she wrapped her legs around her knees. _"Sure enough, Sasuke is so cool."_

_"I knew it..."_ Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he kept his eyes on the dark-haired boy. "Good!" He called out and crossed his arms. "The three of you are very distinctive and interesting." He paused. We'll have a mission tomorrow."

Naruto beamed and held up his hand in a salute. "Yes, sir! What kind of mission?"

"First, we'll do what we can do with just four people." Kakashi answered blandly.

Naruto tapped his feet in anticipation. "What, what, what?!"

"A survival exercise."

Naruto blinked slowly. "A survival exercise?"

"Sensei," Sakura looked up at the Jonin with a frown. "Why are we doing an exercise even though this is supposed to be a mission? We've had more than our share of exercises in the Academy!"

"This is no simple exercise." Kakashi's eyes fell on her.

Naruto raised his hand slightly, talking slowly. "Then... what kind of exercise is it?"

Kakashi averted his eyes and chuckled to himself.

"Hey... what's so funny, Sensei?" Sakura mumbled and drew her legs closer.

He chuckled and waved his hand back-and-forth. "Uh... well if I tell you, I know you'll grow disenchanted."

"Huh?" Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head.

Kakashi rested his cheek in his hand again and lowered his voice as his expression shifted to a serious one. "Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be recognized as junior ninjas. The remaining eighteen are sent back to the academy." He paused. "In other words, this exercise is an extremely difficult test with a failure rate of sixty-six percent or higher."

The trio froze and widened their eyes and Kakashi chucked light-heartedly.

"See? Now you're disenchanted, just as I said!"

"That's crazy!" Naruto protested. "To have suffered that much already! Then, what was the graduation test for?"

"Oh, that?" The Jonin shrugged. "It was just to select those who had the potential to be Genin."

"Whaaaaat?!" Naruto's mouth gaped.

Kakashi shrugged again. "Well, that's the way it is. I'll be determining whether you pass or fail. Bring your complete set of ninja tools. We meet at 5 in the morning."

Naruto trembled and stared at the ground with his eyes wide. _"N-No way am I going to be dropped now! I've got to have my strength recognized for real! I can't embarrass Natsumi by going back to the Academy, either!"_

_"I'll be separated from Sasuke if I fail this test."_ Sakura furrowed her brows and balled her hands into fists. _"This is a test of love! I can't lose!"_

Sasuke tightened his fists until they trembled and his expression darkened.

Kakashi chuckled and waved his hand. "Okay! You're dismissed." He turned to look at them over his shoulder. "Oh... and you'd best skip breakfast. You'll throw up."

"Naruto!" Natsumi grinned as she spotted him, waving as she ran to him. _I finally found him!_

Naruto turned and grinned back and waved. "Natsumi!"

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" She stopped in front of him and looked at Sakura and Sasuke, who had been walking away but had stopped to look at her. She grimaced. "Is this... your team?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah!"

_Oh, boy. Whoever put them together really messed up!_ Natsumi rubbed her head and chuckled. "I-I see." She forced a smile and waved between them. "H-Hi..."

Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets and turned away from her without a word and Sakura blinked and took a step back instinctively. _I can't believe he got paired with these two! There had to be better options!_

"S-Sorry about earlier." Natsumi stammered and met Sakura's eyes. _No, I'm not._ "I... went a little too far." _Not far enough!_ She swallowed and laughed awkwardly. "I just get really protective of my brother, ya know? Could we maybe... start over?"

She held out her hand and Sakura looked at it, blinking. _"She's... apologizing?"_ She swallowed and met Natsumi's eyes. _"She still creeps me out... but I don't want to get on her bad side again..."_

Sakura smiled faintly and shook her head. "Y-Yeah. That'd be nice."

"I'm Natsumi Uzumaki." She shook her hand gently and then released it. "It's nice to meet you."

"S-Sakura Haruno. Likewise."

The two girls averted their eyes and Natsumi let out a slow breath. _I want to add: Pick on my brother again and I won't restrain myself next time!_ _But... since she's on Naruto's team, I can't cause any problems between them..._

"I... uh... like your dress. It's really pretty." Natsumi muttered.

"H-Huh?" Sakura glanced down at herself. "T-Thanks. It's my favorite." She smiled and shifted her feet. _"She's... being nice now. But, it's making me really uncomfortable."_

Natsumi sighed and looked at Sasuke, who was still ignoring her, but was not so disinterested that he had left yet.

"And... then there's... you."

He crossed his arms and shifted to look at her. "What do you want?"

Natsumi narrowed her eyes and extended her hand out to him. "It's called _being polite_. You could try to do it sometime."

He looked down at her hand and scoffed under his breath.

_This guy is making it really hard to be nice!_

She grabbed his hand and forced it into hers, shaking it briefly as she gritted her teeth.

"Hi, I'm Natsumi. Nice to meet you. Now you say, 'hi, I'm Sasuke the quiet jerk who likes to pretend like I'm better than everyone else. It's nice to meet you.'"

He pulled his hand back and scowled. "You're annoying."

"Likewise." She crossed her arms. "But you'd better get used to me being around because Naruto and I are a set."

"Hmph." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Like I care."

Natsumi drummed her fingers on her biceps. _Be nice, Natsumi._ "Just remember, I could probably kick your butt and embarrass you, too. So, don't push your luck and just try to be nice back."

Sasuke shot her a look and began to walk away. "Whatever."

Naruto looked Natsumi over, squinting as he circled her. "Wait a minute... you look different!" He stopped and his eyes fell on her jacket. "When did you get that?"

Natsumi smiled and looked down at it. "Kiri and Sena bought it for me. Isn't it awesome? They said it made me look mature and cool."

Naruto crossed his arms. "It's not fair... how is it that you look older than I do?"

"Don't worry; you'll get your growth spurt soon." Natsumi smiled and ruffled his hair. "Oh! Sena is making dinner tonight and invited us over. We can celebrate graduating and hang out."

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered and then blinked. "W-Wait... you mean... hang out with those older girls from before?"

His cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Yeah..." Natsumi crossed her arms. "Is something wrong with that? They're really great, and they've helped us out before."

"N-Nothing." He chuckled and rubbed his head. "Wait are we waiting for? Let's go eat!" He turned and waved to Sakura. "Bye, Sakura-chan! See you in the morning!"

"O-Oh. Yeah." She managed a small smile and waved back. "Bye."

Natsumi linked arms with Naruto and led him away. "What's tomorrow?"

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei is making us do a survival exercise..." He muttered and sighed. "If we fail, we get sent back to the Academy."

"What?!" Natsumi stared. "I-Is that a joke?!" _After all that time I stayed behind to be with him?!_

"Nah..." He smirked and pointed his thumb at himself. "But, don't worry about me! You know I'm going to pass and surpass the Hokage someday! This will be easy for me!"

Natsumi giggled and nodded. "I know it."

"So, who did you get paired with?" Naruto watched her. "Who's your sensei?"

Natsumi's step faltered and she coughed. _Crap! What am I supposed to tell him?_

"U-Uh... well, I didn't get assigned to a three-man squad."

"E-Eh?" Naruto's eyes widened. "Why not?!"

"It turns out that there were more graduates than spots available this year." Natsumi laughed under her breath awkwardly. "Um... but the Hokage's offered me something of an... assistant position."

"Assistant?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"W-Well..." She smiled. _Come on, think of something!_ "I'll help him out by running errands around the village as needed, or floating around to the different squads if anyone is out sick or they need more help... that kind of thing."

Natsumi swallowed and watched Naruto thinking, almost seeing the whirring of gears behind his eyes. _Please let him buy that..._

"That's weird..." He muttered and looked up at her. "But, it sounds important enough."

_He believed it! That's a relief._ She nodded. "I'm a little nervous about it, but it doesn't seem difficult, so I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Hey, hey! Maybe you'll get paired with us a lot! I'm sure we could use an extra person on missions and during training!"

Natsumi giggled. "I hope that's the case! We won't be seeing a lot of each other from now on, so I hope that I can be allowed to do missions with you."

After walking for some time, she pointed down the road to the small cottage. "There's her house."

His eyes widened as they approached and he looked up at the tall flowering plants. "Wow..."

Natsumi went around back and found Kiri lounging on the patio chair and talking to Sena through the back door she'd left open as she cooked.

"Hi, guys!" Natsumi waved and Kiri grinned.

"You're here!" She wrapped Natsumi in a crushing hug and eyed Naruto with a wink, then ruffled his hair. "And you brought this cutie pie."

Naruto blushed and his eyes wandered to her chest. He gulped and looked up. "C-Cutie p-pie?"

Kiri laughed. "Come on, come on." She pushed the twins into the kitchen. "Sena! Look who's here!"

They stepped over the threshold and looked to their right and saw Sena working skillfully in the gourmet kitchen. She smiled as she saw them.

"Natsumi! And Naruto!" She giggled. "Welcome to my home! It's not much, but you're welcome to come over anytime."

Natsumi looked around the house and smiled. "What are you talking about? This is amazing!"

Potted flowering plants hung all around the house and filled the area with a light, pleasant aroma. Medicinal herbs were dried, ground up, and stored neatly in jars that covered most of the wall. The rest of the house was simple, with stacks of books filling the shelves and spilled out into neat piles on side tables and the floor.

"You must really love gardening." Natsumi stepped into the kitchen and sniffed, melting at the smell. "Oh, that smells amazing."

"Gardening is my passion. I just love all the different varieties of flowers and cross-breeding them to create new hybrids." She pointed to a small pot sitting on the round dining room table. "I haven't named it yet, but that's my first successful hybrid between a cherry blossom and a rose."

"Wow!" Natsumi bent to examine the flower. "It's beautiful. You made this on your own?"

Sena nodded. "And over there," She pointed to a row of small pots on the windowsill. "I'm working on new types of flowers that smell like different foods. There's a rose that smells like strawberries, one that smells like citrus, and one that I'm trying to make smell like a sweet roll, but I haven't been able to get it right."

Natsumi sniffed each flower. "I think they're perfect."

"So," Kiri rested her arm on Naruto head. "You wanna play a card game?"

"H-Huh?" He looked up at her.

"Until dinner's done."

"Kiri." Sena looked up from the stove with one eyebrow raised. "All the games you know are inappropriate."

Kiri crossed her arms. "That's not true! There's... uh..." She scratched her head. "Well, you can choose, then, kid."

"Oh, can I play?" Natsumi smiled. "We play card games a lot."

"Of course!" Kiri tousled her hair.

"Alright, alright. Just give me some space while I finish up, will you?" Sena pointed outside. "Just a few more minutes."

* * *

"Gah! I lost again!" Kiri threw her cards into the air and rested her head on her arms, narrowing her eyes at Naruto. "Are you cheating?"

He laughed and crossed his arms. "Of course not!"

"Alright, it's finally done now!" Sena carried out a large platter and slid it to the center of the table and the twins stared with their mouths watering as she pointed to the different dishes. "This is just the appetizers I made; Spicy Edammame, Gyoza, Yakitori, Harumaki, Miso glazed Egglant, and this." She grinned and met Naruto's eyes. "This is a recipe I made special for you, since Natsumi told me how much you love ramen. I crushed dry noodles to create the perfect breading, fried the chicken, and made a spicy cheese sauce for you to eat it with. Enjoy."

"R-Ramen? On fried chicken?!" Naruto's grabbed a chicken wing, dipped it into the cheese, and took a large bite. His eyes widened and he melted in his seat. "T-That's... the best thing I've ever tasted. It's almost better than Teuchi's."

"Really?" Natsumi tried a piece for herself and blinked. "Sena, you've got to teach me to cook! This is great!"

"I'd love to!" Sena giggled. "I'll bring out the rest of the food now." Bringing out the second tray, she arranged it to fit on the table. "Alright, here's some dumplings, curry- mild and spicy, Sashimi, Tonkatsu, Korokke, Ochasuke, and premium Wagyu."

She wiped her forehead and then took a step back and Naruto looked at the dishes and drooled.

"I... I don't know where to start! It all looks so good!"

Kiri reached over and began to fill a plate for herself as she winked at him. "Don't choose. Just take a piece of everything."

They ate until the five of them leaned back in their chairs and exhaled slowly.

"I've never eaten so much at once before..." Natsumi closed her eyes and patted her stomach.

Naruto reached for the last piece of fried chicken with a trembling hand. "Must... eat... the last... one."

"You guys can take as much of the leftovers as you want." Sena sighed and rested her head on the table. "It's too much for just me."

"R-Really?" Naruto chomped happily and nodded. "You're the best!"

She blushed slightly and laughed. "Thank you, but I'm really only an amateur cook. Right, Kiri?"

Sena blinked and turned to Kiri, who was asleep as she lounged in the chair, and laughed. "I guess it has gotten pretty late." She yawned. "And I should really start cleaning up this mess."

Natsumi sat up slowly. "Do you want me to help?"

She shook her head. "No, I actually find it very relaxing to clean."

Natsumi laughed and glanced at Naruto, who was forcing the last bite down his throat- half miserable, half happy.

"I wish Naruto was that way. He won't clean until I nag him."

Sena stood and began to clean up, separating out most of the leftovers into a box that she handed to Natsumi.

"You should get plenty of sleep tonight." She spoke quietly so that Naruto wouldn't hear. "The Captain likes to haze new members... it can be pretty grueling, so be sure that you're at your best in the morning. I also would limit how much breakfast you eat."

Natsumi nodded. "I will." She held the box closer to her. "Sena?"

"Hm?" She looked up from the dishes and met her eyes.

"Do you think I made a mistake? Joining the ANBU?" She whispered then bit her lip. "I don't like the idea of keeping secrets from him."

Sena glanced at Naruto and leaned in to touch her head to Natsumi's. "I think if you remember the reasons why you said yes, you'll be fine. If not, you'll lose yourself."

"L-Lose myself?"

She nodded. "But, I wouldn't worry about that. I don't think someone like you would ever change that drastically." She straightened and smiled. "Now, go on home. You have a big day ahead of you."

"Thank you, Sena." Natsumi hugged her. "For everything."


	14. Chapter 12: Codename Mina!

Natsumi yawned and knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. Kin answered the door with a small greeting.

"Oh, good morning, Miss Uzumaki."

"Morning." Natsumi stifled a yawn. _I wake up early every day! I shouldn't feel so tired!_

Kin stepped aside and opened the door further. "Lord Hokage has been expecting you."

Natsumi nodded slowly and stepped inside and saw the Hokage already sitting at his desk attending to paperwork. He glanced up briefly and sat up in his chair.

"Is there anything else you need at the moment, sir?"

"No, Kin. You may go for now." He waved his hand and she left the room, bowing her head respectfully.

He puffed on his pipe and motioned for Natsumi to sit. "I see that you still have not changed your mind about joining the ANBU."

She shook her head. "After sleeping on it, I don't have any more reservations about it. I'm just eager to get started and learn what I will be doing."

He chuckled quietly and waved his hand once more and an invisible form became visible as the refracted light returned to its normal state. Natsumi blinked and looked over the ANBU member that appeared.

"Kiri?" She smiled faintly.

Kiri stepped forward in her full uniform and lifted her mask to wink at Natsumi. "So much for anonymity."

Natsumi giggled. "The mask doesn't really do much since you look so unique."

"Fair enough."

The Hokage cleared his throat and laced his fingers together. "Before Miss Ueno takes you to receive your gear, I'll need you to sign the review and sign the contract."

Natsumi nodded again and took the pages that he held out. "Yes, sir."

_Let's see... confidentiality clauses... violation punishments... duty to the Leaf over family._ She paused and swallowed. _I'm not sure I could do that, but... if it's to help Naruto..._

Her eyes scanned the page and she turned her attention to the next.

_Ah, here it is... duties and divisions... seven divisions total- Falcon, Owl, Bear, Cat, Frog, Wolf, Dragon... The Falcons hunt and eliminate Rogue Ninja. Owls gather intelligence. Bears are investigators and protectors. The Cat division is for..._

Her eyes widened slightly. _A-Assassinations?! So, the rumors I heard are true..._ She glanced up at the Hokage, who was watching her carefully, and lowered her eyes back to the page. _I really hope that he hasn't assigned me to that division..._

_The Frog division..._ She continued reading. _They're Medical Ninja. That must be Sena's division. And the Wolves... _She swallowed again. _T-Torture and Interrogation?! _She glanced to her side at Kiri's mask. _That's definitely a Wolf's face... I never would have thought that someone as friendly as her would be doing something like that._

_And... the Dragons._ Natsumi let out a breath slowly. _Ambassadors, leaders, and elite Shinobi. I'm definitely not leadership material, so that won't be for me..._

She turned to the next page with her heart pounding in her chest. _I'm being assigned to the..._ She exhaled in relief. _Owl Division. That's good news. I don't think I could kill anyone..._

_And, the rest of this... is self-explanatory._

Natsumi sighed and shuffled the papers, reaching for a pen set out for her and held it above the signature line, biting her lip.

_Do I really want to do this? I can't back out... _She pressed the tip of the pen to the paper and closed her eyes and she signed, opening them again when she was finished. _I... don't feel as excited as I thought I would be after that._

She handed the papers to the Hokage, who looked them over with a nod.

"Everything seems to be in order..." He muttered to himself. "Miss Ueno...?"

Kiri stepped forward silently.

"You make take her to Equipment Department now."

She nodded and brushed her fingers against Natsumi's shoulder. "Come on, then."

Natsumi stood slowly.

"Natsumi."

She turned and looked at the old man, whose expression was serious and unreadable. "Yes, sir?"

"As you may already be aware, this path you have chosen will require many sacrifices. Sacrifices that you may not even be able to comprehend or imagine at this point in time."

Natsumi bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, sir." She answered quietly.

"I have no doubt that you will be a great Kunoichi someday, but remember to keep your motivation close to your heart during your duties. Your work will be dangerous at times and often push you to your limits. If you lose sight of your purpose in this line of work, it will change you."

Natsumi's eyes fell to the floor. "I... I understand."

The Hokage nodded at Kiri, who grasped Natsumi's shoulder, forming a hand sign. The two of them reappeared inside of a dimly lit room with a barred window along one wall and a thick, metal door beside it.

"Are you nervous?" Kiri whispered and watched her from behind her mask. "It's fine to be nervous. I nearly wet myself when I first joined. On my first mission, I was terrified. Those emotions just prove that you're human."

"Really?" Natsumi looked up at the familiar pair of dark eyes. _But Kiri always seems so sure of herself._

"Before the month is up, you'll be accustomed to all of this. You'll settle into the routine quickly." She nodded and gently nudged Natsumi over to the window, rapping her knuckles softly on the metal and echoing in the stillness. From the room behind the window, a male ANBU member emerged from a door nestled in the corner and looked between the two.

"Team Yoru's new member?" He asked gruffly and Kiri nodded. He grunted and returned to the room behind for a moment, returning quickly with a box and setting it down on the metal counter and slid it through the opening in the grates. "Good luck." He muttered under his breath before disappearing again. "The captain's a bitch."

Kiri chuckled and put a hand on her hip. "Don't I know it."

Natsumi stared down at the contents of the box and her heart skipped a beat.

_This is really happening._

Kiri nudged Natsumi's shoulder gently. "Go on. Gear up."

She nodded and slowly began to undress and slip on the tight, black uniform, and then held out the chest plating in front of her.

"Need a hand?" Kiri shifted the mask to rest on top of her head and smiled faintly.

"Y-Yeah."

Kiri adjusted the straps for the proper fit and attached the Ninjato sword to her back, then stepped back to looked Natsumi over.

"Perfect. Now, try the mask."

She obediently reached for the ceramic Owl's face and slowly pressed it to her face securely. She blinked to adjust to the limited vision of the rounded eye slots and turned to Kiri, who grinned.

"There you go. It suits you nicely."

Natsumi touched the cool mask gingerly. _It's really official, now._

Kiri rapped her knuckles on the metal door and it opened from the other side. The man from before looked her over and nodded, allowing them through.

"Come on, kid, let me show you the lockers." She held the box, now containing Natsumi's original clothes and belongings and led her through the door on the back wall, down a long hall and past various doors.

"Most of these rooms you'll never have to worry about. Storage, inventory, stuff like that." She explained and turned a corner, descending a flight of stairs and leading Natsumi to an open doorway on the far right of the hall. "Here's the lockers."

She stepped inside and Natsumi followed her in and looked around. The room was very large, simple, and full of tall rows of wooden lockers, each labeled with a name. Several benches were positioned in the center of the locker section, with identical sections filling the room. Kiri thumbed toward a locker with a smile.

"This one's mine." She smiled and pointed at the one to its right. "And this one is yours. You got lucky and yours is between mine and Sena's."

Natsumi approached the locked and removed her mask as she read the label.

"Mina? Who's that?"

"Oh, right." Kiri chuckled. "We all have codenames. Some of us never even find out the true names of our squadmates."

"So, I'm Mina?"

Kiri nodded. "Yup. Anytime you're on duty, you're Mina."

Natsumi eyed Kiri's label. "And you're Ikuya?"

The woman nodded. "And Sena is Chie."

_Mina... Ikuya... Chie..._

"Believe me, you get used to it." She shrugged and opened Natsumi's locker, placing her belongings inside. "The guy who got your gear is called Sho. He's not much of a talker, but he's fun to hang out with in private." She winked and Natsumi rolled her eyes. "It was after a _really_ stressful mission."

"I'm sure." Natsumi rolled her eyes again and close the locker, leaning against it. "Ki— Uh... Ikuya?"

She smiled and tousled her hair. "You can call me Kiri in private if you want. I'm not going to nit-pick you for it."

"What's so bad about the Captain?" Natsumi asked quickly. "Who is she?"

"My adoptive sister." Kiri crossed her arms and groaned. "She's rough, strict, sadistic, ruthless, and absolutely lethal. And those are her good qualities."

_Her sister's the Captain?_

Kiri shook her head. "I'll try to supervise to make sure she goes easy on you because you're young, but she's demanding and Sena wasn't kidding about her hazing newbies. She's brutal, but she gets it from our parents." She muttered. "But at least our parents could separate their work personalities from their home personalities. Yuuri's never been able to do that, so she's always a bi—"

"Better watch your mouth, or the Captain'll hear you." A man laughed and entered the locker room, followed by three more, progressively larger and more intimidating men. The first one winked in the woman's direction and then turned to Natsumi. "Ah, the new girl. Mina, right?"

Natsumi opened her mouth to correct him but remembered. "Y-Yes. That's right."

"Don't sweat the new name, newbie. Give it a few days and you'll be used to it."

He approached her and shook her hand. "Call me Kuma." He motioned behind him. "And here are Tarou, Tom, and Roshi."

The largest of the men filled the doorway completely and had to duck his head down to step into the room.

_T-That's a big guy!_

Kuma laughed and followed her gaze. "Don't be intimidated by Tarou. Sure, he's big, but he's a pushover. Find him a stray animal and he turns to mush."

_That's hard to believe._ Tarou raised a hand and grunted in greeting. The other two were obviously his siblings because they look almost identical with the exception of their tiered stature and their eyes- Tarou with brown, Tom with blue, and Roshi with green. Even the smallest of the trio still stood taller than even Kiri, who dwarfed most women. _They must have some really incredible genes._

"What division's she got?" Kuma opened his locker and began to undress. Natsumi's face flushed and she turned quickly around.

_I'll have to get dressed... around men?!_

"Owl." Kiri leaned against her own locker as Kuma tore off his shirt and slipped his uniform on.

Natsumi averted her eyes and her cheeks flushed hotter. _I wish she had warned me! I thought this was an all-girls' locker room!_

"Huh." Kuma looked her over and chuckled, turning away as he slid off his pants and changed. "I was going to guess Frog. Is she any good?"

"Any good?" Kiri laughed. "Just this morning, I had the Hokage tell me that she'd been sneaking into his office for _months_, pulling pranks on him _and _managing to read some Forbidden scrolls without ever being caught once."

Kuma coughed and stared at her in surprise. "W-What? You did that?"

Natsumi covered her eyes as she nodded.

"Damn, newbie. You've got balls." He laughed. "Yo, Roshi, didja hear that? This girl's broken into the Hokage's office on the regular without being caught."

"Hmph." The second- biggest man nodded. "Impressive."

"Except that I screwed up and accidentally told him about it." Natsumi muttered.

"Hey, no worries." Kiri patted her head. "You panicked; it's normal."

"She'd better not squeal like that to an enemy."

An icy, almost hissing voice accompanied by a hot breath on her neck caused Natsumi to jump.

This man was already in his full uniform and masked— another wolf. She gulped and her breath caught in her throat. _I never even heard him come in!_

Kiri shoved his shoulder and distanced him from the girl. "Back off, Jiro. Go bother someone else."

He chuckled low and looked between the females, but turned and walked away. Kiri sighed.

"That's Jiro. He's clearly got issues, but no one's been able to pinpoint them. He's damn good at what he does, though, and scary as anything. He'd probably kill his own mom for a pack of cigarettes, so don't put too much trust in him. And you _don't _want to owe him any favors, either."

"K-Kiri." Natsumi whispered.

"Hm?" She knelt down. "What's wrong?"

"Do... we all have to change together like this?" Natsumi slowly uncovered her face, looking around to be sure everyone was dressed.

"_Oh, _that." She shrugged and then squatted down to meet her eyes. "Honestly, you'll get used to it. But if it makes you that uncomfortable, I can always block you when you change."

Natsumi exhaled. "You're the best."

Kiri smiled and patted her head, lowering her voice further. "Listen, if you start to feel overwhelmed, just let me know. Normally we don't recruit anyone this young, and it can be really rough for kids. Let me know if it starts to get to you, alright? Between the co-ed changing, the missions' intensity, secrecy, and everything... you know you can tell me anything, alright? I'm here for you."

Natsumi bit her lip, nodding slowly and she hugged her. "Thanks." She whispered and pulled away quickly, blushing as she noticed the guys staring.

"Don't mind them either. Besides Jiro, we've got a good team set up. Everyone here will have your back, bleeding for you if need be. They might seem intimidating, but I promise they're good guys when you get to know them." Kiri smiled and held up her hand to her mouth. "And they've all got a weakness for kids, so they'll probably spoil you a bit."

She lowered her hand again and rested it on her knee. Natsumi giggled faintly.

"There we go. That's better."

"Hey, guys!"

_Sena!_ Natsumi grinned and hugged her tightly as she came near.

"Hi!" She returned the hug and pulled away slightly. "I knew you were coming, but I'm still so excited!" She giggled. "Look at you, all suited up. You look so adorable."

Her cheeks warmed as she continued to smile, and Sena began to change. "How many more people are left for me to meet?"

"Besides the two that no one likes... Just Aia and Ne, our two other Frogs." Kiri stood and reached out to ruffle Sena's short hair. "Though, neither are as adorable or lovable as this one."

Sena swatted her hand away. "Forget Wolf; you're more of a fly sometimes, bugging me." She smirked faintly and dressed quickly and with ease.

Natsumi glanced around at the other members as they talked to each other and studied their masks.

_So... Jiro and Kiri are Wolves... Roshi and Tarou are Bears... and Kuma and Tom are cats._

Two women walked in, yawning.

"Morning, everyone. Newbie here, yet?" The brown haired one rubbed her eyes.

The other, the black-haired one, noticed Natsumi right away, nudged her friend, and pointed. "Aw, it's just a kid." She smiled and bent to Natsumi's level and wave. "You're adorable! I'm Aia."

"Shhh... don't be so loud." The brunette muttered and opened her locker, holding a hand up in a lousy attempt of a wave. "Name's Ne."

"Hi." Natsumi waved back. _A-Adorable? I'm adorable?_

"Don't mind Ne, she's still a little hungover from last night. Birthday shots, you know?" She winked at Kiri, who winked back.

"Happy birthday, Ne!" She shouted teasingly.

Ne held up a middle finger and covered one of her ears as Kiri laughed.

"Aw, don't be like that."

Quick, sharp footsteps echoed down the hall and everyone quieted and looked expectantly at the doorway. A woman with long, black hair pulled half up in a bun and stern rust colored eyes stepped into view and put her hands on her hips.

"Not ready yet?" She barked and looked around. "And where's Cessa?"

Natsumi flinched and remained quiet. _Now I know what Kiri meant... she's pretty scary._

"Chill out, old lady; I'm here." A teenage boy filed in behind her with a smirk. "Don't get your panties in a knot."

_Y-Yuuta?_ Natsumi gulped and felt herself blush. _He's on our team, too?_

Ayeka sneered and grabbed the collar of Yuuta's shirt and shoved him against the wall. "You're _late."_

He grunted and scowled at her, and their expressions were identical. "I'm here before we started, aren't I?"

"Hmph." Kiri shook her head, muttering so quietly that only Natsumi could hear. "My nephew finally arrives..."

"You're going to refer to me as _Captain_ and show me the proper respect, or I'm going to let Jiro teach you some manners. Do you understand?"

He scoffed and she lifted him higher and the room went dead silent.

"Fine." He muttered and she released him. He rubbed his neck and glared at her, muttering under his breath. _"Bitch."_

Ayeka drew slapped his cheek hard with the back of her hand and his eyes widened slightly as she spoke coldly. "You're too weak and sloppy to even be considering speaking to me that way, _boy._ If you weren't my son, I'd have had you thrown out years ago, as pathetic and useless as you are." She shook her head and crossed her arms. "Now, go get geared up."

"She's scary." Natsumi murmured to Kiri, who nodded slowly.

"She Captains the same as our father did, and Yuuta is exactly how she was at that age." She murmured back and watched her nephew glare at his mother and stride to his locker, open it angrily, and begin to change. "Not a good combination."

The Captain turned her attention to Natsumi and narrowed her eyes, stepping towards her.

"The new girl..."

Natsumi gulped and forced a small smile. "Y-Yes?"

She stared at Natsumi and scoffed. "Wipe that smile off your face, little girl. You're here to follow my orders and carry out missions, not make friendship bracelets and have fun."

Natsumi's smile vanished immediately.

"Furthermore, you're to address me as 'Captain' or 'Captain Ayeka' at all times while on-duty, and off-duty, I don't want you to address me as anything at all because we will have minimal contact outside of these walls or on the field."

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Natsumi blinked quickly and corrected herself. "Uh... Captain."

"Hmph." Ayeka looked her up and down again, scowling and lowering her tone. "You should be aware that I was _not_ one of the members who wrote recommendation letters. In fact, I urged Lord Third to reconsider his pick because having the twin of _that boy_ in such a role is disgusting to think about. I will have my eye on you at all times."

Natsumi struggled to keep her expression blank but tightened her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white. She relaxed slightly as Kiri placed a hand on her shoulder and replied in a low voice.

"I would watch how you speak to members of your own team, especially the candidate that the Hokage favors so much." Kiri narrowed her eyes and looked down at her older sister. "And I don't think I need to remind you that it is forbidden to discuss _that topic_ around anyone."

Ayeka glared and her attention focused on her sibling as everyone quietly stared between the two of them, not moving a muscle.

"Be careful, _Ikuya,"_ The Captain muttered. "Remember, the last person you got so attached to is dead now."

Kiri's hand inadvertently tightened on Natsumi's shoulder.

"You know as well as I do that those circumstances were unique, and if you'd like to have that conversation again, how about we do it at home and keep things professional here?"

The two women glared unblinkingly for several moments before the Captain turned away. "The next time you speak out against me, there will be consequences."

Kiri relaxed her hand and she ruffled Natsumi's hair. "Sorry about that." She muttered. "She really gets on my nerves."

Natsumi nodded and pressed her lips together. _I agree with everything they've said about her. She's awful and I already hate her._

The Captain moved to the front of the room and put her hands on her hips.

"Listen up! We've got new blood on our team, so you know what that means!" She smirked as she glanced at Natsumi. "We welcome her, of course."

There was no response from the team, but Kuma met Natsumi's eyes and one corner of his mouth curved in a faint, reassuring smile.

"So, as usual, Fresh Blood for New Blood."

Kiri clasped Natsumi's shoulder and Sena shifted her stance so her hand could brush hers.

"She's just a kid!" Kiri protested. "That's going way too far!"

"C-Captain..." Kuma held out his hands as he spoke slowly. "Isn't there something a little easier we could do?"

"_Fresh Blood for New Blood."_ She repeated icily and her eyes fell on Natsumi. "Everyone meet in the Pit in three minutes. We've got a newbie to welcome."

She smirked and turned, striding out of the room and they listened until her footsteps were long faded. The heavy feeling in the air dissipated and Natsumi let out the breath she'd been holding in and looked between Kiri and Sena.

"W-What does that mean?"

Sena's face was pale and she shook her head slowly. "I swear, she's getting more insane every year."

"Damn it." Kuma sighed deeply and met Natsumi's eyes. "Alright, so we're in agreement here..."

"Pull our punches?" Jiro hissed in laughter and sat on top of the lockers. "I don't think so; There's no fun in that."

He looked down at Natsumi, who shivered and averted her eyes.

Kuma scowled at him. "Figures." He looked around. "Everyone else?"

They nodded collectively.

"Good." Kuma sighed again and shook his head. "Sorry about this, kid."

"I-I don't understand. What's she talking about?" Natsumi clenched her hands to keep them from trembling.

"Fresh Blood for New Blood is a tradition for hazing started by my grandfather," Yuuta smirked and approached Natsumi, looking her over and caressing her cheek. "My red-haired princess."

Kiri swatted his hand away from the girl. "I don't think so, playboy."

He shrugged, ignoring her, and continued. "It's where all the current members of the team individually fight the newest, swapping out once the senior members draw the blood of the newbie, repeating until the newbie can draw blood from one of them."

Natsumi's eyes widened. _No way! T-That's... That's not fair! I can't fight any of them! I'll be killed!_

"There are rules, of course. No fatal blows, no stabbing or puncturing, no targeting arteries...you get the picture." He chuckled and crossed his arms. "Usually it's fun, but, since it's you..." He winked. "I'm siding with Kuma this time."

Kuma rolled his eyes. "Hop _off_, little bunny."

Yuuta flashed a smirk and his middle finger. "Make me."

He turned back to Natsumi and motioned to the doorway with a look. "Come on. I'll show you to the Pit."

Kiri stepped in front of him, bumping into him and pushing him away with her hip as she chuckled. "Oops. Clumsy me." She laughed again as Yuuta scowled. "Hands off, little bunny."

"To be continued, my princess." He winked and stepped out of the room.

"Alright, ground rules." Kiri held up a finger and looked at Natsumi. "Stay away from him. He can act sweet and charming but you do _not_ want to fall for his stupid charms as much as you do _not_ want to go against Jiro in a fight. Got it?"

Natsumi nodded. _He's really cute... but, she's his family so she's probably right._ She looked toward the doorway and bit her lip. _Still, being called a cute nickname like that... it's nice._

"Come on..." Sena wrapped her arm around Natsumi's shoulders as the team filed out of the room. "We definitely don't want to keep her waiting."

Natsumi looked at her and noticed her lip quivering. "Sena?" She whispered. "Are you okay?"

Kiri leaned down as they walked with a frown. "She's got a lot of bad memories from her hazing. She went up against Jiro first round."

Natsumi gulped and shuddered.

_Alright, I'm really starting to regret this decision now._


	15. Chapter 13: New Blood

The pit was a large, cavernous room with overhead lights hung from its massive vaulted ceiling. The walls were metal and stone— reinforced with one another for maximum strength. A thin layer of dirt had been spread over the floor to soften the impact and the room was full of the pungent aroma of sweat and blood.

The team descended the long flight of stairs down to the pit where Ayeka and Yuuta were already waiting. Natsumi shuddered, feeling an icy gaze boring into her, and she glanced over her shoulder and saw Jiro eyeing her from beneath his mask like a predator about to pounce.

"We do a lot of training here." Kiri explained quietly to ease the tension. "This place is ideal for practicing swordsmanship." She motioned to the Ninjato on Natsumi's back. "You'll be mastering it in no time and it will be an extension of your arm."

"If..." Natsumi swallowed and kept her voice low. "If I'm supposed to just be gathering information and doing reconnaissance, then why do I need a sword?"

Kiri blinked and then bit her lip, answering slowly. "Sweetie... you do understand that not every mission will be an in-and-out, right? There will be ambushes, traps, guards... situations you will have to fight your way out of. These won't be the same types of mission normal Genin your age will do... the people we go up against... they're lethal and they won't hesitate to kill you because you're young. In those cases, you'll fight to the death."

Natsumi's eyes widened and Sena shot Kiri a look.

"Hey!" She hissed. "You could have at least phrased that a little better!"

"Sorry..." Kiri sighed.

_I'll... have to kill people?_ She swallowed. _I guess... if it's really a life-or-death situation, I'll have no choice... but I'd rather just do my best not to get caught at all and have anyone get hurt._

The stepped off the final step and Natsumi blinked as a chill settled in her bones.

_Right... I almost forgot about... this. _She looked around and gently tapped her feet on the floor. _This floor is too solid... I won't be able to go underground here. That's my best move... If I can't do that... I'm definitely going to die._

_Quick, Natsumi, think! What else can I do?_ She bit her lip as the team assembled along the wall and Ayeka kept her hawklike gaze on Natsumi. _I've got my clones, the substitution Jutsu, transformation, body flicker... but without my underground maneuver, there's no way I can beat any of them with just that!_

"Team Yoru," Ayeka put her hands on her hips with a smirk. "We've got New Blood with us. It's time to see if she can really earn our place with us."

She paced slowly with her hands clasped behind her back. "This is a tradition passed down by our predecessors and the founders of Team Yoru. Blood of Senior members and New Bloods alike will mix on this very ground until we become one blood, one team, one family."

The Captain stopped her pacing and scanned her subordinates. "Masks on, Team Yoru."

Kiri sighed softly and reluctantly turned her mask from where it rested on the side of her head to cover her face and the others followed suit. Natsumi reached to turn her own mask when Ayeka suddenly appeared in front of her and gripped her wrist tightly.

"Not you, New Blood." She lifted Natsumi's mask off and held it out of reach, releasing her arm. "This mask is something you've got to earn. You have to prove that you're more than just a snotty redhead girl; you have to show us that you _are _Mina. Until then..."

She tossed Natsumi mask over her shoulder and it landed in the corner, creating a small puff of dust.

"Step into the pit, New Blood."

Natsumi took a deep breath and stepped slowly forward.

_Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip. Remember to breathe. Don't panic. Don't panic. You'll think of something._

She stopped in the center and let out a slow breath. _I'm probably going to die right here._

Ayeka crossed her arms. "Now, who's going first?"

Jiro smirked behind his mask but Kiri shoved him back and met his eyes.

"Don't you even think about touching her first." She hissed under her breath.

He chuckled. "My, my. So defensive."

Kiri closed her eyes briefly and stepped into the center and met Natsumi's eyes.

"You trust me, right?" She whispered almost inaudibly.

Natsumi nodded slowly and hovered her hand over her kunai sheath in preparation. _I'm glad it's Kiri that's the first..._

"Now, remember Team Yoru..." Ayeka stepped aside and tapped the crimson tattoo on her arm. "Left shoulder is off-limits." She looked between Kiri and Natsumi, furrowing her brows. "Begin!"

Natsumi quickly reached into the sheath to retrieve a Kunai and gasped. Kiri was already behind her and a small line of red appeared on her right forearm.

Her eyes widened and, the longer she stared at the cut, the more she was able to feel it. Tiny beads of red gathered and rolled down her arm and into the dirt.

Kiri straightened and turned to meet the girl's eyes and held up her own Kunai, whispering. "Sorry, kid."

_T-That fast?!_ Natsumi's hand flew to cover the cut. _I didn't even see her move! Or have time to get my kunai!_

Kiri returned to the side and Sena slowly patted her arm.

_Right... she went easy on me._ Natsumi blinked and tightened her grip around her Kunai. _I have to be ready next time._

This time, it was Kuma who cut off Jiro and stepped forward, drawing his sword. Natsumi instinctively took a step back and stopped herself.

_My Kunai won't be able to beat that sword in terms of distance. _Her hand trembled and she gently dropped the Kunai to the ground and reached up to grip her sword, unsheathing it. _I don't know how to use it, but if he's going to go easy on me, I can at least try to figure it out as I go._

She held the blade out in front of her with both hands and copied his stance and met his eyes. He winked so that the Captain couldn't see and lunged forward, obviously and intentionally slowly.

Natsumi dodged and moved her sword to block his. _He's putting almost no strength behind it..._ She shoved back and he chuckled softly.

"Good." He lunged again, faster this time and she blocked again, struggling against the force. "You're not doing half bad."

He lunged again and again, gradually adding greater force to each strike.

"Stop playing with her!" Ayeka snapped and glared.

"But, what else is a cat to do?" He shrugged, turning to look at the Captain over his shoulder. "I thought this was supposed to be fun?"

"Hmph." She crossed her arms and fell silent and hardened her stare.

Kuma returned his attention to Natsumi and winked again, leaning in to nudge the tip of the sword at her. "You're having fun, right?"

She pressed her lips together and gripped the sword more tightly, lunging quickly. He parried easily and she staggered forward, nearly losing her balance.

"Stance's too rigid. Loosen up a bit."

"What are you doing? This isn't a lesson." Ayeka snarled.

"She's got no skill with a sword and watching her is just embarrassing. There's no honor in beating someone completely incompetent."

_Incompetent? _Natsumi narrowed her eyes. _Maybe that's true, but he doesn't have to say it like that!_

Natsumi lunged again and almost fell to her knees as he stepped to the side.

"Stop overextending yourself. The Ninjato should be a part of you."

_That's easy for you to say!_

He brought the Ninjato down in an arc and she held up her own to block, wavering under its strength. She moved a had to support the back of the blade, taking a step back and lowering her stance.

_H-He's too strong! Even without trying hard at all!_

She grunted and struggled to hold the Ninjato steady. With a twist of his wrist, he slid his blade down the length of hers, drew it back, and then slashed at her belly.

_Crap!_

She turned and try to knock his sword away, losing grip of her own and it clattered to the floor. The tip of his blade grazed the back of her hand.

Another red line formed on her skin and he immediately drew his sword back.

"Not too shabby." He patted her shoulder. "We'll start lessons as soon as possible."

Sheathing the Ninjato, he returned to the side of the room. Natsumi exhaled slowly and before she could return her own sword to its sheath, a cold, invisible blade pressed itself to her throat and she froze.

"My turn now..." Jiro whispered in her ear from behind and a shudder ran through her.

_H-He's invisible?! How am I supposed to fight him like that?_ She swallowed and stayed rooted in place as his breaths caressed her neck.

"You're trembling... good. Fear makes the most marvelous perfume."

Slowly, slowly, he moved the Kunai from her neck, keeping it just close enough to her skin to feel as he brought it up to run over her lips and slide across her cheek, applying light pressure.

Stinging spread through her cheek and she felt blood bead and roll down her cheek.

"Over already... what a shame..." He chuckled in her ear and vanished.

Natsumi covered her cheek, flinched, and pulled her hand back to examine the blood there. _I don't want to be on the same team as him... he's terrifying..._

"Stop whimpering!" Ayeka snapped. "You're an embarrassment and you have absolutely no right to be here. You're weak, pathetic, and timid. You belong on a playground, not in the ANBU."

The Captain stepped forward and glared and lowered her voice. "You and your brother both are abominations. I don't care if you have the Hokage's favor or recommendation... If it were up to me, you two would have been left in the woods as infants to save everyone the trouble of dealing with you."

Heat spread through Natsumi's face and she blinked. _What did she say?!_ She clenched her fists and rage blossomed in her chest.

"Take that back... or else." She muttered at glared at her superior.

"_What_ did you just say, New Blood?"

Natsumi formed a hand sign and her expression darkened. "If you talk that way about my brother... you're going to regret it."

_Mutli-Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

Fifty clones appeared around the Pit and Ayeka's eyes widened slightly. _"What?! How can she—? She shouldn't know this technique, much less be able to create so many!"_

The Captain's eyes narrowed. "Are you challenging me?"

"No." Natsumi's tone went icy and the clones spoke simultaneously. "That implies that it will be a fair fight."

The clones gripped their Ninjato tightly and rushed at Ayeka, who Flickered skillfully and dodged and struck several clones, dispelling them.

"You're slow and sloppy." Ayeka scoffed and drew her own sword. "Even a hundred clones would be useless."

The clones lunged and attacked as Ayeka defended and blocked. Natsumi stood protected by two clones as Ayeka made her way to her.

_Let's try... that Jutsu._ She closed her eyes to channel her Chakra and concentrate. _Even though I've never been able to do it successfully before, it's worth a try._

Kicking off the ground, Natsumi leapt onto the wall and touched it, moving around the room quickly and narrowed her eyes at the Captain as she studied her movements. She held herself carefully in place on the ceiling in a crouch, sheathed her Ninjato, and observed her clones nearly striking the woman as she moved impossibly fast and already dispelled all but a handful of clones.

_If she's that fast... then I'll have to be faster!_

"Now!" She yelled and one clone feinted, prompting an empty parry and the clone grabbed Ayeka's wrist with a smirk.

_I got her!_

Natsumi dispelled the clones and Ayeka caught her breath quickly and looked up.

"You're stupid if you think that you can beat me without numbers. Just admit that you're weak already."

Natsumi closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, drawing a Kunai knife and focusing her Chakra.

_I'm not weak!_

She exhaled and vanished, reappearing behind Ayeka and slashing at her quickly.

Ayeka's eyes widened and she quickly drew back, blinked and turned quickly to see the girl behind her. _"W-What?! Teleportation? But that's..."_

"Where did you learn that technique?" She snapped. "Tell me!"

Natsumi smirked faintly and glanced at the Captain.

"You're bleeding."

_"_What?!"

Ayeka touched her cheek and discovered an identical line on her cheek as Natsumi and scowled. _"I was sure that I dodged! Unless... she used a basic wind skill to increase the range of the blade."_

"You little—" She hissed and raised her sword, bringing it down only to have it blocked by Kiri's as she smirked.

"She won. This match is over."

"T-That's impossible." The Captain shoved away from her sister and stared down at her wrist, where a glowing blue symbol was visible for a moment before it faded away, and her face twisted in anger. "Where did you learn that technique?"

Natsumi laughed quietly under her breath and her legs wobbled beneath her. _I used too much Chakra... but... I won._

Kiri's eyes widened and she caught Natsumi as she collapsed to the ground. "Hey! Hey! Are you alright?"

Sena rushed over and touched her forehead, closing her eyes briefly. "Chakra exhaustion. Really bad case. Let's get her to the Infirmary quickly."


	16. Chapter 14: Legacy

Natsumi's eyes fluttered open and she moaned in pain.

"You're awake!" Sena sat beside the bed and beamed down at the girl.

"Is that a bad thing?"

Natsumi laughed under her breath and attempted to sit up. She rubbed her face and stared at the IV in her wrist, her face twisting in confusion.

_What the...? _Her expression softened and she relaxed and gingerly rested her arm on her lap. _I remember now._

"No, it's definitely a very good thing!" Sena gently hugged her and sat back down. "I'm just surprised that you're up already. What do you remember?"

"Everything." Natsumi prodded the area around the IV with a frown. "Can this come out now? It really hurts."

Sena studied the monitors for a moment and then nodded. "Y-Yeah... of course." She pressed her lips together in thought as she carefully removed the IV and pressed a square of gauze on the area to prevent bleeding.

"Is everything okay?" Natsumi studied her expression carefully and Sena quickly waved her hand and laughed.

"Oh, everything's fine! Actually... a little too fine. I can't explain it." She placed Natsumi's finger on the gauze to apply pressure and set the IV aside and shut off the monitors, removing the sensors from Natsumi.

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing to be worried about, really." She sat back in the chair and crossed her legs after a moment, her eyes falling on Natsumi's arm.

Natsumi followed her gaze and her eyes widened in surprise. _The cuts from before! They're gone!_ She ran her fingers over the area. _Without leaving any mark, either._

"You're a great healer, Sena. There's not even a scar."

Sena blinked and then let out a sigh. "Thank you, but I can't claim that. It's so strange... after we got you settled in and hooked up to the monitors, we worked to restore your Chakra so a safer level. By the time I got around to attending to the cuts, they were already healed. I've never seen anything like it."

"W-What?" Natsumi stared down at her arm again and felt her cheek. "They healed on their own?"

Sena nodded and crossed her arms. "Of course, I'm glad that you're alright, but I'm just so perplexed by it. I have heard of some people who have extraordinary healing abilities, but I've never known anyone who had met someone with the ability before."

Natsumi flexed her fingers slowly. _I have a special ability? But... I've never noticed anything strange before._

"How has your healing been before? Is this typical for you?"

Natsumi shook her head and opened her mouth, stopping herself. _Actually..._

"One time, a few years ago, I took a pretty serious fall while training and I was sure that I had broken my arms when I tried to catch myself..." She bit her lip. "I was convinced they were broken, but by the time I reached the hospital and they did an X-ray... there was no fracture at all. The doctor said that it was only a case of bad bruising and some muscle tearing. She said I was lucky."

Sena nodded as she listened, muttering to herself. "I've got to get access to those scans... I'm sure it was the same thing that happened back then."

"How could I heal so quickly, though?"

"Like I said, there are stories of a clan with an extraordinary healing ability. No one I've talked to seems to know who they were, but you could be a descendant of them. Do you know anything about your parents?"

_Natsumi shook her head and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. Maybe we are descended from that clan. But we don't even know who are parents are. There's no way I can find out for sure without having even their names..._

"Sorry," Sena whispered softly and Natsumi turned to meet her eyes. "I don't know who my parents are, either."

"Really?" Natsumi leaned closer to her. "S-Sorry, that came out wrong. What happened to them?"

Sena shrugged. "I'm not sure, entirely. I was found in a nearby mountain pass after a terrible rockslide. I was half-dead, and my parents' bodies were so crushed that they were unidentifiable. When I woke up, it was in the hospital here in Konoha nearly a month later and I had no memories whatsoever. I couldn't even recall my own name, so the Hokage named me after I had finished recovering."

Natsumi bit her lip and stared downward. "That's awful. I'm sorry."

Sena shook her head slowly. "It's alright. Without my memory, I'm actually able to be at peace about it. It's better than living in a state of constant grief, at least."

_So that's why... I always thought there was something about her smile..._

The door burst open and Kiri rushed inside.

"I heard talking! Is she awake?!" She stopped and grinned at Natsumi, hugging her tightly. "You had me so worried!"

Natsumi laughed and Kiri sat on the side of the bed, grinning ear-to-ear. "Natsumi, that was incredible! I've never seen anyone piss Yuuri off that much before! You were amazing!"

Natsumi gulped and felt the color leave her face. "She's... mad?"

_Crap. I'm dead. I just made my new Captain mad!_

Kiri laughed. "Oh, she's absolutely _fuming!_ It's hilarious!"

Natsumi gulped again. _She's probably forming a plan to get revenge right now. She'll make shoes out of my skin._

"She's locked herself in her office and hasn't come out since the match. I've never seen her so humiliated. You did a great job!"

She slapped Natsumi's back and Natsumi laughed softly. "T-Thanks..."

Kiri studied her face and held up her hands. "Hey, don't sweat it. She's mostly pissed because you beat her by following all of her rules, and that's what bothers her the most. Until now, she's been untouchable." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "_So... _where did you learn that technique from?"

Natsumi laughed and scratched her cheek. "Oh... um..." She coughed awkwardly. "Well... you see... one of the times I had snuck into the off-limits area, I found this old storeroom of scrolls. None of them seemed to have anything interesting on them, but I found one scroll that had rolled underneath of a shelf. When I looked at it... I saw that it had been written by Lord Fourth."

"_And?"_ Kiri brought her face closer and smirked. "You took it, didn't you?"

Natsumi blushed and averted her eyes. "W-Well... It's not as if anyone really cared much about it... it had been collecting dust a long time." She dared look at Kiri again, who was still smirking smugly. "A-And really, what's the purpose of writing down a Jutsu only to have it forgotten?"

Kiri chuckled and patted her head. "I'm not going to report you or anything, so don't worry."

"Are you a big fan of Lord Fourth?" Sena smiled faintly and Natsumi nodded quickly.

"Of course! Everyone always talks about how great he was, even after he's been gone all this time. He was a hero and was so courageous and strong that he saved everyone. I've always wanted to have that kind of strength." Natsumi grinned and her eyes were bright. "Being Hokage is Naruto's dream, but I want to someday have the Fourth Hokage's skill and have everyone love and respect me as much as they did him. I'll use that strength to look after Naruto and help him achieve his dream, and make everyone acknowledge him, too."

The two shared an expression and smiled, and Natsumi's cheeks warmed.

"B-But that probably sounds like a silly goal."

"No, it's actually wonderful." Sena touched her shoulder.

"That's the first time we've seen you get really worked up over something before." Kiri nodded. "It's adorable."

_Adorable... there's that word again._ She crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. "Thanks..."

A knock at the door made her look up and their teammates filled the doorway.

"Knock, knock." Kuma chuckled and stepped inside and met Natsumi's eyes. "Oh, Mina, you're awake already."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" She looked at Sena.

"W-Well..." Sena smiled. "With your level of Chakra exhaustion, I expected you to be out for at least a few days while your body recovered, however, you've recovered in only a few hours. I still highly recommend taking it very easy and waiting until tomorrow to begin your training, but your recovery is incredible."

"I'll say." Kuma approached the bed and the other members filed inside, though missing Yuuta and Jiro— much to Natsumi's relief.

"Mina, that was amazing!" Aia held Natsumi's hand her between hers. "I've never seen anything like that before!"

"I can't believe you got the Captain like that." Kuma nodded in agreement and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "You've definitely more than proven that you're one of us. You'll have to show us how that move is done some time."

"Yes!" Aia agreed with a nod. "It was great!"

"Oh no, she won't." Sena shook her head. "The toll it took on her body proves that it's too advanced of a technique for her at this time." She looked at Natsumi. "It's fine to build up to it, but if you push yourself too much, you'll be risking your life. Promise me that you'll wait to try again."

Natsumi nodded. "I promise." _I still feel sore and drained... there's no way I could muster that Jutsu up a second time._

"Good. Depleting your Chakra to such low levels can be deadly, so you need to be more careful next time." Sena held up a finger and her mouth twitched in a smirk. "Although, I won't scold you for doing it now, because it was great to see Ayeka get so flustered like that."

Kuma laughed. "It was fuckin' great, that's what you mean. To see her finally put in her place..." He shot Natsumi a grin. "Now if only you could knock Cessa down a peg like that. He pisses everyone off."

_Cessa?_ She bit her lip. _Oh, that's right. It's Yuuta's codename._

"Is she good enough to walk?" Kuma looked at Sena and tapped his left shoulder. "It's time she met Noboru."

Sena looked Natsumi over. "I think so. You might be a little unsteady, but I can always help support you as we walk."

"Walk?" Natsumi looked around at the group. "Where are we going?"

Ne chuckled and tapped her own shoulder, turning so Natsumi could see the tattoo there. "It's time to get your mark, Mina."

Natsumi opened her mouth and quickly shut it again. _I have to get... a tattoo?!_

"W-What?" She croaked and paled. "Really?"

They nodded collectively.

"It's really not that bad." Sena smiled reassuringly. "The tattoos are small and it'll be over in no time. They heal in a few days' time and won't bother you after that."

"Won't people notice the tattoo though?"

"Well, yeah." Kiri shrugged. "But that's why we always dress accordingly while off-duty. You've never seen mine before, right?"

_That's right... Kiri and Sena both cover their shoulders._

"Come on, Mina. It only takes a few minutes. There's no need to worry about it." Aia smiled. "Noboru is highly skilled, so you'll hardly feel it."

_I guess... there's no getting out of it._

Natsumi shifted and dangled her legs over the side of the bed, exhaling. "Alright, I guess I'm ready then."

"Carefully, now." Sena reminded.

Natsumi slowly touched her feet to the floor, applying gentle pressure and slowly stood. She wobbled and Kiri steadied her.

"There we go." After a moment, she let the girl go. "Try that now."

Natsumi took a cautious step forward. _I still feel a little dizzy, but at least my legs are working._

Kiri draped her arm around Natsumi's shoulders and began to lead her out of the room. Natsumi glanced over her shoulder as the rest of the team followed and she looked up at Kiri.

"Why is everyone coming, too?"

"Our team is like a family." Kuma walked with his hands in his pockets and stepped to walk beside Natsumi. "Most teams just send their newbies to Noboru on their own, but not us. We shed blood together, we stick together. Getting your mark is an important moment and makes you officially part of us. There's no way we'd make you do that alone."

She smiled and felt herself blush. _Despite the Captain being awful, that horrible welcoming tradition, and the tattoo... I'm really glad to be here._

"Aw, how sweet." Kiri stuck out her tongue at Kuma. "You've got me all choked up."

"Bite me." He laughed and nodded at a group of unmasked ANBU members as they passed on the other side of the hall. The two men nodded back and then stared at Natsumi, whispering to one another. Natsumi watched as they passed the two, who kept staring at her.

_Is there some kind of organization-wide dislike for new members?_

They continued to walk through winding halls and passed more members who stared and whispered at the girl.

_What's going on? _Natsumi clenched her fist and Kuma stopped finally in front of a doorway and motioned inside.

"Here we are." He smirked and nodded inside.

Natsumi stepped inside slowly and looked around. It was an average-sized room with some chairs arranged, wheeled carts of ink and tools, a mirror along one wall, a padded table, and the heavy smell of sanitation in the air.

A tall man in his black ANBU clothes stood at the far side of the room cleaning and sanitizing his equipment as a brunette woman held the back of her shirt up to examine a fresh, large tattoo between her shoulder blades. The tattoo was of a brightly colored falcon with its wings outstretched in flight and its blood-covered talons extended.

"Noby, it's perfect." She swooned at the tattoo and pulled the back of her shirt over her head to leave the area exposed while still modestly covering her front. She noticed Natsumi and turned to her, smirking. "Noby, we've got company."

Noboru turned to the doorway and nodded as she stepped inside.

"No need to look so worried. I'm not gonna bite."

Natsumi swallowed and nodded and the other filed in behind her.

"Hey, Noboru." Kiri winked and looked at the women. "Hey, Kiki. Got another one, I see?"

The woman named Kiki smirked and turned, thumbing at her back. "Noby just finished it. Do ya like it?"

Kiri nodded and chuckled. "Great as always."

Noboru set down the sterile equipment and held out his hand for Natsumi to take. She reached out carefully and grasped his huge hand and shook it.

"It's Mina, right? I'm Noboru."

He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her over to a comfortable-looking chair and patted it's back.

"Go on and sit. I've been expectin' you."

Natsumi sat and felt herself sink into the comfortable chair, letting out a slow breath. The woman, Kiki, sat on the edge of the low, padded table and watched Natsumi with her arms crossed and her feet kicking in front of her.

"So, you're the one who beat Ayeka?" Kiki laughed. "Wish I had seen it for myself. Hell, we all do. Just imagining the look on her face after losing to an adorable kid like you is enough to tickle my—"

Noboru cleared his throat and met her eyes. "Language. She's a kid." He scowled. "And I just sanitized that! Get off."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed. "Y-You know about that?"

Kiki hopped off the table and stood beside Kiri. "I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now. You're famous on your first day."

_W-What?! Famous? How do they know? _She glanced over at her team, who all broke out into guilty smirks. "G-Guys?"

Kuma chuckled. "We were all so damn impressed by you managing to beat Ayeka like that that we just couldn't keep it to ourselves."

Aia and Ne nodded simultaneously and Ne spoke. "So, while you were out, we took the liberty of going around and telling everyone we could find."

Aia nodded. "Don't get us wrong, we don't hate the captain, but she's just... you know... hard to get along with. And she's one of the strongest members in the ANBU, so it's not every day we see someone best her."

"You did well." Torou spoke from the back of the group, his voice deep like thunder. "We're proud to have you on Team Yoru."

Natsumi's blush deepened. "I don't know what to say..."

Noboru wheeled over the cart and sunk into the chair beside Natsumi, taking a piece of gauze and soaking it in alcohol before wiping it over her left shoulder.

"How do you handle pain?" He grunted and set the gauze aside.

"What?" Natsumi bit her lip. _Oh... _"Um... I'm not sure. The normal way?"

He chuckled and motioned for Kiri to come over.

"Thought so." He glanced up at the woman, then to Natsumi. "Squeeze her hand if ya have to but try to keep this arm nice and relaxed as much as ya can."

_Relaxed?! _She gulped. _Yeah, right..._

Kiri pulled up a chair on her other side, sitting backward as she extended her hand. "It's like a bee sting."

Natsumi took her hand gently, staying quiet and biting her lip as she controlled her breathing.

_Stay calm... stay calm... like a bee sting..._

She glanced at Noboru, who smiled reassuringly and held up a small, almost pen-like machine. "Ready?"

She nodded. _No._

He pressed the tip to her skin as she watched and the buzzing began and pressed it into her arm.

She jerked uncontrollably at the pain and bit her lip harder. _That's more than a bee sting!_ She breathed in and out slowly, keeping her left arm still while squeezing Kiri's hand until her fingers turned white.

"S-Sorry." She muttered.

Kiri shrugged. "Don't apologize. I offered to do this. You're the one who doesn't have a lot of choice here."

Natsumi nodded slowly and dared to look at her shoulder.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Sharp, searing, stabbing pain. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Occasionally he pulled the device back and used a cloth to wipe away small amounts of blood before continuing his work. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

"Outline's what hurts the most. Fillin' in is easier." Noboru briefly looked up at her and lowered her eyes again. "You're not doin' half bad."

"T-Thanks." She gulped and forced herself to look away. _It hurts! I just want it to be over already._

"Most kids your age scream like crazy." Kiki chuckled as she watched. "I remember when Kiri got hers. It sounded like she was being killed. It echoed all down the halls and everything."

Kiri laughed under her breath. "Hey, I don't remember you doing all that well with it, either. You passed out halfway through."

Kiki laughed. "That's because I was an idiot and holding my breath."

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Natsumi's hand trembled and she loosened her grip on Kiri's hand. _If Naruto sees me with a tattoo, he's going to flip out. That means I'll have to go through my clothes and choose what I wear carefully... and make sure that he's asleep or not home when I change or take showers..._

"Hardest part's done." Noburo and motioned for her to look. She peered over at the neat red outline.

_I guess that wasn't too bad, after all... _She settled back into the chair. _But it's not done yet..._

Natsumi squeezed Kiri's hand again as Noboru continued, falling into a rhythm and she relaxed slightly. _He's right. This part isn't as bad._

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Wipe. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

"You're doin' just fine." Noboru held her arm gently with his free hand and worked carefully. "I didn't expect much else from the girl who beat Ayeka."

Natsumi blushed faintly. "T-Thank you."

"And with the Fourth Hokage's own Jutsu, too." He grunted in approval. "Not sure how ya learned that, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that you've impressed us all."

_It was a fluke, really, but everyone likes me because of it... _Natsumi smiled. "I wasn't even sure it would work since I'd never been able to get it right before. It was just luck."

He scoffed. "No such thing. Learnin' a technique like that takes natural skill. It's clear you're a born fighter."

"Lord Fourth would have been so proud." Kiri smiled. "Seeing someone your age learning such an advanced technique on your own."

Natsumi's heart skipped. "W-What? You... knew the Fourth Hokage?"

Kiri laughed and nodded. "Most of us here did. I joined while he was Hokage, you know, and so it was only natural that we worked with him a lot. Chie was the only one who never met him, but she was only a toddler when he died."

Natsumi's eyes widened. "Y-You never told me that!"

Noboru chuckled. "Big fan?"

"Huge." Kiri replied and shrugged again.

"What was he like? Was he funny? Was he serious?"

Kiri laughed and held up a hand. "Hold on there, now. We can have story time later. But, he was great, truly. Intelligent, strong, fiercely loyal, and also really kind. That was my favorite thing about him. Losing him was hard on the whole village, sure, but it was hardest on those who knew him personally. He was a great man."

_I'm so jealous!_

"Please, please, _please_ can you tell me more about him later?"

"Of course." She winked. "Since you asked so nicely."

"Keep doin' like you're doin' and you'll be at his level in no time." Noboru smiled slightly. "My gut says that you're gonna be great, and it's never wrong."

"Never." Kiki chimed and nodded.

"It seems fittin', too, you carryin' out his legacy. He'd be happy to know there was someone followin' in his footsteps. Once you master it, I think we'd all like to see you use that technique again."

Natsumi smiled and looked down at her lap. _I hope he'd really be proud of me. I want to be just like him._

"Which is why," Sena smiled. "While you were recovering, everyone had a little meeting."

Natsumi looked up. "A-A meeting?"

The team nodded simultaneously, and even Noboru and Kiki nodded as well.

"The Fourth Hokage was renowned for his speed and given the title of The Leaf's Yellow Flash. We decided that it'd only be fitting since you have the natural skill with his technique, to give you a nickname, too."

"A nickname?" Natsumi looked around. _I get a nickname?!_ "Really? What is it?"

"The Red Flash." They answered in a chorus and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"R-Really? But... are you sure? I'm nowhere near that skill level."

"Well, considering it was a unanimous decision made by three different teams, I'd say we're sure." Kuma smirked. "We're all eager to see how you'll grow and we all believe that you're capable of achieving that level."

Natsumi bit her lip and her eyes watered. "I don't know what to say..."

Sena stepped closer and she and Kiri grinned.

"Man, I really wanted to tell you as soon as you woke up, but everyone wanted to be there for it."

"That explains your expression when I first mentioned Lord Fourth, then." Natsumi muttered but was grinning herself.

"She's always been horrible about surprises." Sena giggled. "And she's got no poker face at all. No matter the game, she always loses."

Noboru sat up, wiped Natsumi shoulder gently, and then let go of her arm. "All done now."

Natsumi craned her head to smile at the tattoo.

_I guess I really do belong here. The people aren't anything like I thought they would be, and I like how everyone is like family._

"It looks great. Thanks." She smiled at the man, who nodded and set aside his tool.

"Happy to do it."

Aia tugged on Natsumi's hands and pulled her to a stand, grinning.

"Come on; We've done the Captain's welcoming tradition, but we haven't done ours yet."

_Another tradition?!_

"I-It doesn't involve more tattoos or fighting, does it?"

The woman laughed. "Nope! You'll see!"

* * *

"Alright, I don't want to see you do any extensive training until after you've recovered more." Sena nagged gently as she draped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "With your accelerated healing, that should only be a few days, but I recommend taking it easy for a week. Sparring and swordsmanship can wait, and there's plenty of lectures you can do in the meantime."

"Lectures?" Natsumi sighed as they walked.

Kiri nodded on her other side. "Yup! You've got to get trained in anatomy, physiology, psychology, and so much more. ANBU aren't just fighters; we're also specialists in the human mind and body. There's a lot to learn, but you're smart, so you'll be fine."

"And it will be Aia and I teaching some of the classes, so it won't be dull." Sena giggled as they stepped through the doorway into the locker room. She moved her arm back to her side and Natsumi opened her locker. "But, you're going to go home, have lunch, and take the rest of the day off. Chakra exhaustion is no joke."

"Just nod and say 'yes.'" Kiri whispered and laughed quietly. "Otherwise she'll never stop nagging."

Natsumi laughed and nodded. "I promise to take it easy."

"Good." Sena smiled and poked Kiri hard in the ribs. "See? At least _someone_ listens to my advice."

"Your advice is boring." She laughed with a shrug.

Natsumi began to change, carefully redressing without disturbing the bandage over her fresh tattoo that still stung if touched, but was barely noticeable now. She placed her gear into the locker and zipped up her new jacket, stopping halfway like Kiri had done before, and looked down at the photo in her hands and smiled.

She stood in the center of the group, surrounded by the entire team— besides Ayeka, Yuuta, and Jiro— and they all were standing with their left arms facing the camera to show off their matching tattoos as they made ridiculous faces. She turned the photo to the back to see the date written at the top with their signatures beneath Kiri's bold, bubbled letters that read: "WE 3 OUR RED FLASH!"

She taped the photo on the locker door and her smile widened.

_The Red Flash... I like the sound of that._ She looked at each of the goofy expressions in the picture and stopped when she reached her own. _I hope you approve too, Lord Fourth. I want to carry on your legacy, after all. I hope I have your blessing._


	17. Chapter 15: The Bell Challenge!

Naruto yawned and walked in the misty, dim lighting of the early morning with his feet shuffling against the ground. He glanced up and saw Sakura and Sasuke coming from different directions to meet in the middle.

"Morning..." Sakura muttered and rubbed her eyes, too tired to even greet Sasuke enthusiastically.

Sasuke, wide awake and walking briskly, remained quiet as he stopped in the meeting spot.

Naruto stood upright and cracked his eyes to look between them, staying silent as they waited for Kakashi to arrive.

Minutes turned into hours and the sun passed overhead as the early noon heat settled over them, with Kakashi still absent.

Naruto sat on the ground, nodding off as he waited and Sakura looked around the area diligently until she became too tired to stand and sat as well, pulling her knees close to her chest. Sasuke remained silent and standing with his arms crossed.

"Hi, folks. Good morning!" Kakashi raised a hand in greeting and his three students all turned to him and met him with a glare.

"You're late!"

"Well, a black cat crossed my path, you see." He smiled and pointed elsewhere.

The trio fumed and continued to glare and Kakashi opened his eyes, then cleared his throat.

"Oh well..." He strode over to the middle wooden post of three where an alarm clock was placed on top. "Okay, it's set for twelve o'clock!"

They stood in place, staring at him with blank expressions and Kakashi held up a pair of small, silver bells with red ribbons.

"Today's assignment is to take these bells away from me by noon." He jingled them together to attract their attention. "Those who can't do it won't get lunch."

"E-Eh?" Naruto gaped and blinked.

"They'll be tied to that..." Kakashi pointed to the center post. "And I'll eat my lunch before your very eyes."

The expressions fell and Sakura clutched her stomach as it growled, Sasuke's arms went limp at his sides, and Naruto held his hands to his face, pulling down at his cheeks as he groaned.

"_So, that was the point..." _Sasuke's stomach twisted and growled loudly.

_"For us to not eat breakfast..." _Sakura sighed and then looked at Kakashi again. "H-Hold on... why are there only two bells?"

Kakashi smiled and his eyes closed and crinkled. "There are only two, so that the very least, one of you will have to go to the logs. That person will be disqualified for failing the mission... and will return to the Academy."

He jingled the bells together again in front of them and their expressions instantly shifted as he continued.

"It might be one person at the very least, or it could be all three of you." He opened his eyes and watched them mildly. "You can use your Shuriken. You won't be able to take the bells unless you come with the intent to kill me."

He clasped the bells in his fist and Sakura widened her eyes.

"But, that's dangerous, sir!"

"Y-Yeah, that's right." Naruto nodded in agreement and laughed. "You couldn't even evade a chalkboard eraser!"

"In this world, those who aren't skilled enough tend to complain more. Well, just ignore the loser..."

Naruto turned to Kakashi and blinked, balling his fists.

"Begin when I give the ready-go signal."

Naruto gritted his teeth. _"Loser, loser, loser."_ He pulled a Kunai knife from his thigh sheath and rushed at Kakashi with ferocity but his hand was grabbed suddenly from behind and aimed the blade at the base of Naruto's neck, as Kakashi's other hand grasped a fistful of blond spikes.

Naruto's eyes widened and he froze in place, feeling the wind nearly knocked from him in shock.

"Don't be so hasty. I didn't say start, yet." Kakashi muttered in a low grumble.

Sakura gasped and backed quickly away, feeling herself begin to tremble. Sasuke stepped away and watched as Kakashi released Naruto with wide eyes.

_"No way!" _Sakura gaped at the Jonin. _"I didn't see him move at all!"_

_"So, this is a Jonin."_ Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"But, that's fine." Kakashi spoke in a lighter tone. "At least you came with the intent to kill me." He chuckled. "How can I put this...? I feel like I'm finally starting to like you guys." His laugh faded and he looked between them, serious now. "We're about to start..."

The trio stood at-the-ready and listened in anticipation.

"Ready... start!"

* * *

Iruka sat across from the Hokage with a cup of tea in front of each of them.

"So, what do you want to know?" The old man asked after taking a sip of tea and returning the cup to its saucer with a serious expression. "I didn't think you came here just to drink tea."

Iruka laced his hands together and rested his elbows on the table. "The Jonin of Naruto's group seven... what kind of teacher is he? Is he strict?"

"You mean Kakashi? Does he concern you?"

Iruka unlaced his fingers and rested his hands on the table. "I heard a rumor that concerns me."

The Hokage produced a book from his robes and set it on the table for the teacher to look at.

Iruka glanced between the book and the Hokage. "What's this?"

"It's a pass-fail list of junior ninjas Kakashi has been in charge of up until now." He replied simply.

Iruka's eyes widened slightly and he opened the book eagerly. "Let me have a look."

As he skimmed the first pages, his eyes widened further and his mouth opened in surprise.

"T-This is...!"

* * *

_"Fundamentally, Ninja must mask their presence and hide."_ Kakashi stood in the clearing, rubbing the back of his neck as he scanned the area and thought. _"Okay, everyone is hidden pretty well."_

He looked ahead as Naruto emerged from the treeline, smirking as he crossed his arms.

"Alright! Let's face off fair and square!"

Kakashi tilted his head to the side and made a face. "Eh?"

Sasuke watched from his hiding place in a tall branch and scoffed. _"That goof."_

"Say, aren't you a bit off-kilter?" Kakashi asked.

"What's off-kilter is your hairstyle!" Naruto rushed at the Jonin at full speed and skidded to a stop as Kakashi reached into his pack. He narrowed his eyes and waited to see what kind of tool or weapon Kakashi would use against him.

"I'll teach you the first Shinobi battle Jutsu... Taijutsu."

_"Taijutsu?"_ Naruto blinked. _"That's ninja hand-to-hand combat..." _He clenched his jaw. _"That being said... he's going to use weapons?"_

Kakashi pulled out a book and found the place he'd left off at with his thumb and held the book out and began reading.

Naruto's eyes widened and his cheeks warmed as he saw the title: Make Out Paradise.

"What's the matter?" Kakashi called out to him without looking away from his book. "Why don't you come at me?"

"H-Hey..." Naruto pointed at the novel. "What's with the book?"

"Why do you ask?" Kakashi asked and focused on the page. "It's because I was curious what happens next."

Naruto's body relaxed as he blinked.

"Don't worry...with you guys as opponents, it makes no difference if I'm reading or not."

Naruto tightened his hands into fists and glared. "I'm going to rip you apart!" He ran forward in rage and yelled.

He threw a punch but it was immediately parried and deflected with a single, simple movement of his free hand.

Naruto gritted his teeth and tried a high kick which Kakashi knelt in a quick squat and avoided easily.

"Darn!" Naruto drew back his fist for another punch and stopped mid-air as Kakashi completely disappeared before him. "W-What?"

Kakashi sat in a squat behind Naruto with his book shut and his hands pressed together in a seal. "Ninja shouldn't let enemies take them from behind multiple times... fool."

Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized the sign. _"The way his hands are positioned... Is that the Sign of the Tiger? No way! With Naruto as his opponent, that's too strong a Ninjutsu no matter how you look at it."_

Sasuke's expression darkened as he observed. _"That sign... that's a fire-style skill. That idiot teacher's doing more than just running around?"_

"Naruto, get out of there quickly!" Sakura shouted a warning from where she hid in the brush. "You'll die!"

Naruto turned toward her voice. "H-Huh?"

"Too late." Kakashi muttered and Naruto's eyes widened. "Leaf Village Secret! Ultimate Taijutsu!" He thrust his fingers forward and struck Naruto's rear. "One Thousand Years of Death!"

Naruto yelped in pain and was sent flying across the clearing and fell into the river with a large splash.

Sasuke exhaled and closed his eyes, furrowing his brows. "Those two are idiots."

Naruto fell into the river with a large splash and Kakashi reopened his book and continued to read where he had left off. "Alright..."

Sasuke watched the Jonin intently, his hand hovering over his Kunai sheath in preparation.

_"Oh, that's not a Ninjutsu..."_ Sakura made a face and muttered to herself. She furrowed her brows and watched Kakashi reading silently. _"Even so, isn't that against the rules? What're we supposed to do about his strength?_

Naruto scowled as he sunk to the riverbed. _"Darn it. It wasn't supposed to be like this_."

He kicked off of the bottom and launched himself back up to the surface with a new determination in his eyes. Before emerging from the water, Naruto threw a pair of Shuriken at Kakashi.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise at the attack, but Kakashi simply held up his hand, stopping them both without looking up from his novel as the Shuriken spun around his fingers and slowed to a stop.

Sasuke froze in place, his hand still hovering over his Shuriken. _"No way!"_

* * *

"It can't be!" Iruka said, looking over the book in shock. "This is more than just a rumor."

"Kakashi's test might be a bit difficult." The Hokage sipped his tea as he spoke.

Iruka looked up at him, his mouth gaping partially. "Even so, this means absolutely no one has passed!"

"That's right." Hiruzen nodded. "Kakashi has never had someone pass. They have all been annihilated..."

* * *

Naruto coughed and pulled himself out of the water slowly, completely soaked through.

"What's the matter?" Kakashi watched him crawl on all fours into dry land, still holding up his book as he held his other hand on his hip. "You won't get lunch if you don't take the bell by noon."

Naruto recovered his breath and looked up at the Jonin in exasperation. "I know that, I say!"

"You're not very energetic, considering you said that you'd surpass the Hokage." Kakashi quipped.

Naruto's stomach growled loudly and he made a face. "Darn it! Darn it! I can fight even if I'm hungry!"

Sasuke and Sakura each made a face from where they hid, clutching their stomachs as they growled and twisted in protest.

_"I didn't even have dinner last night."_ Sakura sighed miserably. _"I shouldn't have gone on a diet."_

"I just got a bit careless earlier!" Naruto insisted, waving his arms in frustration as he muttered. "Darn. I'm hungry, so my strength... But, I've got to take that bell no matter what. No matter what..." His face became more determined and he trembled slightly as he looked at Kakashi, whose back was to him now as he continued to read. "I'm not... turning back now."

Water rippled in the river behind him as Naruto continued to talk. "I'm going to become a Ninja! Believe it!"

A flurry of Shadow Clones leaped out of the water at Kakashi, smirking.

"Oh?" He turned to look and his attention shifted away from his book.

One clone laughed mid-air. "Haha! Security is your biggest enemy! Now for my favorite Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Sakura's eyes widened in amazement. _"Seven Narutos?" _She watched them running at Kakashi. "_What? They're not just images? Are they all real? The real thing? But how?"_

Sasuke watched, almost in amazement at Naruto. _"Huh..."_

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly as the clones ran at him and followed their movements carefully. "Not the clone, but the Shadow Clone, eh?" He muttered to himself in thought. _"It's the forbidden Jutsu that did in Mizuki."_

"Judging from your ability, that Justu should have a one-minute limit. Even if you talk trash, Naruto is Naruto after all is said and done. You still can't beat me with that skill—" He was interrupted by the real Naruto latching onto him suddenly from behind.

"W-what? Behind me?" Kakashi eyes widened quickly as Naruto held him in place, creating the perfect target for the clones.

Naruto chuckled and held on to Kakashi tighter, wrapping his arms and legs around Kakashi, his expression darkening. "Ninja shouldn't let an enemy take them from behind. Right, Kakashi sensei?"

"Using my Shadow Clone, I had one of them come up from the bottom of the river and sneak behind you!"

The other Genin watched as the clones grabbed onto Kakashi's arms and legs tightly as the final clone launched into the air, aiming a heavy punch at the Jonin.

Sakura smiled broadly as he overtook Kakashi. "_Naruto, not bad!"_

Sasuke smirked faintly as he nodded slowly, impressed. "_So... a diversionary tactic, huh?"_

The clone's fist clenched with tenacity and he smirked as he met his Sensei's eyes. "Here's one for the attack on my butt earlier! Now, allow me to punch you!"

With his fist a breath from Kakashi's face, Kakashi suddenly disappeared and the punch landed on the real Naruto's face full-force.

"Gaah! Naruto fell to the ground, looking around in shock. "W-What?"

_"The one who got punched... was Naruto." _Sakura commented to herselfwith a small sigh.

Sasuke shook his eyes and narrowed his eyes critically.

"Naruto?" Sakura mutters softly to herself as he looked around and rubbed his face.

The first clone pointed accusingly at another. "You... you're Kakashi sensei, right? You used the transformation Jutsu to change yourself, didn't you?"

"It's you, isn't it?" Another clone pointed at another, and they began to fight amongst themselves, shouting. "You must be the one! You smell like Kakashi-sensei! The smell of an old guy!"

"Hey, hey!" Naruto dodged several punches and threw a few of his own as he spoke. "For the time being, let's just undo the Jutsu. If we do that, only the two will remain."

A clone struck his face and gripped his collar in his fist. "You should have realized that sooner, you idiot!"

"You're me, you idiot!" He snapped back and the clones vanished in a puff of smoke. Once it dissipated, he blinked at himself, covered in bruises, and found only himself in the clearing.

"H-Huh?"

_"Naruto, you're embarrassing to watch."_ Sakura frowned and let out a breath. _"That was horrible."_

_"That was the Substitution Justu, you fool." _Sasuke scolded to himself.

Naruto stood, looking around in confusion and spotted one of the silver bells lying at the base of a nearby tree. He squinted to get a better look and broke into a grin.

"A bell?!" He chuckled. "You must have been in hurry." He ran toward the bell quickly, reaching out for it. "You dropped a bell."

As his hand was about to reach the bell, a simple rope trap tightened around his ankles and pulled him up into the tree, where he dangled and bounced around as he flailed and complained.

"What the heck is this?!"

_"Of course it's a trap." _Sasuke mused, the corners of his mouth pulling down in a frown. "_That Jonin doesn't even lower his guard when he fights Naruto."_

"H-H-Hey!" Naruto swung from the branch and called out. "Hey! The bell!" He stretched his arms out in an attempt to reach the bell, but it was far beyond his reach.

He stopped and saw Kakashi stoop to retrieve the bell, giving him a long look before speaking.

"You have to think when using a Jutsu. They can be used against you." Kakashi straightened and held the bell up. "Also, don't get caught in an obvious trap, you fool."

Naruto clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists.

"A ninja must be able to see through deception." Kakashi lectured.

Naruto glared and waved his arms angrily. "I know that, I say!"

"You know, I'm telling you because you _don't_ get it." The Jonin stuck his hands into his pockets. "Listen up. Your movements are wasteful."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched Kakashi now distracted lecturing Naruto. "_Now!" _He grasped his Shuriken and Kunai, holding them up in preparation, and launched them at the Jonin. _"He finally dropped his guard!"_

"Naruto, you're so—" Kakashi started again only to stop as the shuriken struck his sides, blood spilling from the wounds as he fell over suddenly. Sakura's eyes widened in shock and Naruto's mouth hung open.

"No way!" Naruto flailed and looked in Sasuke's direction. "You jerk, Sasuke! That's overkill!"


	18. Chapter 16: You Failed!

The three Genin watched in horror and anticipation as Kakashi's body fell to the ground. Just as it touched the earth, it vanished in a puff of smoke and revealed a small log in its place, with each of Sasuke's Shuriken and Kunai lodged deep inside.

Their eyes widened and Sasuke clenched his teeth, quickly relocating to another tree to hide his position. _"Damn! Another substitution? He must have found out my location by now with those Shuriken!"_ He quickened his pace through the foliage. _"He purposefully lowered his guard! It serves me right... I fell for the trap!"_

"_So, he's over there, huh?"_ Kakashi looked out from behind the dense foliage he had hidden himself behind and chuckled as he reached into his back pouch.

* * *

Sakura ran from her hiding spot to find new cover, looking all around her cautiously as she ran through the forest. _"Sasuke... where are you?! Don't tell me... Kakashi-sensei already..."_ She blinked the thought away quickly and ran faster. _"No. That couldn't happen to Sasuke, right?!"_

She stopped on a sturdy branch and hid behind a thick cover of leaves, ducking down. She watched Kakashi carefully as he stood below, reading once more. _"Safe! He didn't notice me."_

"Sakura, behind you."

Her eyes burst open and she turned to see her sensei sitting on the branch behind her in a squat. Then, she let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed through the trees and disturbed the nearby birds.

* * *

Naruto remained grumbling to himself as he hung upside-down from his ankles in the tree, still in Kakashi's trap.

"What's up with that 'a ninja must see through deception' stuff?! Darn it! I'll never fall for his trap again!"

He retrieved a Kunai knife and lifted himself upward to cut the rope from around his ankles, freeing himself. He rolled into a ball as he fell and landed perfectly on his feet and grinned.

A second rope trap caught his ankle and pulled him up into the tree, flailing and complaining loudly. "Darn it! I fell for it again!"

Kakashi eyes Sakura carefully and brought his hands together in the Rat hand sign. The leaves around them swirled around Kakashi, blocking him from Sakura's view, and swirled up into the sky, leaving Sakura standing suddenly alone in a clearing.

She blinked slowly and she looked around, finding Kakashi gone. "Huh?! What was that?! Hold on! Where's Sensei?!"

Sakura tapped her chin in thought, noticing how the sky had darkened as if overcast and then resumed looking for Kakashi. "Huh?! What's going on?!"

A faint grunt came from the forest around her and she grabbed her hair in panic and turned her head toward the noise. "Huh?! What's that?!"

"Sakura..."

Sakura beamed and turned around at the sound of Sasuke's voice. "Sasuke?!"

Sasuke stepped out from behind a tree and fell to the ground. Blood poured from various wounds all over his body. Dozens of Kunai and Shuriken were lodged deep in his flesh and he gasped raggedly for air.

"Sa... Saku... ra..." His gaze rose slowly to her, revealing blooding splattered over his features and he spluttered as he spoke. "P-Please... help...me..."

Sakura's eyes widened and she froze in horror. An icy chill flooded her veins and she let out a piercing scream before fainting and collapsing on the ground.

Kakashi glanced down from the branch, looking up from his novel as he watched her fall. "Hm... Maybe I went a bit overboard..." He lowered his eyes once more and flipped the page, continuing to read. "But, it's really something she should notice... when Genjutsu is used on her."

* * *

Sasuke turned toward the direction the scream had come from and narrowed his eyes. "Was that scream... Sakura's?"

Kakashi stood behind Sasuke now with his back against a tree and his eyes on the book as he spoke in a low voice. "Shinobi battle skill number two; Genjutsu. Sakura was easily lured."

"Genjutsu, huh?" Sasuke narrowed his gaze as he listened to the Jonin. "An illusory mind-controlling technique. I'm not surprised she got lured. However, I'm different from them."

"Why don't you say that after you've gotten a bell... Sasuke?" Kakashi began to walk toward the Genin with one hand holding the book and the other in his pocket. He stopped several meters away as Sasuke turned to face him directly.

They looked at each other in silence for several moments until Sasuke reached back to retrieve Shuriken and throw them quickly at the Jonin. Kakashi dodged easily and kept his eyes on the Uchiha boy.

"It's no use just using straightforward attacks." Kakashi lectured and skidded to a landing at a safe distance away.

Sasuke smirked faintly and threw a Kunai knife into the air to cut a rope, triggering his trap.

"A trap?!" Kakashi dodged once again as Kunai launched in his location and embedded themselves into the tree. As soon as he had placed enough distance between himself as the trap, Sasuke appeared behind the Jonin and aimed a spinning back kick at his face.

Kakashi lifted his arm to block quickly and grabbed Sasuke's ankle to trap him, blocking a punch aimed at his face. Kakashi held him in place by his hand and ankle, but Sasuke brought his other leg around in a strong downward strike.

Kakashi blocked the kick by bringing his arm up, still holding onto Sasuke's fist firmly with his own without breaking his grip on his ankle with his opposite hand. The bells jingled at the movement and Sasuke smirked, reaching out to them with his free hand.

_"This guy!"_ Kakashi narrowed his eyes and released Sasuke, leaping back as Sasuke's fingertips brushed against a bell.

Sasuke scowled as he landed on his feet and stared at Kakashi.

_"What a guy."_ Kakashi kept his eye trained on the boy. _"There's no time to even read Make-Out Paradise."_

Sasuke clenched his jaw and narrowed his gaze, readying his next plan of attack.

* * *

Sakura sat up slowly and blinked as she looked around. "What...? I...?" Her eyes widened quickly and she shut them tightly as she blushed deeply. Taking a moment to catch her breath, then opened her eyes. "_That's right! I saw Sasuke on the verge of dying and I..."_

She clutched her hands together and held them close to her heart as she stood and looked around. "Sasuke-kun! Don't die and leave me here!" She called out for him and scanned the area, finding herself alone. "Where are you?!"

* * *

Naruto hung upside-down, still stuck in Kakashi's trap with his arms crossed as he scrunched in face in frustration. After some time, he opened his eyes and looked down at the stone memorial below.

"Huh. So that's what it looks like behind the logs." He broke into a grin as he looked closer at the monument. "Oh! There are box lunches on the stone!"

He crossed his arms again in thought. "A ninja must see through deception, huh?" He chuckled to himself and eyed the lunches once more.

* * *

Kakashi stuck his hands into his pockets and watched Sasuke. "Well, I'll acknowledge that you're different from those two."

"Hmph." Sasuke stepped back and settled into a strong stance and formed a series of hand signs— Horse, Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. He brought his hands to his lips and drew in a large breath, puffing his cheeks.

_"Fire style! Fireball Jutsu!"_

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly in recognition and took a defensive stance. _"What?! That's not a Jutsu that a Genin can do... He shouldn't have enough Chakra yet!"_

Sasuke released his breath and a powerful ball of fire erupted from his lips at Kakashi, burning the grass and creating a small crater of scorched soil. After some time, the fire died down and revealed that Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke lowered his arm and his eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise, looking all around. "He's gone! Is he behind me? No, above me?! Where is he?!"

"I'm under you!" Kakashi's arm shot out from the ground and tightly grasped Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke head jerked to look at his leg and the hand that held him in place. "Wha-?!"

"Earth Style! Double Suicide Decapitation Jutsu!"

Kakashi tugged hard on Sasuke, ripping him down and pulling him into the earth with an echoing scream of surprise. Kakashi, now squatting on solid ground, looked down at Sasuke as he was buried up to his chin in the earth.

"Shinobi Battle Skill number three; Ninjusu." He rested his hands on his knees and Sasuke squirmed in his trap, unable to move. "How's that? You can't move, heh?"

Sasuke averted his eyes from his teacher and scowled.

Kakashi smiled and his eyes crinkled as he praised the Genin. "Although... you're already starting to make your mark." He stood to his full height and pulled out his novel. "But, oh well. They do say that the nail that sticks up gets hammered down, so..."

Kakashi continued to read where he had left off before and began to walk away. Sasuke glared and wriggled, still completely trapped.

_"Damn it!"_

* * *

Naruto sat on the monument, chuckling to himself as he pressed his palms together and looked down at the boxed lunches in front of him.

"I don't have to naively take those bells. I'll just eat in secret right now!" He laughed and grinned at his own plan. "Let's eat!"

"Hey."

Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped in surprise at the familiar voice, freezing in place. He quickly gulped and shuddered, muttering. "I-I was just joking..."

"Too late!" Kakashi scolded from atop the monument's point behind him.

* * *

"Damn it!" Sasuke let out a slow, hot breath and looked around. _"Is there this much of a difference in strength...?"_

A rustling in the trees averted his attention and he looked up in time to see Sakura run out of the woods and stop in her tracks as she saw him. Her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open.

"Oh... Sakura."

Sakura clutched her head and screamed. "Oh no! This time it's a freshly severed head?!"

Her eyes fluttered shut and she fainted as Sasuke watched, blinking awkwardly.

"What's up with her?"

Sometime later, Sakura woke slowly to see Sasuke looking down at her. She drew in a breath and let it out again as her vision became clearer.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" She grinned and sat up quickly, hugging him tightly. "You're okay!"

He pushed her away with a scowl as she persistently reached for him. "Hey, cut it out! Don't cling to me like that!"

Once she was calm, Sasuke stood and looked in the direction of the logs.

"There's not much time left until noon. I'm going."

Sakura stood and followed him a few steps. "Sasuke, you're still going after the bells?"

He turned to face her with an empty expression. "I was able to touch them last time. Next time, I'll be able to take them."

Sakura blinked and blushed faintly. "O-Oh? I See. Sure enough, you're awesome, Sasuke." She smiled sweetly and closed her eyes, gulping slowly. _"There's no way I can take the bells from Sensei! At this rate, I'll face separation from Sasuke..."_

She opened her eyes and swallowed again as she met his eyes. "Uh... say... There's really no time left... So, let's just take it easy and try again next time."

Sasuke shot her an icy glare and her eyes widened.

"H-Huh?"

Turning his back to her, he clenched his fists, silent for several minutes before he finally spoke again.

"I'm the only one who can kill that man."

"H-Huh?" Sakura stood rooted in place. "What? Do you mean Sensei?"

"At that time... I was crying." Sasuke muttered.

"Crying?" Sakura shifted her feet and her expression fell.

"My..." He stopped himself and furrowed his brow at the memory.

"What? What is it?"

"I'm an avenger." He clenched his fists tighter. "I must become stronger than that man... I don't have time for setbacks here..."

Sakura pressed her lips together and remembered his words before. _"...To kill a certain man..."_

Before she could speak, the loud ringing of the alarm sounded through the training grounds and Sasuke cursed under his breath.

"Damn it... I wasted my time talking." He scowled to himself and walked back toward the logs.

"Sasuke..."

* * *

Naruto stood, tied to the center post with rope as Sakura and Sasuke sat on the ground beside him, their stomachs collectively growling as they looked at the boxed lunches set on the ground in front of them.

"Oh, oh, your stomachs are growling..." Kakashi stood over them with his arms crossed and he chuckled, resting one fist against his hip while he held his index up. "By the way, about this exercise... Well! There's no need for you guys to go back to the Academy."

Naruto grinned and lifted his head to look at the Jonin.

Sakura blinked. "What? I... All I did was lay unconscious... was that really enough to pass?" She blinked again, smiling faintly. _"Love is victorious! Cha!"_

Sasuke scoffed to himself as Sakura leapt into the air, cheering, and Naruto kicked his feet and wriggled in excitement.

"Then... then! That means the three of us..."

Kakashi smiled and nodded. "Yes. The three of you... must quit being Ninja!"

The cheering quieted immediately and they froze.


	19. Chapter 17: A Shinobi's True Strength

"No way!" Iruka breathed as he looked over the book. The Hokage set down his now-empty tea cup and listened. "Kakashi... hasn't passed a single person this whole time..."

"Iruka..." Hiruzen laced his fingers together, bring his hands in front of his mouth as he rested his elbows on the table. "Even I don't know if it's good for those kids to become Shinobi right away... However, Kakashi's past judgments were correct."

Iruka's eyes wandered from the Hokage back down to the book in silence.

* * *

"No way!" Naruto struggled against his restraints and protested. "Quit being Ninja? What do you mean? I mean... It's true we weren't able to take the bells, but why do we have to be told to quit?!"

Kakashi placed both hands on his hips. "That's because you're all squirts who don't have the qualifications to become Ninja."

Sasuke glared and stood abruptly, rushing at Kakashi with a Kunai drawn.

Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi effortlessly redirected Sasuke's attack and pinned him on the ground, sitting on him to hold him in place.

"I'm saying you're squirts." Kakashi repeated, placing his foot on Sasuke's head as he continued to glare menacingly.

"Sasuke!" Sakura kept quiet though her hands were trembling. _"Don't step on Sasuke with your dirty feet!"_

Sasuke grimaced as his cheek was pressed to the ground and Kakashi looked up at the other two Genin.

"Are you kids thinking that being a Ninja is easy? Huh?" His eyes narrowed. "Why do you think you're doing this exercise in teams?"

"H-Huh?" Sakura spoke up. "What do you mean?"

"To put it simply..." Kakashi explained. "It's as if you guys have no understanding of the answer to this test."

Naruto frowned. "Answer?"

"Yes. The answer that determines the passing or failing of this test."

"Well... that's... what I've wanted to ask about for a while now." Sakura looked between Sasuke and their Sensei.

"Man, are you guys brainless or what?" Kakashi scoffed and muttered. "Don't you get the meaning of the three-man-squad?!"

Naruto groaned loudly. "Jeez! What's the deal with three people to a squad?!"

"That's... teamwork!" Kakashi looked between them as their eyes widened.

"Huh?" Sakura replied carefully. "You mean... working together?"

"Exactly. But it's too late even if you realize it now." Kakashi's gaze narrowed. "You might've been able to take the bells if the three of you had come at me at once..." He shrugged. "Well, it's too bad."

Sakura's eyes fell to the pair of bells. _"Now, wait a minute..._"She looked back up at the Jonin. "Why use teamwork if there were only two bells? If the three of us were to desperately take the bells with one having to hold back, that wouldn't be teamwork. That'd create internal discord."

"Of course!" Kakashi answered simply. "This is a test set up to purposefully set you against each other. It's just under such conditions where one's own interests aren't the issue. The intention was to select those who could prioritize teamwork..."

"Despite this, you fools..." He glanced down at Sasuke, and then to Sakura and Naruto. "Sakura!"

Sakura straightened as he called her name.

"You were only concerned with Sasuke and you didn't even know where he was. And you neglected Naruto, who was right in front of your eyes..."

Sakura blushed and looked at her feet.

"Naruto! All you do is run solo..."

Naruto clenched his jaw and averted his eyes. "_Darn..."_

"And you..." He pressed Sasuke's face closer to the ground. "You labeled the other two as hindrances and acted on your own..."

Kakashi looked between the three again. "Missions are carried out in squads! There's no mistaking that Ninjas need unsurpassed individual skills... but teamwork is considered more important than that. Individual actions that disrupt teamwork throw the team into crisis and lead to death..."

"For example..." He reached behind him and drew a Kunai, holding it to Sasuke's neck. "Sakura! Kill Naruto, or else Sasuke dies!"

Naruto went pale and he quickly stared at Sakura, sweat forming on his brow. "W-What? Whaaaat?!"

"...is what will happen." Kakashi removed the Kunai from Sasuke's throat.

"Oh, I was so surprised." Sakura sighed heavily in relief.

Naruto let out a long sigh. "Phew..."

"On top of having a hostage taken," Kakashi spun the Kunai around his finger as he spoke. "You're faced with two impossible choices and will end up being killed." He grasped the Kunai to stop its spinning and returned it to his pouch, standing and freeing Sasuke.

"Every mission is a life-risking assignment."

Sasuke remained on the ground for a moment before slowly getting to his feet and the trio watched their teacher approach the monument stone.

"The many names engraved on this stone... These are all Ninja who are called heroes in the village."

"Heroes?" Naruto grinned to himself and then laughed. "That-that-that! I like that! I've decided now to get my name engraved there, too! A hero! A hero! I'm not going to die like a dog!"

Kakashi turned slightly to face the Uzumaki boy with his hands in his pockets. "Naruto, they're not just ordinary heroes."

"No kidding!" Naruto kicked his legs and chuckled. "What kind of heroes are they?"

Kakashi turned his attention back to the stone and did not reply.

"Hey! Hey!" Naruto called out to him.

"They are heroes who were killed in action." Kakashi finally answered and Naruto's smile wavered.

"Killed in action?"

"It means they died while on a mission." Sakura turned to him with a knot forming in her stomach.

Naruto's face fell and he was speechless as he stared at the ground.

"This is a memorial." Kakashi explained. "The names of my friends are also engraved here..."

Sasuke averted his eyes and Sakura bit her lip. A soft breeze blew between them and there was a moment of silence.

Kakashi turned to eye the solemn trio. "I'll give you guys one more chance!" He turned to fully face them. "However, after noon it'll be a harsher battle to take the bell. Those who want to take on the challenge can eat lunch. However," He looked between Sakura and Sasuke. "Don't let Naruto have any."

"Eh?!" Naruto shot a look at the teacher and gritted his teeth, but kept quiet.

"It's punishment for breaking the rules and attempting to eat lunch on your own." Kakashi stuck his hands into his pockets and approached the Genin." His gaze moved from Naruto to the other two and narrowed his eyes. "If someone lets him eat... that person will be disqualified on the spot."

Naruto's mouth hung open as he blinked and Sakura frowned slightly and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. Sasuke exhaled a hot breath and glanced at Naruto, then back to Kakashi.

Kakashi's voice lowered to a threatening whisper. "I make the rules here. Got it?"

* * *

"I must be going now." Iruka stood in the doorway and looked at the Hokage, who remained sitting at the table with his hands clasped in thought.

"Listen to me, Iruka." Hiruzen spoke up and fixed his eyes on the younger man.

"Hm?"

"No matter what the result, don't hold it against Kakashi..."

Iruka stood in silence for a moment before bowing shortly. "...Alright."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura accepted the boxed lunches Kakashi had given them and began to eat once he had left the area. Naruto's mouth watered as he looked between the lunches and his stomach growled loudly. Sakura and Sasuke turned to him as he groaned and made a face.

"I'm okay with not eating lunch! No sweat!" Naruto shouted out suddenly with his eyes shut tightly. His stomach growled louder and he opened his eyes at the pain that accompanied it, staring at the empty air in front of him. "No... sweat..." He sighed and shut his eyes as he hung his head.

Sasuke chewed slowly and then swallowed, watching Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

"Here."

He held up his lunch to Naruto, who opened his eyes wide. "H-Huh?"

Sakura looked over at him quickly in concern as she looked around for Kakashi. "H-Hey, Sasuke... Sensei just said..."

"It's okay. There's no sign of him now." Sasuke answered and Naruto stared at him with his eyes wide and his mouth open. "The three of us are going to go take the bells together. It'll be trouble for me if he becomes a hindrance, so..."

"Sasuke..." Sakura lowered her hand and gazed down at her lunch, then swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She screwed up her face and held out the meal to Naruto with her eyes closed.

Naruto's eyes widened further, then moistened as he sniffed. "S-Sakura-chan..."

Her eyes cracked open to peer at him, and then she smiled faintly.

"T-Thanks..." Naruto's eyes threatened to spill over with tears as he watched Sakura.

"Don't thank me. Just hurry up and eat."

Naruto began to smile and then his expression fell. "But..."

"I'm on... a diet." She paused. "I mean, I just eat less than Sasuke. So, you don't need to worry."

"Oh..." He glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers and wiggling against the rope. "But..."

"Wha—?!" Sakura stared at him, her eye twitching.

"Hurry it up. We don't know when he'll be back..." Sasuke kept watch around them and Sakura let out a heavy sigh.

"It's just this one time." Her cheeks flushed and she met Naruto's eyes. "Okay?! You got it?!"

"I got it." Naruto grinned and opened his mouth expectantly.

She picked up a bite of rice with the chopsticks and frowned as she held it up to his mouth, keeping her hand steady as she placed the bite into his mouth. He hummed happily as he chewed and Sakura made a face, though continued to feed him another bite.

As Naruto swallowed, Kakashi appeared in front of them in a large cloud of smoke.

"You three!" Kakashi yelled and emerged from the smoke.

"Yikes!" Naruto screamed and thrashed against his restraints, tears welling in his eyes in fear.

Sakura dropped the lunch and held up her arms to block the smoke and wind from her face and screamed in panic. Sasuke furrowed his brows and took a defensive stance as he watched the Jonin.

"You defied the rules so that means you know what's coming..." Kakashi stood at his full height and formed a series of hand signs. The sky overhead darkened and storm clouds crackled and thunder above them as the ground trembled. "Do you have... something to say for yourselves?"

Sakura covered her head and shut her eyes, not daring to look at him or speak. Sasuke glowered and Naruto's teeth chattered and he stammered.

"B-But, you see..."

"What?" Kakashi glared down at the blond boy as lightning filled the sky.

"But! But! But!" Naruto spoke up quickly, wriggling and kicking his legs. "You said, Sensei! These guys..."

He glanced at Sasuke, who met his eyes, then turned to Kakashi. "We're a three-man squad, right?"

Sakura cracked her eyes opened and clenched her fists. "T-That's right! The three of us are one, so..."

Naruto looked between them and then shouted again, kicking more vigorously. "That's right! That's right! That's right!"

"The three of you are one, eh?" Kakashi approached them with an icy look and bent at the waist, putting his hands on his hips to look at the Genin. They held their breaths in anticipation and he smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling shut. "In that case... you pass!"

Sakura blinked and lowered her hands. "What?!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Whaaaat?!"

Sasuke maintained his steady glare with his hand hovering over his Kunai sheath.

"You. Pass." Kakashi repeated, still smiling.

"We... passed?!" Sakura asked softly. "Why?!"

The dark clouds cleared and the sun shone brightly over them again.

"You guys are the first. Up until now, it was always just dunces who would meekly listen to what I said." Kakashi straightened and put his hands into his pockets. "A Ninja must see through deception... In the world of Ninja, those who break rules and codes are branded as garbage... But... those who don't cherish their friends are worse than garbage."

Sakura smiled and laughed quietly to herself at the news, while Naruto's eyes filled with tears and he struggled to keep them from flowing freely.

Sasuke smirked and closing his eyes momentarily. "Hmph."

"He's... He's... kinda... cool..." Naruto muttered.

"That's it for the exercise... Everyone passes!" Kakashi announced and held up a big thumbs-up. "Group Seven starts their first mission tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" Sakura jumped with joy but Sasuke remained stoic.

"I did it! I'm a Ninja!" Naruto's eyes overflowed and he kicked in celebration. "Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!"

Kakashi turned and spoke over his shoulder as he began to walk away. "Let's go back now."

Sasuke and Sakura stood and followed him, but Naruto struggled against the ropes.

"H-Hey! Wait!" He glared. "I knew this is how it would turn out! Untie the rope! Don't leave me here!"

His team continued to walk away and he clenched his teeth. "Why, when I get out of here..."

"Need some help?"

Naruto turned to see Natsumi suddenly behind him now, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Natsumi!" Naruto wiggled in excitement. "How long have you been here?"

"Only about ten minutes." Natsumi retrieved a Kunai knife and cut the rope, careful to avoid hurting her brother. "I wanted to step in sooner, but your Sensei wouldn't let me."

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged as he tore himself away from the post and rubbed his arms and chest where the binding had chafed.

Kakashi stopped walking to look back at the twins, and Sasuke and Sakura did the same.

"H-Huh?" Sakura watched Natsumi for a moment. "W-When did she get here?!"

Natsumi met her eyes and forced herself to lift her hand in a wave.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto looked up at his twin. "I thought you had your own stuff you had to do today?"

"Well... about that..." Natsumi laughed under her breath and scratched her cheek, blushing faintly. "You see, when we were training, I accidentally exhausted my Chakra and passed out. Sena told me that I had to take the rest of the day off to recover, so I thought I'd come looking for you."

Naruto crossed his arms and turned to stare down his team as they came closer. "S-So! You'll come back to see Natsumi, but you left me behind?!"

Natsumi laughed, meeting Kakashi's eyes briefly before tearing her gaze away back to Naruto, her cheeks warm.

"I-I'm sure it was just some kind of test to see if you could get out... or something." She looked between the team and her gaze rested on Naruto. "So, what have you guys been up to?"

Naruto blinked and chuckled, scratching his head. "Well, you see, we had to fight Kakashi and take bells from him." He pointed a thumb at himself and smirked. "You should have seen me!"

"You probably were the one carrying the team, I bet." Natsumi giggled and winked. Sakura rolled her eyes as Sasuke scoffed.

Kakashi chuckled. "He actually managed to come up with a somewhat decent strategy... when he didn't foolishly walk into traps."

Natsumi stifled another giggle as Naruto stuck out his lip and furrowed his brows, pointing at the Jonin suddenly.

"Admit it! I almost had you!"

"Naruto, you weren't even close!" Sakura scolded and then sighed. _"Although, you did better than me."_

"Hmph!" Naruto scowled and then grasped Natsumi's shoulder. "At least Natsumi believes in my skill."

He turned to his twin, who stood completely rigid and pale. "H-Huh? Natsumi?"

Natsumi's eyes fell on his hand that grasped her left shoulder and a small, squeaking scream spilled from her lips. Kakashi's eyes fell on her knowingly and he raised a hand.

"Hey, Naruto... You should probably let go."

"Why?"

Natsumi trembled as the scream dragged on in almost a whisper.

"Because it appears that she has an injury from her training earlier, and you're aggravating it."

Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly released her arm. Her scream stopped, but her face was still ghostly pale as she held a hand over the area where her jacket hid the bandaged tattoo.

"T-Thanks..."

"I-Injured?!" Naruto gulped and watched her expression carefully. "Are you alright?! Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Natsumi shook her head slowly, breathing out as the tattoo stung. "N-No. Sena already patched me up, and it wasn't that serious. I just have to be careful with it until it heals."

"Are you sure?" Naruto frowned, crossing his arms as he titled his head to the side.

"I'm sure." Natsumi forced a smile and laughed awkwardly. "Although, please avoid touching my arm until it heals. It feels like... I've been stabbed. Thousands... of times."

"T-That... t-that... doesn't make me feel any better!" Naruto clenched his fists and shot her a look. "How did you even get an injury anyway?!"

"Sparring a Jonin." Natsumi answered in a murmur and the other Genin turned to look at her as Kakashi watched.

"You what?" Sakura stared at her in disbelief.

"Did you win?" Naruto started to smile and Natsumi laughed again, fiddling with the bottom of her jacket.

"Well, obviously not, since I was injured." She smiled faintly through the half-truth. "Although I did land one strike, but that was mostly luck."

Naruto's eyes widened and he grasped her shoulders. "Woah! My sister is so cool! When did that happen?"

Natsumi clenched her teeth and gently removed his hand from her left shoulder. "I-It was just a fluke. After that one hit, my Chakra was depleted and I fainted." She shrugged. "That's not very impressive."

Sasuke looked the redhead over and met her eyes, remaining quiet.

"B-But... you actually managed to hit a Jonin?" Sakura watched her nod. _"She's even scarier than I already thought she was! Even if it was a fluke... I couldn't even get close to Sensei like that..."_

"It was really nothing impressive." Natsumi blushed. "All I did was scratch her, and I overexerted myself just doing that. It's pretty embarrassing to think about."

Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets and looked between the twins. _"If that's the case... then she must be at my own level or close to it... and an entirely different caliber than Naruto."_

"You'll have to tell me about it, later, okay?" Naruto grinned and nudged her, carefully avoiding her arm.

"I don't really remember it very well. Sena says that can happen with Chakra exhaustion, but I'll be back to normal in a few days, so don't worry." She let out a short breath and smiled. "Anyway..." Natsumi stuck her hands into her pocket. "Sena and Kiri wanted to try Ichiraku's sometime, so I was thinking we could go tonight with them if that's alright with you?" She eyed the rest of Team Seven. "Unless... you had plans with your Teammates?"

His mouth watered and his expression perked up. "Of course, we'll go! I'll never say no to Ramen! Let's go!"

Natsumi looked back to the team and then shook her head after a moment. "Actually... we can go tomorrow. You should really spend the rest of today with your team. After all, you'll need to be close to each other to work best together."

Naruto's smile faltered and he crossed his arms. "H-Huh? Are you sure? You could come with us."

She shook her head again and waved her hand. "I'm sure! I don't want to get in the way of team bonding anyway. There's plenty of chores for me to catch up on back at home that I've been putting off."

"Are you sure?" Sakura watched her carefully. _"That look of hers... it seems like... she's lying?"_

"Of course." Natsumi smiled at Naruto and ruffled his hair. "I'll see you later, alright?" She looked at the other Genin and waved. "Bye, Sakura. Bye, Emo."

"H-Hey, Natsumi—" Naruto reached out to stop her, but she disappeared quickly with the Body Flicker Technique. He blinked and lowered his arm slowly.

Kakashi turned slowly and began to walk. "Why don't we get lunch?"

"Alright!" Sakura stretched her arms above her head and followed Kakashi. Naruto stood in place, thinking, and she tugged on his sleeve. "Come on, Naruto."

He blushed faintly and looked at her before nodded. "Right..."


	20. Chapter 18: Little Brother

Natsumi touched down on a side street and began to walk with her hands in her pockets to pass the time until she spotted a familiar face at an empty park. Konohamaru stared intently at a target he had drawn onto a tree and was throwing Shuriken in practice. She smiled faintly and walked quietly over, so as not to disturb him. After some time, he shuffled over to collect his Shuriken to begin again, freezing in place as he realized he was being watched.

"Neesan!" He stammered and dropped several Shuriken, lifting his feet to avoid them. He collected them off of the ground and blushed slightly and smiled at her. "H-How long have you been there?"

"Only a few minutes." She smiled and stepped closer. "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

His blushed deepened and he chuckled. "W-Well..." He pulled out the bathroom pass from his pocket and held it up to her, grinning. "I'm not skipping, I'm just taking a really long time in the bathroom." His expression fell and he lowered his arm slowly. "You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

Natsumi laughed and ruffled his hair. "No, of course not! It's not as if you're goofing off, anyway. You're really diligent with your training, you know that? I'm proud of you."

He averted his eyes, smiling as he scratched his cheek. "T-Thanks, Neesan."

Konohamaru placed the pile of Shuriken on the grass beside him and looked up at her. "So, what are you doing here? I thought you and Naruto were both real Ninja now?"

Natsumi shrugged and sat cross-legged in the grass, off to the side. "I was... training this morning with my new teammates and accidentally overexerted myself. I'm okay, but they told me to take the rest of the day off just in case."

Konohamaru held a Shuriken carefully in his hand, looking at the target, and then throwing it. It missed, landing on the grass in front of the tree and he sighed deeply.

"Shouldn't you be at home resting then?" He tilted his head to look at her, and she only giggled.

"If I'm at home, I'm reminded of all the chores I have to do but am procrastinating to finish." She sighed and crossed her arms. "And then, after a while of stewing, the guilt will finally eat me up until I clean up. I'm not ready for that yet."

Konohamaru picked up another Shuriken as he made a face. "I really hate chores, too, but the Old Man always makes me do them."

"I wouldn't mind them so much if Naruto helped out more." Natsumi smiled as she watched him practice. "But, as it stands, Naruto is a complete slob, and I'm the one trying to keep our home from turning into a dump. It's a never-ending struggle!" She held up her arms in frustration and then dropped them again with a sigh, drawing her legs in close to her chest. "Sometimes I feel like more of a maid than his sister. I wonder if something happened to me if he would even miss me?"

Konohamaru missed again, then turned to her with his eyes wide and his fist clenched. "N-No way! Neesan, there's no way that he could just forget you! You're so cool and so nice..." He blushed faintly. "And a really great sister, too!"

She blinked and laughed out loud until her eyes watered and she wiped he tears away. His body relaxed and he looked at her strangely.

"Neesan...?"

"S-Sorry." She giggled and wiped another tear away, beaming up at him. "But, when you said that, it made me really happy." Natsumi let out a breath, leaning back and looking up at the sky. "I've been feeling so tense lately for some reason, so I guess I've just haven't been acting like myself. But," she looked back at him. "I feel a lot better now. Thanks, Konohamaru."

He rubbed his head with a grin. "I didn't do anything... but you're welcome."

Natsumi stood and plucked a Shuriken from the grass, twirling it around a finger as she approached him.

"Do you want me to help you? Not that you're doing poorly, but because your technique is a little off. If you practice the wrong way, though, it will become a habit that you'll never be able to break."

"Really?" He broke into a large smile and stared up at her. "You'll help me?"

"Of course!" She patted his hand and took a stance. "Watch me, first." Bringing her arm back, she eyed the target, exhaling softly as she brought the Shuriken forward, releasing it and it raced toward the target, hitting the exact center.

Konohamaru's eyes widened and he pumped his fist into the air. "That was awesome, Neesan!"

Natsumi smiled and plucked another Shuriken from the pile and handed it to him. "Alright, now show me your stance, first."

He nodded and obeyed, and Natsumi pressed her lips together and she looked him over, then gently shifted his feet to the proper angle.

"You're only off by a little bit, but to maximize your speed and power, you need to be as efficient as possible. This way, you'll have less wasted energy, and you can use your whole body fluidly in the right stance. You'll also risk straining yourself less if you do it properly."

He nodded as he listened and she pushed on his shoulder, tipping him slightly.

"Gaah!" He recovered and made a face. "What was that for?!"

"Sorry!" She held up her hands. "I was just testing your balance. You're putting too much weight on your front foot and making your body rigid. Try to evenly distribute your weight, and keep your muscles relaxed until you need them. You'll wear yourself out otherwise."

_"Oooh."_ He adjusted his stance, then looked at her. "Like this?"

Natsumi poked his torso, then nudged his shoulder again. When he remained upright, she smiled. "Yup! Just like that." She moved to his other side to gently move his throwing arm. "Even though you're keeping your arm relaxed, you have to also keep your movements consistent and straight. Following through is also important."

She demonstrated with an imaginary Shuriken, pretended to throw, and then held the pose. "See? I tense up my muscles the moment before I throw. You've already got the wrist movement down, so you just have to adjust how you keep your arm. You try."

She stepped back and he narrowed his eyes at the target, exhaling as he followed her instructions and threw the weapon. It landed on the out edge of the circle, and his eyes widened and he leapt into the air.

"Yeah! I did it!"

"Great job!" She wrapped him in a hug and held him out at arm's length. "See? You were only a little off before, but those little adjustments really make a difference, right?"

Konohamaru nodded. "But my aim is still really bad, though. It's nowhere near the center."

"So what?" She shrugged. "Accuracy takes practice, but you already have the most important skill you'll need to master it."

"I... do?" He blinked.

"Determination!" She poked the tip of his nose and giggled. "When I was your age, I wasn't that great at throwing Shuriken, either. But I never gave up, no matter how frustrated I got, and I train every day so I'll never get rusty. You're already better than I was, Konohamaru. So, don't feel discouraged."

His cheeks warmed and he grinned ear-to-ear. "Really?"

"Really. I was bad at everything when I was your age and I was a real crybaby. But, I had a lot of motivation, and that always kept me going." She ruffled his hair. "I know you're going to be a great Shinobi someday. Probably even better than me."

"Neesan... do you really mean that?"

She nodded. "And, if you manage to beat Naruto and become Hokage, then I'll want your autograph, alright?"

"Heh." He put his hands on his hips and chuckled. "Of course. Once I'm Hokage, I'll have a lot of fans, and I won't let anyone down."

"As long as you don't forget about your friends, okay?" Natsumi giggled. "I'd like some of the cool benefits of being the Hokage's friend."

"F-Friend?" He blushed.

"Hm?" Natsumi laughed under her breath awkwardly. "Well, I hope that you consider me a friend, anyway. You're really fun to be around."

"O-Of course!" He beamed at her. "But only if I'm your friend, too!"

"It's a deal." She held out her hand to shake, and he took it after a moment.

"Now," She put her hands on her hips. "You have to get back to class, alright? I don't want Lord Third to scold me if he found out that I helped you play hooky."

Konohamaru groaned and pouted, crossing his arms. "Aw man..."

Natsumi smiled and crossed her own arms as he pouted. "How about just one more throw, then? Let's end on a good note."

His eyes brightened and he grabbed a Shuriken happily. "Yeah! I'll show you how good I am!"

She knelt beside him and kept a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, so my last tip is something that I do, so listen carefully."

He nodded and listened eagerly.

She tapped the Shuriken in his hand. "Don't just think of the Shuriken as a tool. Imagine it as an extension of yourself." She paused. "You're not just throwing a piece of metal at a target, but imagine that a piece of you stays with it once it leaves your hand. Feel the wind in your hair as it flies at the target. Imagine directing it exactly where you need it to go. It might just be a ninja tool, but it's more valuable than that. When it comes down to it, this one little Shuriken may be your last hope in defending someone that you care about or saving your own life. There's nothing unimportant about that."

She flushed and held up her hands, shrugging. "That must sound silly, sorry..."

"No, it's not!" He took a ready stance and gripped the Shuriken between his thumb and forefinger. "So, I just imagine that I'm the Shuriken?"

"Well, not exactly. But, imagine that it's an extension of yourself. You're in control, and if you have the confidence, you'll never miss."

He focused on the target and Natsumi took a step back.

"Take your time." She murmured. "Take a moment to connect with the Shuriken if you have to. Feel its weight in your hand. Establish the connection. Then, when you feel ready, throw."

Konohamaru closed his eyes, breathing slowly and then opened his eyes, throwing the Shuriken at the target with a spirited shout. It wobbled midair and hit the center of the target, bouncing off. He gaped in horror and clutched his head as he cried.

"Nooo! I did exactly what you said!"

"Hey, hey..." She put her arm around him and poked his cheek. "You didn't miss, you know."

"H-Huh?" He sniffed and wiped his eyes, meeting hers. "But it bounced off."

"Maybe so, but you still hit the middle." She grinned. "That still counts."

His eyes widened and he looked between her and the target. "I-I did? It does?!"

Natsumi nodded. "It definitely does. Keep practicing just like that, and it will stick in the tree every time."

She stood and kept her hand on his head, fluffing his hair. "Alright, we need to get you back to the Academy."

"But—" Konohamaru sighed deeply, interrupting himself. "Alright... But I wish you were my teacher instead of Four-Eyes."

Natsumi laughed and helped him to collect the Shuriken. "As arrogant or obnoxious as he is, he's still a well-qualified teacher. Even if the way he teaches might be annoying, it's still important to learn from him and do your best."

"I know." He stuffed the pouch of Shuriken into his pocket and sighed again.

"After all, the Hokage is someone who has to be able to learn from and deal with anyone, even if they're obnoxious, so think of it as part of your training, too."

Konohamaru chuckled and nodded. "You always know exactly what to say, Neesan. You should be a Sensei one day. You'd be good at it."

"Me?" Natsumi blinked and shook her head. "No, I don't think that I'd be a very good teacher. Most kids are brats, ya know."

He crossed his arms. "Am I a brat, too?"

She winked and began to walk in the direction of the Academy with him following closely. "The brattiest."

"Heh." He rubbed his nose and they shared a laugh.

"Konohamaru?"

Natsumi watched him walk a with his arms crossed above his head, reminding her of Naruto.

"Yeah, Neesan?" He kept his eyes ahead but looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"I don't think I want to be friends anymore."

He stopped walking and his mouth hung open. "W-What?! Why?!"

Natsumi giggled and put her hands in her pockets. "Yeah. I've decided that you're going to be my little brother instead."

His eyes widened and he blushed deeply. "B-brother?"

"If that's okay with you, I mean." She smiled and he nodded after a moment, and she giggled. "Good. Because I already decided anyway."

They started to walk once more and Konohamaru kept quiet for a few minutes before looking at her.

"...Neesan?"

"Hm?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Can I... hold your hand?" His face was flushed a deep red and Natsumi giggled.

"Of course." She grasped his hand and looked ahead, swinging their arms gently as they walked. "Niichan."


	21. Chapter 19: Kuma

Sena rapped on the top of Nasumi's head softly with her knuckles and the girl blinked, quickly sitting up as her eyes refocused.

"W-What?" Natsumi rubbed her eyes, then her temples. "Sorry, I don't know when I started to zone out."

Sena smiled and sat across from her at the table. "The lesson's over now. Everyone else left."

Natsumi groaned and smacked her forehead and saw Aia watch her from the front of the room as she began to pack up the lesson's materials.

"Sorry, Sena." Natsumi mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. We've been at it for hours. You need a break." Sena held up her hand to whisper. "Besides, Aia's teacher voice can be a little monotone."

"Are you bad-mouthing my teaching again?" Aia put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Sena, though she smiled faintly.

Sena laughed and waved her hand. "Me? I'd never. I was just telling her that we should take a break."

Aia finished putting everything away and then nodded, looking at Natsumi. "Burnt out from all the studying?"

She nodded slowly. "There's so much to learn... I thought I'd already learned everything I'd need at the Academy, but I was wrong."

"Don't feel bad." Sena helped her to a stand. "You're doing really well, actually."

"I am?" Natsumi sighed. "I don't feel like I am."

"Trust us; you are." Aia agreed. "It's only been a few weeks since you joined and you're about ten percent of the way through the course. Most new recruits learn much slower, but you're doing consistently well and at a fast pace."

"I bet you've been studying at home, right?" Sena leaned against the table, resting her palms on the edge, and met her eyes. "You look like you've been barely sleeping."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she glanced downward for a moment. "Well..."

"I know you really want to impress everyone, but it's just as important to take care of yourself and get plenty of rest as it is to learn the material." Aia held up a finger, resting her other hand on her hip matter-of-factly.

"It's not that I want to impress anyone..." Natsumi sighed again. "Even though that's partially true... I just want to catch up as quickly as I can so that I'm not the newbie anymore. I don't want to hold the team back because I'm not on the same level."

The older girls shared a look and Aia stepped closer, ruffling her hair.

"You're not holding anyone back, so don't think that way."

"But... we haven't gone on any real missions yet." Natsumi put her hands in her pockets to fiddle with a loose string in its hem. "Until I finish all my training, we've just been running exercises."

"Well, that's a little true." Sena slid herself onto the table, sitting with her legs dangling off the edge. "But, most missions _don't_ require a full team, either. A three-man-squad is sufficient for most missions and intelligence-gathering. If the entire squad is acting all at once, then there's something big going on."

"But—"

Sena shook her head and cut her off. "No buts. You're doing a great job so far, and I don't want to hear you say another word about how you're holding anyone back."

"Because you're not." Aia grinned and finished her sentence.

Natsumi crossed her own arms and pressed her lips together, but she couldn't help but smile. "Alright, if you say so."

"If it makes you feel any better," Aia lowered her voice to a whisper and looked between Sena and Natsumi. "I overheard the Hokage briefing the Captains a few days ago. There's a big mission coming up, and there's a strong chance that Team Yoru will be the ones chosen to carry it out."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "R-Really? A real mission?"

She nodded. "But you didn't hear it from me, alright? It doesn't leave this room."

Sena and Natsumi nodded their heads in unison, and Aia continued. "I didn't hear much, but there's a clan who has supposedly begun working for a rival Daimyo."

"Traitors?" Sena's eyes narrowed and her expression became serious.

"It's only a speculation for now, based off of an anonymous tip, but if it's true, it could be _very_ bad. That's why soon, one team is going to be selected to investigate further and find hard evidence." Aia paused, her face falling into an identical expression. "And if the investigation reveals that more clans are in on this betrayal, then it could mean that another country is plotting to attack the Land of Fire."

"You mean... there'd be war?" The word chilled Natsumi's blood and both girls nodded after a moment.

"It could be that they're just acting as spies, but that in and of itself is a problem." Sena drummed her fingers on the table softly. "Even seemingly useless information such as crop yields could be bad in the hands of our enemies."

"...Because they could choose to attack if we were experiencing food shortages and were weaker?" Natsumi asked slowly.

"That's exactly right." Aia answered. "We'd have to put an end to the flow of information to prevent anything serious from happening."

"How would we do that? Tell the Daimyo?"

"It's an extremely delicate situation." Sena explained. "I'm sure the Hokage has already sent messengers to alert the Daimyo, but for the Lord to respond openly to this could trigger a war outright." She shook her head. "It's up to the ANBU to deal with things like this quietly. It avoids larger conflicts from arising."

"Quietly?" Natsumi looked between them and her stomach began to twist into knots.

"Investigate without being caught, confirm if the intel was correct, and then cut the head off the snake." Aia said simply.

_Cut the head off the snake?_ Shegulped and whispered. "Kill the traitors, you mean."

They nodded and acid burned in her throat. _I don't want to kill anyone... I'm glad that I'm just intelligence gathering._

"But, I wouldn't worry about it for now." Sena's smile returned and she met the girl's eyes. "It could just as easily be that whoever sent the tip was incorrect and that those people are innocent. Either way, that's why we investigate first."

Natsumi bit my lip and exhaled. _That doesn't really help me feel any better. If the information is right, that still means that people have to die. But... I agreed to carry out all missions... I can't back out or refuse..._

"Come on, Natsumi, let's get your mind off of the lesson and move onto something else."

She blinked and stares at Aia. "You used..."

"Your name?" She smiled and shrugged. "It's just us, and, besides, everyone in the village knows you. There's only two Uzumaki in the village, and only one red-haired little girl that looks like you. Codename or not, we know who you are."

"Oh." Natsumi pressed her lips together. _Well, this is kind of awkward..._

"My real name is Ahmya." Aia giggled. "Since we're friends, you might as well know it. Ahmya Nara. You already know Sena and Kiri."

Sena nodded. "And Ne's real name is Hana."

"She's my cousin." Aia nodded. "We both lost our parents, so we've grown up like sisters and were raised by our grandparents."

"Ahmya?" Natsumi smiled. "Your name is beautiful."

"Awww, you're so sweet!" She wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Can't...breathe..." Natsumi squeaked out and she let her go, then giggled.

"Sorry! You're just so adorable!" She giggled. "Come on, let's go find Aito and practice your swordsmanship."

"Aito?" Natsumi followed Sena and Aia through the doorway.

"That's Kuma's real name." Sena leaned over and whispered. Tarou is Benjiro, Tom is Matou, and Roshi is Enmei."

_Ahmya, Hana, Aito, Benjiro, Matou, Enmei..._ Natsumi sighed. "I just got used to the codenames. Remembering the real names is going to be tricky."

"Don't worry about it!" Aia waved her hand and winked at her. "None of us mind if you slip up at all or can't remember. It's a lot to take in at once."

"Just try not to slip around the Captain." Sena mumbled. "Yuuri's even nasty to her own son, but that's also just how she was raised. It's kind of sad."

Natsumi ran over the list of names in her mind to imprint them into her memory, then looked at Sena. "What's Jiro's real name?"

Her and Aia shared a look, then shrugged.

"To be honest, I don't think anyone knows, not even any of the Captains."

"He joined the ANBU at fifteen, just a few days after the village was attacked by the—" She stopped herself suddenly and avoided Natsumi's eyes.

"By the Nine-Tailed Fox." Natsumi answered, and she nodded.

"Uh... yeah." She started again slowly. "There wasn't an introduction given, and none of us have ever seen his face. We've been on the same team for a long time now, but we know nothing about him."

"Nothing?" Natsumi crossed my arms. "That seems... suspicious."

"Agreed." Sena walked closer to her, lowering her voice. "Even the Hokage doesn't seem to know much about him. He always gets tight-lipped when anyone asks, so I wonder who Jiro really is."

"The theory is that he's some kind of lower demon who was born from the death and destruction the Demon Fox caused."

A chill ran up Natsumi's spine and the three leapt. Jiro hissed in laughter, turning visible, and tilted his head as he looked between them.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not very ladylike to gossip, is it?"

Natsumi clenched her fists to control their trembling and looked at the masked man. "W-What do you want?"

He chuckled and straightened to his full height, raising his hands as he shrugged. "Who, me? I just wanted to spend some quality time with my teammates."

The girls shared a collective shudder.

"That's... nice." Aia squirmed in place. "But I think it's best if you got back to work."

"Oh, _fine, fine._" He chuckled again, turning invisible once more. "I know when I'm not wanted."

They shuddered again and listened carefully until his faint steps followed down the hall and away from them, then Sena put her arm around Natsumi and we began to walk again, faster than before.

"He really scares me." Natsumi admitted in a whisper.

"He scares all of us." Aia muttered back. "Even the Captain."

They found Kuma in just a few minutes, sparring with a face she recognized.

"Oh, hi Noboru!" Aia waved at the pair, who froze in place, looked at them, and then grinned.

They sheathed their Ninjato, wiped the sweat from their brows with small towels, and then approached the girls.

"Hey." Kuma looked at them, then met Natsumi's eyes. "All done with the boring lectures for today?"

"Hey!" Aia put her hands on her lips and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not that bad!"

Kuma cocked his head at her, staring unblinkingly until she crossed her arms and groaned.

"Jerks."

Natsumi stifled a laugh and waved at Noboru, who took a long drink of water before nodding at her.

"Hey there, Red. I see ya healed nicely."

She glanced down at her tattoo and a faint smile tugged the corners of her mouth up. "It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, in hindsight." She looked up at him and smiled more broadly. "Thanks again for doing it. I've really grown to like it."

"That's 'cause it suits you." Kuma reached over to ruffle her hair. "Are you ready for _my_ lesson? I promise it's not boring like _someone else's_."

Aia rolled her eyes and Sena and she held in a laugh.

"I think so."

"Aia! Chie!" The Captain barked down the hall and they all flinched.

Noboru chuckled under his breath, giving a sloppy salute before he muttered. "Good luck. Glad I'm not on your team."

"Yeah, yeah." Kuma crossed his arms and Noboru hurried away in time for Ayeka to call out again.

Natsumi dared to look at the end of the hall and saw her standing, watching them, with her arms crossed and her typical scowl on her face.

"I know you heard me! Come with me."

Kuma patted Sena's shoulder. "Good luck." He chuckled motioned to Natsumi with his head. "Come on. Better get started on training before she finds a reason to yell at us, too."

"Thanks for your support." Sena sighed and she began down the hall, giving Natsumi a small wave. "See you later."

"Bye, Natsumi." Aia whispered, faintly smiling before she followed Sena away.

"So, have you had any time to practice at home? Or have they been running you ragged with studying?"

Kuma stretched, and she copied.

"I've been doing it to myself, honestly." Natsumi admitted and copied his stretches, feeling the aches and tension from sitting in Aia's lecture melting away. "I want to catch up with everyone so I've been studying twice as hard."

Kuma cracked his neck, then his fingers, and then led her through a series of lower body stretches.

"That's fine and all, but being ANBU isn't just about brains."

"I know." She muttered and my cheeks flushed.

He laughed. "I'm not criticizing, I'm just saying that you should at least make it 50-50. The Ninjato is a special weapon and it takes a lot of time and energy to master."

They stood normally and he passed her a water bottle. "Take a few sips. It's best to stay hydrated when you train."

She did as he said, then set her bottle down carefully on an empty chair situated against the wall.

"Plus," He added with a grimace. "If you don't show enough improvement to make the Captain happy with me teaching, I'll get yelled at and she'll become your instructor instead. Definitely don't want that to happen."

Natsumi gulped at the thought and nodded. "Especially since she still hates me from my first day."

"Go ahead and run through your stances. I want to make sure you're getting your feet right. The wrong stance can throw you off, even if it's only a little bit off."

She obeyed again, carefully matching her breathing to the movements as he circled her, watching.

"_And_, I'm pretty sure she made her mind up about you before you even got here, so you can't really blame yourself for that. She's just... _malicious._"

"I'm glad you're my teacher instead." He motioned for Natsumi to freeze as he corrected her stance, then stepped back when he was pleased.

"Well, when it comes to the Ninjato, she and I are on equal terms. As unkind as she can be, she respects skill, so it was easy for me to convince her to let me lead your training." He winked. "Of course, my irresistible good looks also played a major role."

She giggled and stepped out of the final stance, and he nodded in approval.

"Nicely done. You may not have been practicing as much, but it seems that you're a natural. There are a few things about your stances to nit-pick, but you started to correct them on your own before I could, so that's good."

He smiled and waved his hand. "Run through the first Form for me, as much as you remember."

Nastumi finished quickly and he looked her over carefully with his lips drawn into a half-frown, and she sighed.

"Where did I mess up?"

Kuma smiled faintly and shook his head. "You know the moves completely and are getting better at making each movement precise. I don't have any complaints about your form."

He circled her for a moment and then stopped.

"Then... what's wrong?" Natsumi ran through the form in her mind. _I don't think I'm doing badly... am I?_

"You're distracted." He answered simply, only tapping on the blade of her Ninjato to knock it out of her hand.

Color warmed her cheeks and she retrieved her sword slowly. "Sorry."

"When was the last time you ate?" He sheathed his sword and she looked away and to sheath her own.

"...Yesterday." She admitted. "I was running late this morning, so I skipped breakfast. I didn't think it would be a problem..."

Kuma laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Skipping meals causes a drop in performance. You've got to take better care of yourself."

Natsumi nodded and he nudged her shoulder. "Let's go get lunch, and then once your stomach's settled, we can start again."

She looked up at him and blinked. "Are we allowed to leave like this?"

He laughed and put a hand on her shoulder, leading her out of the room and down the hall.

"Of course we can; We're not prisoners. I prefer to train outside anyway, and everyone knows it. Your mind's clearer in the open air and sunshine, and there are plenty of secluded spots that are perfect for training. I'll show you my best spots."

"Really? But, what if someone sees us in uniform?"

"You worry too much, Red." He led her into the locker rooms, opened her locker, and retrieved the black hooded cloak from the hook, and slipped it over her head. "See? No one can see the uniform now."

He pulled an identical cloak from his own locker and put it on. "It's not as if we're going on with our masks on, so no one will be the wiser."

"You're right; sorry." Natsumi sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"Two words: low blood sugar."

They shared a look and then she covered her mouth to muffle a laugh, and Kuma put his hands on his hips, screwing his face up.

"I... now realize my mistake."

Natsumi laughed louder, and he chuckled.

"Alright, alright; let's go get something to eat before the moodiness sets in."

She crossed my arms as we walked and pursed my lips. "I don't get moody when I'm hungry."

"Hm? Oh, I meant me." He winked and held open the door for her. "Ladies first."

Natsumi smiled and stepped outside, raising her hand to block the sudden bright onslaught and let out a long breath.

Kuma did the same, drawing in large breaths of fresh air and closing his eyes as the wind passed over his face.

"What'd I tell you? Being outside is so much better than being cooped up in there." He nudged her again and motioned for her to follow him. "So, what do you want to eat? I like food in general, so I don't have preferences, so you pick anything you want. It'll be my treat."

Natsumi crossed her arms and looked up at him from the corner of her eye, blushing faintly. "Uh... Kuma... won't it seem... _strange_ for us to be seen eating together?"

"Huh?" He met her eyes and then laughed. "If you're really that worried about anyone thinking that way, I can always pick something up and bring it to you."

"You don't have to go out of your way like that."

"Nah; you're probably right. Let me show you my favorite spot first, then I'll pick up lunch."

There was silence between them and her mind wandered until we emerged from the forest and she stopped and gaped at the landscape.

"Kuma! This is—"

He nodded and put his hand on his hip. "Final Valley."

The rushing of the waterfall was loud but soothing. The sky above us and around us was a brilliant, deep blue and, in full view, were the massive statues carved directly from the cliffs. Her eyes widened and she stepped closer to the edge to stare at the figures.

"This place is even more amazing in person!" Natsumi turned to Kuma, who was grinning at himself. "But, this isn't exactly a secret place."

He laughed. "I never said secret, did I? All I said was that it was secluded, which it is. No one comes here, and it's got perfect for training if you don't want anyone to just happen to come across you."

She turned back to the statues and nodded. "It's amazing."

"First time here?" He stepped beside her and admired the view.

"We learned about it briefly at the Academy, but I've never seen it in more than pictures."

"It's pretty awe-inspiring." He pointed to the figures. "You know who they are, I guess?"

"Of course I do." Natsumi crossed her arms and smirked faintly. "That's Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha— founders of the Hidden Leaf Village. They started as enemies, became allies and friends, and then became enemies again. We didn't learn many details about what exactly happened, though."

"I expected that." He pointed across the waterfall, to the Uchiha's side. "Remember, the land there belongs to the Land of Sound, so don't trespass, okay?" She nodded and he patted her head. "Alright, you get acquainted with the area and I'll grab some lunch."

He waved and flickered away, leaving her to listen to the rush of water.

"Wait... I never told him what I wanted..."Natsumi crossed her arms, pouting as her stomach growled loudly.

_I hope he picks something good. I'm really hungry now._

She took off her cloak, folding it over her arm as she walked closer to the waterfall and stood on top of Hashirama's head, taking in the view.

_This place really is amazing. I can see everything from here. Maybe I should bring Naruto here sometime._

She turned across the waterfall and stared at the dense forests there.

_I wonder what kind of place the Land of Sound is. They've only recently formed their Hidden village, but no one knows anything about it._ I crossed my arms and watched the shadow of a large bird circling over the trees. _I wonder what the people are like._

Natsumi sighed and sat cross-legged on the stone head as she waited.

_Maybe the people are all mute... _She imagined Shinobi using a signed language, and then shook her head. _No, that wouldn't work. Communicating in battle and using Jutsu would conflict with each other._

She sighed again and a small movement in the woods caught her eyes. For a split second, she thought I saw someone on the other side, watching her, but it was gone when she blinked.

_This is the border of their land... maybe they have regular patrols?_

Natsumi stood and drew my Ninjato and began to practice while she waited. After some time, Kuma flickered behind her.

"I'm back!" He grinned and held up two bags of carry-out.

Natsumi breathed the smells in deeply and smiled. "What did you get?"

"I'm glad you asked." He laid down his own cloak as a picnic blanket and started to set out the food. "Spicy curry, steamed vegetables, and sushi for me... and for you..."

He passed her two containers and she gently took them, placing them in front of her and opening them up.

"I-Ichiraku?!" Her eyes widened and she beamed. "How did you know it was my favorite?"

"I overheard you talking to Kiri and Sena about it." He shrugged and began to eat, humming and moaning softly as he savored each bite.

She cracked open the pair of chopsticks and dug in, slurping the noodles happily. "Thanks, Kuma. This is great."

He smiled with his cheeks puffy and stuffed, then swallowed. "No problem." He chewed another bite and then watched her eat. "You can call me Aito, you know. It's just us."

She nodded and swallowed the noodles in a satisfying gulp. "R-Right, sorry. I've gotten so used to the codenames."

"No worries, Red." He winked and pointed to her second box. "Aren't you curious to see what I got you for a dessert?"

"Dessert?" She peeked inside and smiled broadly. "Dango!"

"Am I good, or what?" He raised his eyebrows a few times, wiggling them at her before he continued eating.

Natsumi giggled and took a small bite of the dessert. "You're so weird."

He laughed and placed a hand dramatically on his chest. "Me? Weird?"

She nodded. "When I first met you, I thought you'd be tougher and more serious, but you're just... goofy."

"Goofy?" He scoffed. "How?"

She shrugged. "You're like a kid sometimes."

He rolled his eyes but chuckled. "Alright, maybe a little. But, in my defense, acting serious all the time can get really annoying."

After a few minutes, he was finished eating and she was done with her ramen and only starting on the dessert. Kuma sat with one leg bent and he leaned back and watched her.

"So, now that you're not hungry anymore, do you want to talk about what's really on your mind?"

Natsumi swallowed the bite and looked at him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

He smiled faintly and pointed at her. "The zoning out all day, skipping breakfast, running late, your expressions... all indicate that there's something bothering you. What's up?"

She let out a long sigh and rested her hands in her lap. "Well... I'm worried about Naruto."

He nodded, and she continued. "I'm not used to spending so much time away from him, so I wonder if he's doing okay. He's been so busy lately with his team that sometimes he comes home late and goes straight to bed, instead of eating. We used to talk a lot before bed, but it seems so lonely lately."

"There's more to it, though."

She pursed my lips. "How can you tell?"

"Your eyes. I can tell that you're holding back."

"Fine..." She took another bite of dessert, chewing slowly. "I'm also worried about his teammates."

"Yeah?" He sat up straighter and rested his arm on his knee. "What about them?"

"He's got Sakura, the girl he has a crush on, as a teammate..."

Kuma chuckled. "Lucky guy."

Natsumi shook her head. "..._But_ she likes someone else, and she's horrible to Naruto. I've had to step in before when she was hitting him, and I hate the way she talks to him and about him. I can't trust her to have his back on a mission if that's how she treats him regularly."

"What about the other one?"

Natsumi scowled and took another bite, chewing angrily. "Sasuke Uchiha." I muttered.

He blinked. "The Uchiha kid?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He's arrogant and aloof, and he barely acknowledges anyone around him. When he does, he always says something really condescending, and he prefers to act alone and thinks that his teammates get in his way. I can't trust him to have Naruto's back, either. He's _also_ the one that Sakura likes."

She huffed. "I don't want to say that the Hokage made a mistake, but I don't know what he was thinking to put those three together. I don't see how they could make a good team at all."

"You'd be surprised, actually." Kuma shrugged. "After all, we all hate Jiro and feel like he's just waiting to slit our throats in our sleep, but, on a mission, I trust him with my life." He laughed awkwardly. "There's absolutely no chemistry between us, but he always comes through when duty calls, and, as bloodthirsty as he is, he's proven himself to be loyal."

Natsumi shuddered at the mention of him.

"So, if I can trust Jiro to have my back on missions, maybe it's like that for the Uchiha kid, too."

She sighed and nodded. "Maybe you're right. I just... feel so helpless now." She chewed up the last bite, then neatly set the empty containers off to the side.

"Helpless?"

Natsumi nodded again and drew her legs close to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"My entire reason for wanting to become a strong Kunoichi was so that I could look after Naruto the way he's looked after me. But now..."

"It's up to his team to fill that role." He finished her sentence and she sighed deeply.

"I don't know how to stop feeling so _irrelevant_. Naruto and I used to be so close, but I feel like we're drifting apart, and I don't like it."

"Are you sure it's not just in your head?"

She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Maybe you're just afraid of losing that bond with your brother that your subconscious is perceiving everything in an exaggerated way."

Natsumi opened her mouth and shut it again. _Is that what's happening?_

"Sure, you're both busy now, on very different paths, but you're fixating on the negatives of how your role has changed. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Try embracing the change." He shrugged again and took a long drink of water. "It takes a while to settle into the ANBU, but, if you let yourself, you'll enjoy it."

She rested her chin on her knee and looked over at him. "Don't you feel like you're missing out on some things that a regular Shinobi gets to do, though?"

"Sometimes, I guess." Now empty, he crushed the water bottle into a ball and stuck it into the takeout bag. "I got to do the Chunin exams with Benjiro and Hana, the same as everyone else our age did, but sometimes I do wonder what it would be like to train my own Three-man squad."

Natsumi's eyes wandered down to the stone and he put a hand on her head. _I thought so..._

"You'll never be happy in any role if you're always thinking of the what-ifs or comparing yourself to other people. Team Yoru is like your extended family now. Nothing and nobody will ever replace your brother, and the same goes for him. You'll always need each other, but in different ways as you grow up. It's normal."

Natsumi nodded and watched his expression as he spoke.

"Aito?" His eyes stayed ahead. "Do you have a brother, too?"

The corner of his mouth twitched in a faint smile, but his eyes remained fixed on the landscape, almost glassy.

"A sister." He blinked and his expression lifted and he met her eyes. "You remind me of her, Natsumi."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Really? I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah." He laughed under his breath. "Ten years older, exactly. I was born on her birthday. She was always bugging me, nagging me, and being overprotective of her _baby _brother."

His tone shifted and he looked out at the horizon again.

"But..." Natsumi paused and exhaled slowly. "Something happened to her?"

He remained silent for a while, then answered softly.

"She and her husband were ANBU, too. It's a dangerous job, where even the best people can die sometimes. They were no exception." He paused. "Not just them, but our parents, too. So, it was just me left, with my baby nephew and her in-law's clan."

Her eyes fell and he shrugged.

"It wasn't all bad, though. They took me in and I'm grateful for it. I just wish that I hadn't wasted so much time with my sister picking fights or complaining every time she tried to coddle me. I miss it."

"I'm sorry." Her stomach sunk.

"Don't be. Their sacrifice wasn't in vain, and they're the reason why I joined up. One day, I'm going to find the bastards that killed them, and make them pay."

"What are you going to do after that?"

"Haven't decided yet." He smiled and shrugged. "I actually like the being in the ANBU, though."

"You do? Even as an assassin?"

"As long as it helps the village, it doesn't bother me. I've never been squeamish."

"Oh." Natsumi drew her legs in closer.

"It's definitely not for everyone, though." He copied her, resting his arms on his knees as he watched her. "Why did you join?"

"For Naruto." Natsumi answered slowly. "The Hokage told me that it was dangerous for him. If he goes on missions and becomes more known, he could be targeted by people who want the—"

She stopped and remembered the Hokage's rule.

"Demon Fox?" Kuma winked. "I don't give a damn about the rule, and he's your brother, so you can speak freely."

Natsumi giggled and he glanced up at the large bird that still circled overhead, then back to her.

"So, you joined to protect Naruto?"

Natsumi nodded.

"Being ANBU, I knew that there would be a lot of secret information that I would have access to. So, I thought that, if I was able to find out about anyone looking for Naruto, and helped to stop them before they could act, I could protect him that way."

"You remind me of Asahi." He patted her head. "She always thought of everyone else first." He lowered his hand to rest on the stone beside him. "What do you want to do later on, though? The ANBU lifestyle isn't very conducive for family life, and it's rough on the body and mind. It's not a career that you can grow old in, either. You either age out, or you are killed in action."

"I don't know." She bit my lip. "I never planned on joining the ANBU in the first place, and I'm terrible at thinking long-term. I was thinking that everything would just... happen if it was meant to be. All I know is that I want to help Naruto achieve his dream, and to help people see him for the good heart he has, instead of as a demon. I haven't thought of anything else."

"Well, you've got plenty of time to figure it out." He stood and held out a hand for her, and helped her up. "In the meantime, what do you say about starting the lesson over?"

Natsumi nodded and helped to clean up their lunch, following him over to a large open area on the flat ground, and unsheathed her Ninjato.

"Are you ready? From this point on, I'm going to be tougher on you. If you want to be stronger to protect the people you love, there are no shortcuts."

They took a ready stance, exhaled slowly, and Natsumi narrowed my eyes.

"I know. I'm ready."


	22. Chapter 20: To The Land of Waves Pt 1

"Sasuke here at Point B!" Sasuke whispered into his communication device from his position behind a tree.

"Sakura here at Point C!" Sakura whispered.

There was a long pause before Naruto spoke.

"Naruto here. I'm at Point A!"

"You're slow, Naruto!" Kakashi chided quietly from his own hiding place. "Alright, Squad Seven..." He paused. "Hm? The target has moved!"

A dark blur darted away into the trees.

"Follow it!" Kakashi whispered his order and the three Genin carefully converged on the location.

"Alright! It's over there!" Naruto drew closer to the target and peered at it from his new location.

Sakura and Sasuke joined him silently and remained still for a moment.

Kakashi covered his right ear and held the microphone to his mouth with his left. "What's your distance from the target?"

"Five meters. I can go anytime!" Naruto watched the target closely.

"I'm ready, too!" Sasuke said.

"Me, too!" Sakura added and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Okay..." Kakashi muttered, then paused. "Do it!"

The trio jumped out of hiding and Naruto grabbed the brown cat. It yowled and hissed in surprise, scratching at him.

"I got him!" Naruto shouted and held the cat tightly. It scratched at his face, hissing with its hackles raised and its tail puffed.

"Does he have the ribbon on his right ear...?" Kakashi asked. "Are you sure it's our target, Tora?"

"It's the target." Sasuke replied and turned away from the scene as the cat attacked his teammate. "No mistake."

"Alright, the mission to capture the lost pet Tora is complete!" Kakashi straightened and lowered his hand from his ear.

Naruto scowled as Sasuke took hold of the angry animal and he crossed his arms. "Isn't there a mission with a greater sense of urgency?!" He screeched into the microphone, causing an ear-splitting shriek into his teammates ears.

* * *

"Ohhh! My cute Tora! I was worried sick about you!" The fat woman rubbed her cheek against the cat as it struggled in her arms and attempted to escape again.

Naruto laughed to his himself and scratched his head as he watched the woman, muttering under his breath. "Serves him right, that stupid cat!"

"No wonder he ran away..." Sakura whispered and scratched her cheek.

"Now, then!" The Hokage held up a piece of paper and addressed the Genin from across the room. "The next mission for Kakashi's Squad Seven is..." He paused as he chewed on the end of his pipe. "An errand to the neighboring town to baby-sit the chief councilor's boy... helping with digging potatoes, eh..."

"Stop! No!" Naruto yelled and crossed his arms in front of him into an X. "No! No, thank you! As for me, I want to do a more exciting mission! Give us something else!"

_"He's got a point."_ Sasuke turned to look away from the noisy blond.

_"Man... He's such a pain!"_ Sakura stared at the back of Naruto's head with a scowl.

Kakashi sighed and his shoulder slumped. _"I thought it was about time for him to get fretful..."_

"You idiot!" Iruka's eye twitched and he stood, hitting his palms on the desk as he sat beside the Hokage, who adjusted his hat with a small sigh. "You're still a bottom-tier rookie! In the beginning, everyone moves up the ladder!"

"B-But!" Naruto yelled back. "It's been nothing but blah missions so far!"

Kakashi smacked the top of the blond's head with his fist, knocking to the ground and quieting him temporarily.

"Knock it off." Kakashi pocketed his hand and looked down at Naruto.

"Naruto!" Hiruzen called to him as he sat up and rubbed his head. "It seems it's necessary to explain to you what a mission is..."

Naruto looked up at the Hokage with a blink. "Huh?"

"Listen to me!" Hiruzen pulled the pipe from his mouth and released a tendril of smoke from his nostrils. "Requests pour into the village every day. They range from babysitting to assassinations..." He rested his pipe hand on the table before him and looked down at the various scrolls and paperwork laid out before him as he continued. "A wide spectrum of requests are recorded on the request list, then separated into A, B, C, and D ranks in order of difficulty. In the village, everyone below me is divided up by ability in the order of Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. We at the highest level distribute the requests as missions to Ninja who have abilities that suit said mission. And, if the mission is successful, the payment comes in from the client."

The Hokage glanced over at Madame Shijimi, who handed money to a clerk at another table before leaving the Hokage's office, smothering her cat with affection.

"Nevertheless, you guys have only just become Genin..." Hiruzen held up a black and green scroll labeled 'D.' "Rank D is the best you can do for now." He blinked at Naruto, who sat cross-legged on the floor with his back turned to the old man, talking to himself.

"Yesterday's lunch was pork-bone broth noodles, so today will be miso broth..."

"Listen!" The Hokage raised his voice at Naruto.

Kakashi looked down at his student with a sigh, scratching his head. "I-I'm sorry."

Naruto turned around and rested his fists on his knees as he remained on the floor. "_Man,_ you always lecture me, Old Man! But, I'm not that little prankster that you think I am! Hmph!"

Naruto made a face, then turned his back on the Hokage once more, stubbornly.

Kakashi sighed again, rubbing his head. _"Man, I'm going to get scolded later..."_

Iruka watched Naruto with a small smile on his face for a moment and the sound of someone clearing their throat softly interrupted them.

They turned and saw Natsumi standing in the back of the room with a faint smile on her face. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun with her bangs clipped out of her face and she wore a sleeveless black top and black pants.

"Sorry to interrupt." She stepped forward and produced a manila folder from behind her back. "But, Yuuri told me to bring this to you right away."

"Ah, Natsumi." The Hokage nodded as she approached and passed him the folder. "It's the report I requested." Nodding again, he placed the file under one of the stacks of papers in front of him. "Thank you."

Natsumi nodded and glanced at the mission request scrolls.

"Is there... anything else I could do until my next mission?"

Hiruzen chuckled and puffed on his pipe. "No need for that. I have your next assignment ready for you. There will be a briefing this evening."

Natsumi grinned. "Really?"

"I think you'll find this mission to be more stimulating than the ones you have been doing."

Her eyes widened and she gasped quietly. "You mean...! It's my first important job?!" She squealed with excitement and then clasped her hands over her mouth, blushing.

"Uh... I mean..." She bowed her head. "Thank you, sir."

He smiled at her and she turned to leave.

"Natsumi."

She stopped and looked at him, and he produced a small envelope from his robes.

"Your friend miss Itou has been busy with her duties at the hospital and has been unable to pick up her payment for her last mission. Could you bring it to her?"

Natsumi snapped to attention with her arms at her side. "Yes, sir! You can count on me!" She retrieved the envelope from him with a smile. "I'll get it to her right away!"

She turned to leave and Team Seven watched as she flickered away.

Naruto made a face and kept his arms crossed. "She didn't even acknowledge her own brother. And what's with that outfit?" He stuck out his lower lip and scrunched his face. "Hmph."

Turning his head, he saw her squatting beside him.

"Gah!"

Natsumi narrowed her eyes and pointed at him, whispering. "If you cause a racket and act ungrateful, he'll be even less likely to give you something good."

Naruto made a face and recrossed his arms. "Hmph!"

Natsumi stood and put her hands on her hips, then made a face at Sasuke, who met her eyes with a scowl.

"And you..." She pointed at him. "Stop being so grouchy. It's not cute."

She glanced at Sakura, speechless, and then laughed quietly and waved. "Bye!"

She ran out of the room and Sasuke's eyes followed her, widening slightly as he spotted the crimson tattoo on her left shoulder.

_"She has a tattoo?"_ He stuck his hands into her pocket and glanced down at Naruto. _"That fool didn't even seem to notice..."_ He turned to look back at the door. "_That symbol seems almost familiar... but where have I seen it before?"_

"Man, how come Natsumi gets an important mission but not me?" Naruto grumbled to himself.

The Hokage's eyes rested on the blond and he chuckled again. _"This kid who could only express himself with pranks before..."_ He sat straighter. "Okay, fine!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

"If you insist..." The old man continued with a slight smirk, and the other Genin's eyes open wider. "I'll have you do a Rank C mission... You'll be bodyguards for someone."

"Really?!" Naruto turned around, beaming. "A-ha! Who?! Who?! A feudal lord?! Or, a princess?!"

"Don't be so hasty." Hiruzen spoke with his pipe between his teeth. "I'll introduce you now!"

He glanced toward the door to the back of the room. "Could you please come in?"

The door slid open and an old man staggered in, scowling with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "What's this? It's just a bunch of damned squirts!" He took a long swig from the bottle and Naruto stood, blinking.

"Huh?"

The man leaned against the door frame and rested his hand on his hip. "Particularly you, the smallest one with the idiot face." He pointed at Naruto. "Are you really a Ninja?"

Naruto laughed loudly with his own hands on his hips. "Who's the smallest one with the idiot face he's talking about?"

Sakura and Sasuke both looked at him with a short sigh and he blinked again as they stood beside him.

"Eh?" He looked between them, evaluating their heights and then made a face. He lunged at the man but Kakashi grabbed the back of his collar as he scowled and struggled. "I'll kill him!"

"What good will it do to kill the old man you're supposed to be guarding, you moron?!" Kakashi scolded and kept tightly onto Naruto.

The old man took another drink and chuckled. "I'm Tazuna, veteran bridge builder. You'll be risking life and limb guarding me to the max until I return to my land and complete my bridge!"

* * *

Naruto stepped into the apartment and saw Natsumi reading a book while eating a cup of instant ramen. She glanced up at him with a smile.

"Oh, you're back? I thought you were getting a mission?"

Naruto sucked in a deep breath, smiling as the smell of ramen wafted into his nose. Then, he put his hand on his hip and scratched his cheek.

"The Old Man finally gave us something more important to do, but we have to guard some old guy."

"You have a bodyguard mission?" Natsumi turned the book upside-down and placed it on the table and smiled. "That sounds exciting."

Naruto crossed his arms and grunted. "The guy is some rude old geezer with a drinking problem." He turned to her as she drank the last of the broth. "Say, say, what was that about an important mission before? What do you have to do?"

Natsumi set the bowl down and pressed her lips together for a moment, then glanced at her shoulder briefly. _I really hope he doesn't see that! But if I put my jacket on now, it'll look suspicious..._

She rubbed the back of her neck and laughed quietly. "Well, if it's the mission I think it is, I think I'm just supposed to meet with someone and get some information or something. A file, maybe." She shrugged and watched his expression carefully. _I don't want to lie to him... I hope that's a good enough explanation._

"Hm? Information retrieval?" He stared back at her for a moment and then sighed. "Sounds boring. Too bad you can't come with me. We're going to the Land of Waves."

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stood quickly. "Y-You're leaving the village? You're going to another country?!"

"Huh?" He scratched his cheek again. "Y-Yeah. Is that a problem?"

Natsumi bit her lip, remembering what the Hokage had told her. _He has no clue! If he leaves the village and someone realizes who he is... his life will be in danger!_

"Natsumi?" Naruto stepped closer and leaned in to look at her. "What's wrong?"

She groaned softly and crossed her arms. "It's just..." She sighed and looked at him. "What if something goes wrong? What if you get hurt? You'll be too far away for me to help you." Her eyes wandered to the floor and watered. "What if... what if you don't make it home?"

He laughed and then pointed at himself. "What could go wrong? This is Naruto Uzumaki you're talking to!"

Natsumi bit her lip harder and drew her arms in closer. _That's what worries me, you dork!_

"Hey! Stop looking so serious!" He grinned and leaned forward at her. "Everything's gonna be fine!"

Natsumi sighed after a moment and looked up at him. "It'd better be." She pointed at him. "If something goes wrong, I'm going there to find you and kick your butt, got it?"

"Heh." Naruto rubbed his nose. "Okay, okay." He walked into the bedroom and began to pack a bag as his sister watched.

"Say..." He looked up at her after a moment. "Could you... heat me up some ramen? There's not much time before we're supposed to leave, and I've gotta pack."

Natsumi pouted for a moment and then smiled. "Sure, but on one condition."

"Hm? What is it?"

"You've gotta let me see you off." She put her hands on her hips. "Deal?"

Naruto laughed. "Deal!"

Natsumi smiled and returned to the kitchen, where she retrieved a cup of ramen and began to heat some water for him. As she waited, her face fell and a coldness settled into her chest.

_Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?_

* * *

Team Seven crossed the threshold of the Village gates with Tazuna, with Naruto walking in the lead. Natsumi walked beside him with her new jacket covering her tattoo, keeping quiet.

"All right!" Naruto stretched and turned around to look at the Village gates. "We're off!"

"What're you so excited about?" Sakura crossed her arms, then glanced at the redheaded twin beside him.

"You see, I've never left the village before!" Naruto looked around excitedly, and Natsumi bit her lip.

_There's a reason for that!_ She scolded in her head.

"Hey! Am I really okay with this squirt?!" Tazuna pointed at Naruto, and Natsumi narrowed her eyes at him.

Kakashi chuckled and Naruto's eye twitched as he overhead the comment.

"I'm a Jonin. I'll be watching him. There's no need to worry." Kakashi reassured.

_"Anyone but this old dude... man..." _Naruto crossed his arms bitterly and kept his back to him. _"He really is the worst client! I just want to tell him off!"_

"Hey, old man!" Naruto turned and pointed at Tazuna. "Don't be mocking Ninjas so much! I'm awesome, you see! I'm a super-elite Ninja who will be called Hokage one day! My name's Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it well!"

"Hmph." Tazuna sneered and took a drink from his bottle. "The Hokage's the super-top-dog Ninja in the village, right? You sure as hell don't seem like you could ever become the Hokage..."

"Aaah!" Naruto scowled. "Shut up! I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to become the Hokage! You'll have no choice but to acknowledge me then!"

"Heh." The man looked away. "I'll never acknowledge a squirt like you. Even if you become the Hokage!"

"What?!" Naruto clenched his fists and glared. "I'll kill you!" He lunged at Tazuna, held back by Kakashi once more.

"I told you to stop it, you moron!" Kakashi scolded.

"No! Just let me have at least one shot at him! Just one!"

"My brother isn't a squirt." Natsumi crossed her arms, unable to keep quiet any longer, and Tazuna looked at her. "He might seem goofy, but he's a capable Ninja. If you don't trust him, then you're a fool."

"Hmph." Tazuna narrowed his gaze at the redhead. "And who's this, anyway? What is she doing here?"

Naruto clenched his jaw, shouting and trying to escape Kakashi's grasp. "That's my sister, you crabby old geezer!"

"Sister, eh?" He eyed Natsumi again, who's gaze intensified. "She looks like a squirt, too."

Natsumi scowled and narrowed her eyes. "You watch it, you four-eyed old man. I'm nice, but I'm not a pushover. I have my limits."

"Hah!" He took another swig. "What're you gonna do, a squirt like you?"

"It takes approximately four kilograms of pressure to break a nose." Natsumi muttered darkly. "About eleven to snap an arm. Approximately two-hundred and thirty-five kilograms of pressure to crack a skull, and about five to ten minutes to bleed to death if your carotid artery is severed." She met his eyes without blinking. "I don't think you want to find out if I'm really capable of all that, though."

Naruto and Sakura paled as Natsumi spoke, and then Sakura gulped.

_"Yikes!"_

Sasuke watched her carefully, smirking slightly. _"A lot of big talk... especially since everyone knows how much of a crybaby she was."_

Kakashi blinked down at the girl, who smiled unusually sweetly and he patted her head.

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that. We'd better be off."

Natsumi blinked and smiled sweetly at the old man, who watched her with a new expression.

"Hm? Oh, alright." Natsumi waved her hand dismissively and laughed, then turned to Naruto.

"Well..." Natsumi took a small breath as Naruto blanked at her, still processing what she had said before. "I guess... this is as far as I can go."

"Don't you worry about a thing." Naruto crossed his arms above his head. "I'll be back before you know it! And then I'll tell you all about the mission! And you can tell me all about yours!"

Natsumi smiled weakly and gave a nod. "Y-Yeah..." She sighed and then hugged him tightly, holding him closely. He blinked in surprise, nearly blushing as he saw his teammates watching him, then hugged her back after a moment.

"You'd better come back in one piece." Natsumi sniffed, releasing him as she wiped her eye.

"I'll be fine!" He chuckled. "We're not kids anymore! You don't have to worry about me."

"You're still my brother." She put her hands on her hips. "So, that means I'm obligated to worry about you until we're old and wrinkly, and even then, I'll still worry about you."

She held up her pinky with a small smile. "Just... promise that you'll come back safely, okay? I don't want to be all alone."

He linked his pinky with hers the way they did so often as small children. "I promise! You be safe on your mission, too!"

"I will." She smiled and lowered her arm. She then looked back at the other two Genin and narrowed her eyes and pointed between them with her expression darkening. "If something happens to Naruto, I'm going to do to you two like I did to that kid, Michi, got it?!"

Sakura paled at the name, remembering when he'd been carried away from the Academy playground on a stretcher. She shuddered and laughed awkwardly. "Y-Yeah..." She gulped at Natsumi's expression. "_This vibe from her... she's seriously scary."_

Sasuke turned his head away with his hands in his pockets. _"She could try."_

Natsumi let out a long breath and looked up at Kakashi, who looked down at her.

"Look after this knucklehead for me, okay?" She glanced at Naruto, who made a face. "He might be obnoxious at times, but he's the only brother I've got, and I kind of like him."

Kakashi chuckled and bent to put her head. "I'll keep a close eye on him."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly. "T-Thank you." She stepped away and gave a wave. "Have a safe trip, then. Come back soon."

"Bye, Natsumi!" Naruto held his arm above his head as he waved. "See you soon!"

"Bye!" Natsumi waved back. "Don't have too much fun without me!"

She watched as they group left and she stood rooted in place until she could no longer see their figures down the road anymore. Then, she clutched the hem of her jacket and began to cry quietly.

_Naruto... Please be safe!_


	23. Chapter 21: To the Land of Waves Pt 2

A hawk screeched overhead as Team Seven walked beneath the hot afternoon sun.

"Say..." Sakura looked over at the old man. "Mr. Tazuna?"

"What is it?" He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Your country is "The Land of Waves," right?"

"What of it?"

Sakura looked at Kakashi. "Say, Kakashi-sensei..." The Jonin looked at her. "Are there Ninja in that land, too?"

"No, there aren't Ninja in the Land of Waves... But in other nations, while cultures and customs are different, hidden villages exist, and there are Ninja there."

"To the many nations on the continent," Kakashi explained. "The existence of Shinobi Villages is a measure of the nation's military strength. In other words, that is how these nations maintain their relationships with neighboring nations."

Kakashi paused and slipped one hand into his pocket as he walked. "Even so, the villages are not under the control of the nations. They are equal in rank. On a small island like the Land of Waves, where it is difficult to be influenced by other nations, there is no need for a Shinobi Village."

"Among the respective nations that possess a Shinobi Village, the five nations of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Earth— due to their large territory and immeasurable power, are called the Five Great Nations." He looked over his students, who each watched him and listened. "The Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire, the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water, The Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind, and the Hidden Rock Village in the Land of Earth. Only the leaders of each of these Hidden Villages are allowed to have the title of Kage; the Shadow."

"The Hokage- Fire Shadow, Mizukage- Water Shadow, Raikage- Lightning Shadow, Kazekage- Wind Shadow, Tsuchikage- Earth Shadow; the so-called Five Shadows reign supreme over tens of thousands of Ninja in each nation of the whole world."

"Eh?!" Sakura's eyes widened. "No kidding... Lord Hokage is really that incredible?" She smiled, masking her true thoughts. _"I wonder if that blah old man is really that incredible... Seems fishy!"_

Naruto crossed his arms and scrunched his face in thought as he remembered the Hokage's reaction to his Sexy Jutsu. _"That can't be true! No way!"_

"Hey!" Kakashi raised his voice and Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened as he interrupted their thoughts. "You guys just doubted Lord Hokage now, didn't you?"

They shook their heads quickly and kept their heads turned away from their teacher.

Kakashi patted Sakura's head. "Well... don't worry. There are no Ninja battles in Rank C missions."

Sakura smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. "Then, there's no worry of getting into a scrape with foreign Ninja!"

"Of course not." Kakashi reassured.

Sasuke eyed Tazuna suspiciously as the man's expression darkened.

* * *

Naruto walked over a plain wooden bridge and glanced down into the clear water at the fish as they darted through the water. Behind him walked the rest of the group, and he looked back at the road ahead. As they walked, birds twittered in the trees and Kakashi glanced down at the puddle on the road before turning his attention forward again.

Once they were far enough away, the puddle rippled and shifted and the head of a Ninja slowly emerged. The rest of his body followed suit and he gazed down the road to where Team Seven walked ahead. His eyes widened and he launched a second Ninja that had been on his back at the group.

Kakashi's eyes widened and a length of spiked chain wrapped around his body, each Ninja holding an end. They tugged it tightly and Kakashi was immobilized.

"What?!" Kakashi looked down at the chain.

"W-What?!" Naruto and Sakura's mouths hung open as they looked at Kakashi and paled.

"The first one!" The foreign Shinobi glared at Kakashi with murderous intent and both Ninja pulled at the chain, slicing through his body in a splatter.

The Genin stared in horror and Tazuna stepped back with his eyes round and his jaw clenched.

What remained of Kakashi fell into a heap on the road and kicked up a cloud of dust and dirt. Sakura screamed and stepped back, her arms up as a shield.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled and his heart pounded in his ears. Behind him, the two Ninja appeared and narrowed their eyes.

"The second one..."

Naruto froze in place and a chill shot through his body. _"Crap!"_ He turned to see the pair as they lunged at him and he let out a scream.

Sasuke leapt into the air and retrieved Kunai and Shuriken from his thigh pouch and threw the Shuriken the chains, pinning the weapon to the tree as his Shuriken landed heavily on the trunk.

"Hm?" The Ninja looked up at Sasuke, who threw the Kunai into the center hole of the Shuriken and secured the chain in place. They pulled at the chain but found themselves unable to free themselves.

"It won't come off!" One of them growled to the other behind his mask.

Naruto stared as Sasuke landed on the Ninja's extended arms coolly. He smirked and clasped their wrists, using them as an anchor as he kicked them both in the face and knocked them to the ground.

_"W-Wow!"_ Naruto watched Sasuke as he stood rooted.

The Ninja growled and the chain snapped and disconnected from their gauntlets. They broke free and jumped back to take run at them again.

"Whoa!" Naruto turned his head toward the attacker behind him as he was struck by the gauntlet and thrown to the ground, while the second ran toward Sakura and Tazuna.

_"They're coming!"_ Sakura stared wide-eyed in front of Tazuna. _"I have to do it... I have to!"_

Sakura held up a Kunai in a defensive position and placed herself in front of the old man. "Get back, sir!"

The Ninja landed in front of her and reached out to her with his clawed gauntlet. Sasuke turned toward them with a scowl and stood in front of Sakura with his arms outstretched to the sides to block her. As the Ninja's attack nearly landed on the Uchiha, Kakashi's arm suddenly looped around his throat, with the second assailant under his other arm.

Naruto looked up where he'd fallen to the ground and gaped at the Jonin who so easily stopped them.

"Yo." Kakashi said simply to Naruto, and Sakura grinned in surprise.

_"Kakashi-sensei! He's alive!"_

Sasuke made a face at the Jonin. _"Hmph! Show off..."_

"Whaat?!" Naruto stared at Kakashi, then slowly looked at where Kakashi's body had fallen. "Then... what was that?"

Pieces of logs lay around the road and Naruto blinked. _"So, Kakashi-sensei... used Substitutions..."_

"Naruto." Kakashi looked at him. "Sorry I didn't help you right away. I got you hurt. I didn't think you'd be incapable of moving..."

Tazuna released the breath he had been holding and closed his eyes momentarily. _"I was saved, somehow..."_

"Anyhow," Kakashi approached Sasuke, still holding both enemies under his arms. "let me just say, good job, Sasuke. You too, Sakura." He looked at the girl, who blinked in surprise and then smiled.

Naruto helped himself off of the ground with his eyes wide. _"I... couldn't do anything..."_ He froze in place once again as he remembered the brief skirmish. _"But Sasuke... It was his first real battle... Didn't he feel scared at all? He saved me like it was nothing and without getting any dirt on his clothes..._

He stood fully and kept his eyes on Sasuke, who stood with his hands in his pockets and looked off in the distance with a plain expression.

"Hey." Sasuke turned to look at Naruto with a smirk.

"H-Huh?"

"Are you hurt... scaredy cat?"

Naruto gulped and his face twisted into anger as he clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists.

"Sasuke!" He moved to lunge at him, and Kakashi barked at him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi eyed the blond carefully and looked at Naruto's hand. Naruto froze in place and turned to his teacher. "Those guys have poison on their claws. You need to take the poison out quickly."

"W-What?!" Naruto gritted his teeth and lifted his scratched hand to watch as the area began to swell and redden.

"You have to open the wound and drain the poisoned blood. Don't move so much. The poison will spread." He paused. "By the way, Mr. Tazuna..."

Tazuna blinked quickly and looked at Kakashi. "W-What is it...?!"

Kakashi turned slightly toward the man. "I have something to talk to you about."

* * *

Kakashi stepped back from the tree he had tied the Ninja around with his hands on his hips. Team Seven stood spread out around them, with Tazuna near Kakashi in the center.

"Chunin from the Hidden Mist Village..." Kakashi observed. "These guys are Ninjas known for continuing to fight no matter what the sacrifice."

The Ninja scowled at the Jonin. "How were you able to detect our movements?"

"Ordinarily, there probably wouldn't be puddles of water on a clear day like today, when it hasn't rained for days."

Tazuna glanced to Kakashi with his brows furrowed. "Knowing that, why'd you leave it to the kids to fight?"

"If I felt like it..." Kakashi kept his eyes on the Mist Ninja. "I could kill these guys instantly... But... I had to know." His eyes narrowed at Tazuna and he looked at the man from the corner of his eye. "Who the true target of these enemies was."

"Hm?! What do you mean?" Tazuna blinked and Kakashi turned to face him.

"In other words... what I mean is that I had to know if it was you, or one of us Shinobi who was being targeted." He paused. "We hadn't heard anything about you being targeted by Ninja. The content of the request was just supposed to be protection from gangs, thieves, and the like... This is a mission with a B rank or higher."

Tazuna's head lowered as Kakashi continued.

"The request was supposed to be for backup protection until you finished building your bridge... If our enemies were to be Ninja, the mission would've been estimated without question as an expensive Rank B mission. It appears there's some kind of good reason for this, but being lied to in the request won't do. This is beyond the scope of our mission."

"This mission is too much for us right now..." Sakura sighed quietly to herself. "Let's just give it up!" She shrugged. "We need an anesthetic to open Naruto's wound and get out the poisoned blood... we have to return to the village and take him to a doctor..."

Sakura gulped and shuddered slightly. _"Besides, I'm already dead meat if Natsumi finds out that Naruto was hurt so soon into our mission!"_

"Hmm..." Kakashi looked at Naruto who was staring intention at the back of his hand as the swelling and redness grew.

Naruto noticed Kakashi's gaze and blinked. "Huh? What?"

Kakashi glanced upward at the sky with one hand on his hip. "This sure is a burden...!" He sighed. "Since we need to treat Naruto's wound, shall we go back to the village?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and pulled a Kunai from his pouch. He held it up and then pierced his hand with the point, wincing at the pain and shutting his eyes as blood began to pour from the wound.

Their eyes widened at Naruto and he kept his eyes closed, trembling slightly as he held the Kunai in the wound. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise and Naruto slowly opened his eyes, turning his back to them.

"Why am I so different?!" He muttered under his breath. "Why's it always me? Darn it..."

"Naruto!" Sakura stepped towards him and stared at the bleeding wound with her face pale. "What are you doing?!" She raised a hand over her mouth. _"Natsumi's going to pulverize me for sure!"_

Naruto clenched his jaw and remembered training in his room. Hours of reading, stretching, and pushing his muscles to the limit doing sit-up after sit-up.

"I should be getting stronger... Here I'm steadily carrying out missions and doing special skill training by myself every day..." His eyes watered and a heat spread through his chest, determination flooding his body. "I'll never get into another situation where I have to be rescued. I'll never be afraid or be a coward... I won't lose to Sasuke... I can't disappoint Natsumi... I swear all of this on the pain in my left hand!"

Naruto watched the blood fall to the ground and quieted for a moment.

"I'll protect you, old man... with this very Kunai knife!" He turned around with a fierce expression and held up his hand to show the group, smirking through the pain. "The mission will continue!"

"Naruto..." Kakashi placed his other hand into his pocket. "It's all well and good to rid yourself of the poisoned blood, but any more than that and you'll bleed to death."

Naruto stared blankly at him for a while and began to tremble.

"Things will get hairy if you don't stop the bleeding quickly... seriously!" Kakashi leaned closer to Naruto, smiling a little too broadly for comfort.

"Yikes!" Naruto began flailing as Kakashi squatted in front of him. "Agh! No! No! I can't die like this, I say!"

Sakura rested her hands on her hips and approached him, shaking her head.

"Show me your hand." Kakashi sighed.

Naruto extended his hand, still trembling and wiggling in panic. "Help me! Help me!"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "You're really self-abusive, aren't you! That's masochistic!"

Naruto calmed and Kakashi grabbed his hand and examined the wound. As he watched, the wound began to close on its own almost instantly, nearly steaming as the flesh came together and the bleeding ceased.

_"The wound is... already starting to heal..."_

"Um... um..." Naruto gulped. "Am I okay?" Naruto's teeth chattered, his face almost green. "You look awfully serious..."

Kakashi retrieved a bandage from his pack and began to wrap Naruto's hand with it.

"Well... you should be okay." Kakashi reassured him. _"Is it the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox...?"_

* * *

_Deep in the forest where all sunlight was choked by the dense foliage of the canopy, a large, cone-shaped base stood with rope bridges running between the building and the massive trees surrounding it._

"Did you say you failed?!" A short man with blond, tightly-curled hair in an expensive suit glared at a group of Ninja that knelt before him. "I paid a lot of money to hire you guys because you said you were once hot-shot Ninjas!"

The little man gritted his teeth and pointed to the assassin lounging on the throne-like chair in the center of the room.

"Stop your damned grumbling." The assassin warned, his words muffled slightly by the bandages covering the lower half of his face. He reached for the hilt of his massive sword and gripped it, then swung it at the man. The blade stopped only a few centimeters short of his neck and the assassin continued. "Next time, I'll kill him with this... the infamous Beheading Sword!"

The man gulped and straightened his tie as he looked at the Ninja from behind his tinted glasses. "It's really okay, right?! It seems that the enemy has hired good Ninja to protect him. On top of that, a tightened guard on account of the Demon Brother's failure means it won't be easy..."

"Just who do you think I am?!" The assassin narrowed his eyes at his client. "This is Zabuza Momichi, who is known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist!


	24. Chapter 22- Meet with the Informant Pt 1

"Natsumi!" Kiri banged on the apartment door with a grin. "Open up! We've got a mission briefing!"

Natsumi looked up as she put away the last piece of laundry and smiled at the familiar voice. She ran to the door and threw it open.

"Kiri!" She beamed at the other girl. "Sena!"

Kiri leaned her arm against the doorframe. "Stop whatever you're doing and come with us. We're going to get briefed now."

"We?" Natsumi's smile grew. "Does that mean...?"

"That we're being assigned as a three-man-squad?" Sena smiled wryly and nodded. "It absolutely does!"

Natsumi squealed and hugged them. "I'm so excited!" She released then and ran back inside, waving them in. "You can come in. I'll be ready in just a second."

They stepped inside and Natsumi quickly watered the plant on the kitchen shelf, brushed her teeth, and then grabbed her jacket. Kiri eyed the pictures on the wall and chuckled as she pointed to one. "Aww... Natsumi... look at how cute and little you were! Sena, look!"

Sena turned to follow's Kiri's gaze and her eyes widened at the picture of Natsumi and Naruto at five years old.

"Oh my gosh! You guys were so cute!"

Natsumi crossed her arms and made a face. "I look like such a baby there. No wonder everyone picked on me."

Sena giggled. "Maybe they were just jealous of how adorable you were."

"Yeah, right." Natsumi laughed and put her shoes on. "All right; I'm ready now."

"Don't worry, Natsumi, you're still adorable." Kiri patted her head.

Natsumi rolled her eyes and swatted her hand away, leading them out before locking the door behind her.

"Come on; I thought we were in a hurry?"

Sena laughed and nodded, and led the trio to the ANBU headquarters. They changed into their uniforms and rested their masks on the top of their head, and then stepped into the briefing room. The Hokage and Captain both stood waiting for them.

"Right on time." The Hokage nodded in acknowledgment and waved them closer.

"Alright, you three." Yuuri addressed them coldly in a rigid stance and her eyes narrowed at Natsumi. "Lord Third is briefing you directly today. Pay attention."

Hiruzen cleared his throat and glanced at the woman, then to three agents.

"Several weeks ago, we received a tip that the Abe Clan is actively working to betray the Daimyo and ignite a war between nations."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. _It's just like Ahmya said!_ She straightened and listened closely.

"They were approached approximately six months ago by an unidentifiable man who struck a deal with them."

Natsumi glanced to Kiri and Sena both from the corner of her eye as they both stood at attention. Natsumi copied, gulping.

_They both look so rigid and serious... I've never seen them like this before._

She turned her attention back to the Hokage as he approached the large table in the center of the room with a map laid out on its surface.

"Our informant claims he is a son of the Clan leader, Hideji Abe, but has kept his own name private. Lord Abe has six sons, and we believe our informant to be Hasu, the youngest." Hiruzen paused. "He's come forward out of fear. According to his information, the mastermind of this plot is filling their heads with delusions of grandeur- promising to make Hideji the new Daimyo, and his family has begun to act... mad."

Hiruzen held one hand behind his back and held his pipe in the other.

"Clan Abe resides on a secluded estate near our border to the Land of Rain, here." He pointed to a spot on the map where a pin had been placed. "So, for the time being, we must assume that the Land of Rain is behind this plot."

"Clan Abe is wealthy, but do not have Ninja among them. However, there are a dozen foreign Ninja provided by their benefactor as protection. Their skills and level are unknown." He released a puff of smoke slowly. "Our informant has been gathering evidence for us to prove his family's corruption and has agreed to meeting with us in secret to deliver it. Then, he will be brought back to Konoha to be placed under our care." His eyes moved between the three females. "That is where you come in."

"In three days' time, our informant will meet you here." The Hokage pointed to another pin on the map. "This village was destroyed in a wildfire several years ago and remains abandoned to this day. Several reports of bandits have come in about this area, so you must exercise caution and do whatever it takes to protect the informant."

Natsumi nodded slightly. _Meet the informant. Get the information. Bring him back here. Watch out for bandits. Seems simple enough._

"This is the most current photograph of Prince Hasu we have." The Hokage pushed the picture across the table for them to see. "It's over a year old, but will serve well enough as a reference if he indeed is our informant." Hiruzen looked at Natsumi, who lifted the photograph up to examine it. "He should be around your age now."

Natsumi looked at the picture carefully and her cheeks warmed slightly. _This is our informant?_ She looked the picture over again and memorized his face. He wore a formal black and blue kimono that accented his dark blue eyes, and his long, black hair was parted in the middle and neatly kept in a low, loose ponytail. He had the gentle features of a boy, but in a year's time, was sure to look more mature.

_He's... He's pretty cute!_ She passed the photo over to Kiri, who looked it over before passing it to Sena, hiding her blush as best she could.

"It's vital to secure the evidence and return as quickly as possible." The Hokage added. "As soon as his absence is detected, Clan Abe will go on high alert and immediately search for him, so you must leave before that happens."

The old man took a long puff on his pipe. "This mission is crucial if we are to learn who our enemy is, what they are planning, how much they know, and when they intend to execute their plan. Should you fail, we could be plunged into yet another war."

Natsumi let out a slow, quiet breath. _No pressure or anything..._

The Captain stepped forward with a stern expression and crossed her arms. "Jiro, Aia, and Kuma will follow you as backup. They'll be a half day behind you but will be able to assist if anything goes wrong." Her eyes darkened at Natsumi as if saying 'you better not mess anything up.'

"Natsumi." The Hokage looked at the girl thoughtfully. "This is your first S ranked mission. Your success in this will cement your position in the ANBU and establish yourself amongst its ranks. Are you prepared to undertake this task?"

Natsumi straightened at attention and nodded. "Yes, sir. I won't disappoint you."

"Excellent." He chuckled to himself and nodded to Yuuri, who handed them each a small packet begrudgingly. "This will cover all of the information you require... good luck."

The three nodded together and Natsumi's stomach began to twist into knots.

_There's that bad feeling again..._ She bit her lip. _I hope Naruto is okay._

* * *

Natsumi pulled at the black cloak and adjusted her mask as they walked toward the village gates.

"Stop fussing." Kiri looked over and patted the top of her hooded head. "There's no need to be nervous. This is actually an easy mission."

"Yeah?" Natsumi bit her lip from behind the mask and glanced toward Kotetsu and Izumo, who were sitting at the station beside the gate and playing a card game. "If it's so easy, why is it an S Rank?" She muttered as Kiri raised a hand to wave at the two before she put in on her hip.

"That's mostly because our informant is a nobleman." Sena answered quietly and followed Kiri through the gates. "The other reason is because there's the threat of war hanging over our heads. S Rank missions don't always have to be assassinations."

Natsumi took a long look at the village gates from over her shoulder with her pace slowing.

_I've never left the village before... I thought I would be more excited about leaving, but I'm just nervous._

"Come on, Red." Kiri waved for her to follow. "We've got to make good time this first day of travel."

Natsumi gulped and nodded, lifting her foot and slowly stepping forward.

_The farther I get from the village... the worse this sense of dread gets._

"Are you sure that this will be an easy mission?" Natsumi looked between her friends, who each patted one of her shoulders.

"What could go wrong?" Sena giggled behind the mask. "We've got each other."

Natsumi smiled and nodded. _I trust them with my life. I only hope I'm strong enough for them to trust me like that._

She touched her stomach as it twisted, then her eyes fell on a nearby tree.

_I can't shake this feeling... but..._ She bit her lip and pressed her palm to the trunk and a glowing blue symbol appeared. _But this will give me some peace of mind._

"Natsumi!" Kiri put her hand on her hip and watched as the symbol faded. "You'd better not be considering teleporting back here after the mission! To do that from that distance would be suicide!"

Natsumi's cheeks flushed slightly and Sena put her arm around Natsumi.

"If it makes her feel safer, let her. It's her first real mission, after all."

Natsumi nodded. "Just in case something happens and we have to come back quickly... I'd rather be prepared."

Kiri narrowed her eyes. "That could kill you!"

"Kiri." Sena raised a brow. "She's nervous. Let her have this."

Kiri relented and then patted Natsumi's head.

"Alright. Do your thing, then."

"You know," Sena smiled behind her mask, indicated by the tone of her voice. "On my first mission, I was so nervous that I wore my lucky underwear."

Natsumi giggled and followed Kiri as they began to travel in the cover of the treetops.

"You have lucky underwear?"

Sena laughed. "Well, I didn't at the time, but I didn't have a lucky charm to bring with me. So... I just picked a random item in my room and decided that it would be my good luck charm."

"Did it work?" Natsumi grinned at the Frog mask.

"Well, the mission was a success and I returned safely, so I'd say it did."

"And here you were lecturing _me_ about believing in luck." Kiri snorted.

"It's not that I really believe in luck, but I do believe that having a special item or piece of clothing acts as a suitable placebo to ease one's mind in tense situations."

Natsumi giggled again. "So, do you still use your lucky underwear?"

Sena laughed again and shook her head. "Oh, I grew out of those a while ago when I developed these." She patted her hips. "But I realized that I could choose anything as my placebo-morale booster."

"Have you picked a new one yet?"

Sena lifted her mask to wink at Natsumi. "Yup! It's you!"

Natsumi blinked and stared at her. "Me? But, I'm not very lucky."

"Come on; you're our Red Flash." Kiri laughed. "If anyone should be a good luck charm, it should be you."

Natsumi pressed her lips together for a moment, then grinned broadly. "Well, I'll make sure I don't disappoint you, then."

* * *

"Let's rest here for tonight." Kiri stopped on a high branch and looked around.

Night had already fallen and darkness had settled into the forest, blackening everything into a single sheet of shadow. Natsumi leaned against the trunk of one tree and let out a long sigh.

"Good. I don't know how much farther I could go." Natsumi prodded her thigh. "I can hardly feel my legs."

"You'll get used to these long-distance trips in no time." Sena smiled and turned her mask to the side to reveal her face.

"We made great time so far, too." Kiri stretched and uncovered her own face. "Even better than I was hoping. We'll definitely get there early."

"We made great time because she kept nagging at us." Natsumi muttered under her breath to Sena, who giggled.

Kiri crossed her arms and eyed them suspiciously. "What's so funny, I wonder?"

"Nothing!" Sena giggled and waved her hand. "These are just tired giggles."

"_Right_," Kiri rolled her eyes. "Alright, miss-tired-giggles, why don't you help me figure out where we're going to sleep."

"Why can't we sleep on the ground?" Sena glanced below and pointed at a small clearing, surrounded by dense underbrush. "That looks like a good spot, and I hate sleeping cocooned in the trees."

"Maybe, but I don't like sleeping out in the open like that." Kiri followed where she pointed. "It's much safer in the trees."

"Wait!" Natsumi clapped her hands together suddenly and smiled. "I have a Jutsu that allows me to go underground, right? I could go underground and create a little burrow for us? We could all cozy up down there like little mice, and no one could see us that way."

"Wouldn't we suffocate?" Kiri stuck out her tongue.

"I've never done anything like it before..." Natsumi tapped her chin. "But I think I could do it. I can even make a few different ventilation holes."

Sena bit her lip and paused. "Do we have to go _underground?"_

Natsumi watched her expression shift and her face fell. _I remember now... she said that she was in a rock slide as a kid... she probably doesn't like to feel trapped._

"F-Forget I said anything." Natsumi waved her hands and shook her head. "It was a stupid idea."

"No... it was a good idea." Sena turned her face away. "We should do that."

"Are you sure?" Kiri frowned slightly and touched her shoulder. "Why don't we just sleep on the ground instead?"

Sena shook her head. "It's a better idea to not be out in the open like that."

Kiri and Natsumi shared a look, and then shook their heads.

"We're sleeping on the ground." Kiri patted her back and hopped down to land softly of the grass.

Sena and Natsumi landed beside her, and Sena let out a drawn-out sigh, turning her face away to hide her blushing.

"You guys don't have to accommodate my stupid phobia."

"It's not a phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear." Kiri pulled off her mask, then her cloak, and then set to work erecting the small tent for them to share.

"Sure, but..."

Natsumi slipped her hands into Sena's and squeezed it gently. "If you're not comfortable with it, we won't force you to put up with it."

Sena squeezed Natsumi's hand back. "Thanks. You guys are the best."

"I know." Kiri smirked. "Now, stop complimenting me and come help. I suck at tents."

Sena smiled weakly and they helped Kiri. In a few minutes, the tent was sent up

"Ah, nice and cozy." Sena pulled off her cloak, balled it up, and set it down like a pillow. "So much better than strapping yourself to a branch."

Kiri and Natsumi did the same and slipped off their packs.

"My legs are killing me." Natsumi groaned and massaged her calves.

"Oh, let me." Sena shifted and gathered some Chakra to her hands, then began to massage the knots away.

"Ah..." Natsumi closed her eyes. "That's better."

"Me next." Kiri pointed to herself and took off her protective gear.

"Hold on, hold on." Sena shook her head slightly, and then moved to Natsumi's other calf.

"I didn't know you could give massages, too." Natsumi let out a small sigh of relief as the soreness faded.

"It's something that I learned for my Medical training." She smiled and finished, then moved to massage Kiri's calves. "I'm learning acupuncture, too, but that's something that takes a while to master."

"You know so much about everything." Natsumi opened her pack and retrieved a small bag of dried meat and began to slowly eat.

"Not everything." Sena sat back and massaged her own legs. "I just like to feel prepared. I don't like situations where I feel helpless."

Natsumi nodded quietly and her chest tightened. _Her expression still hasn't recovered from before... why did I have to be so stupid and forget what she'd told me, then suggest something so stupid?_

Kiri dug into Natsumi's pack and passed her a ration. "Eat up. We've still got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow."

Sena grabbed her own ration and began to eat. "I wonder if it's really a prince that we're going to meet. It could just as easily be a servant who only claimed to be a nobleman in the hopes that his plea was acknowledged."

Natsumi opened her ration and picked at the dried meat and ate it slowly.

"Nah, I think it's gotta be Hasu." Kiri took a long drink of water. "I doubt someone outside of the immediate family, even a servant, would be privy to that kind of information. Plus, the boy is young and probably afraid for himself. Even a kid can understand that forming a coup would mean execution for treason for them. Of course, he wants to save himself."

"What if this is all a trap?" Natsumi chewed thoughtfully. "What if there is no informant at all, and it's just a way for them to get ANBU members there?"

"I'm sure that's already been ruled out." Sena reassured. "Lord Hokage wouldn't have sent us if he didn't believe it was genuine."

"I know... but..." Natsumi bit her lip. "It's seems like it would be a good way to capture enemy Ninja in order to interrogate them or steal their secrets."

Kiri smiled and took a bite. "Good analytical thinking. My father always said go into a mission assuming that it could be a trap. Even if it's not a likely scenario, it's best to still be on our guard." She shrugged. "Still, it's that kind of thinking that will make you a good ANBU member."

Natsumi smiled faintly and continued to eat as she thought.

_I wonder what Naruto is doing. I hope he's alright._ She chewed more slowly and her eyes unfocused at the back of the tent. _I wonder if he misses me at all. We've never been apart for this long before, and now he's going to be gone for weeks._

Natsumi sighed heavily and two sets of eyes fell on her.

"What's wrong?" Sena nudged her side with a small smile. "The rations are pretty bad, aren't they?"

"It's not that..." Natsumi sighed again and drew her legs in close to her chest. "Naruto and I have never been separated like this before. It feels... wrong." She paused and bit her lip. "I miss him, and I'm worried about him..." She looked down at her hands. "The first time we're apart for an extended period is when I've got to be on the complete opposite side of the country, and he's going to another country."

"Naruto will be fine." Kiri draped her arm over the younger girl's shoulders. "He's got Hot-ake there to look after him."

"Hot... ake?" Natsumi blinked slowly as she repeated it.

Kiri snickered and Sena stifled a giggle.

"Hot-ake." Kiri repeated and leaned in closer. "You know... Hatake? As in, _Kakashi Hatake?_"

Natsumi blushed furiously in realization and covered her mouth. _Oh my gosh! I can't believe I actually said that out loud!_ She flushed deeper and Kiri laughed out loud. _I feel so embarrassed now..._

Kiri laughed again and nudged Natsumi. "Well, there's no denying he's attractive. A lot of women think so."

"A-A lot?" Natsumi murmured under her breath. "But he doesn't seem like the type to date."

"He's not." Sena shrugged. "As far as anyone knows, anyway. Just keeps to himself."

"That doesn't mean that women don't think of him as eye candy, though." Kiri chuckled. "I remember the first time I saw him. I always wanted a piece of that."

Natsumi's ears burned and she covered part of her face with her hair. _This is turning into a pretty mature conversation..._

Natsumi glanced at Kiri from the corner of her eye. "So... you know him, then?"

"Know him?" Kiri looked upward in thought for a moment. "You could say that. He joined the ANBU the year my father brought me onto Team Yoru, _unofficially_. Kakashi was assigned to Team Ro." Kiri leaned back slightly and smirked. "Aito and I used to give him so much hell. We always tried to compete to see who could catch Kakashi without his mask off."

"Did you ever?" Natsumi asked and Kiri shook her head.

"Aito told me that it was hopeless and that we should call it quits. He said apparently that he even covered his face when he was in the showers." Kiri crossed her arms and smirked broadly. "Me being me, I decided not to take his word for it and I went to go see if it was true." She winked. "That handsome bastard seriously does cover his face even in the shower, so, I didn't get to see his face, but I did see _everything_ else."

Natsumi blushed again and her eyes widened. "Y-You saw him... naked?!"

Kiri chuckled took a bite of her ration. "And it was wonderful. He was about eighteen at the time, so I'm sure he hasn't changed much."

Sena frowned and pointed at Natsumi. "She does _not_ need to hear any more."

"Oh, _relax._ It's not as if I'm going to go into detail or anything..." She paused and shot Sena a wink. "But, if I did, that information would be a _lot to handle._"

Natsumi sunk down and covered her ears, hiding her face in her legs. _She's such a pervert! I didn't need to know all that!_ She shut her eyes tightly. _It's going to be so awkward when they get back and I see him again._

"Kiri!" Sena swatted at the woman, who was covering her mouth to stifle loud, rolling laughter.

"What? I didn't give any _big _hints_."_

Natsumi covered her head with her arms. _Oh... my...gosh. Of all the things to talk about!_

Sena slapped her face with her palm and shook her head. "You are such a bad influence. You're going to corrupt her mind and fill it with dirty stuff."

"If I'm such a bad influence, then why aren't you corrupted?" Kiri leaned closer to Sena and raised her brow. "Hm?"

"You _did _corrupt me!" Sena pointed at her in exasperation. "I can't hear innocent jokes anymore, oh no, instead my mind instantly thinks of the dirtiest possible association. It's like I've got a tiny _you_ in my head cracking sex jokes."

Kiri howled with laughter and wiped her eye. "Really?! And here I thought you'd maintained your innocent little thoughts."

"How could I, when you tell me _every single graphic detail_ about your love life?" Sena groaned and facepalmed again, this time with both palms.

"Best friends share everything." Kiri shrugged. "If you went on dates, I'd listen to every single juicy detail of yours, too."

"Ew, no." Sena shook her head. "Some things should _stay_ private."

"Heh." Kiri scratched her cheek. "If we're going to speak about _privates,_ then I can continue what I was going to say before."

Natsumi ate the remainder of her ration in a few large bites, laid out her sleeping map, then wrapped her cloak around her like a blanket and rolled over to keep her back to them.

"Goodnight!" She said hastily, pulling the cloak over her head, sure that she was burning red from head-to-toe.

"Aww... going to bed already?" Kiri crossed her arms. "But I had a ton more inappropriate puns and jokes I've been saving for a sleepover like this."

Sena shot Kiri a look and she sighed.

"Oh, fine. But I am going to bring them up later. I've been working on them for a while and they're really good!" Kiri pouted dramatically.

"Could you _not_ do puns? You're terrible at them."

The corners of Kiri's mouth twitched into a smirk. "...Shur-i-ken." She snorted. "Get it? Shuriken? Sure-I-can?"

Sena groaned loudly and lay down on her own mat, pulling her cloak over her. "On that note..."

Silence fell over the trio and Kiri stifled a laugh and got herself ready for bed. She stared at the back of Sena's head for a long time before poking her shoulder.

"What?" Sena hissed.

"Do you wanna spoon?" Kiri asked in a whisper.

Sena made a face. "No, Kiri, I do _not_ want to spoon."

"But it's going to get cold tonight."

"Then freeze."

Kiri pouted and lay there for a long time, Sena's teeth began to chatter and she let out a short sigh.

"... Fine. Get over here, you stupid pervert."

Kiri grinned. "Yay! Best friend cuddles!" She slid her arm around Sena's waist and nuzzled in.

After several minutes, a chill passed over Natsumi, and she scooted closer to Sena, who, in term, wrapped her arm around her.

Natsumi glanced to the top of the tent and let out a breath. _Good night, Naruto, wherever you are. Stay safe, okay?_


	25. Chapter 23: Meet with the Informant Pt 2

Natsumi yawned and glanced at the map from over Sena's shoulder as she and Kiri looked it over, sitting cross-legged.

"If we follow this road, we could cut off travel time by a few hours." Kiri traced the path with her finger.

"Maybe, but that path also coincides with the reports of bandits and missing persons. Dealing with bandits will cost us hours of time, and could even take longer than this first path." Sena combed her short hair and then replaced the comb into her pack. "It wouldn't be worth it."

"Hm." Kiri tapped her chin and looked up at Natsumi. "What do you think?"

Natsumi knelt beside them and studied the map. "Well, Sena does have a point, but it also depends. How many reports of bandits were made? What were their numbers? How dangerous are they?"

Sena attached her arm guards and pulled on her gloves. "Eight reports total, ranging from a simple mugging to two cases of actual kidnapping. The reports are inconsistent with numbers, some saying it was only two, while other said a minimum of six. The most recent report came in two weeks ago when a farmer said that his wife and daughter went missing."

Kiri nodded and brushed her own hair and put it up into a bun to keep it out of her eyes. "That's right. Typically, he makes his own deliveries, but he was sick, so they went to do the delivery for him. When they didn't return, that's when he filed a report."

"So..." Natsumi thought. "We don't know how many there are, but we know that they are recently active..." She looked over the map. "We could avoid that area altogether if we followed this river, and it wouldn't derail our schedule, but..."

Natsumi paused and Kiri rested her hand on her lap.

"But?" Sena looked at the younger member carefully.

Natsumi crossed her arms. "If they aren't stopped, those bandits could and will hurt more people, and they've already been impacting travel and supply routes. It wouldn't be right to not look into it, especially since they kidnapped two people. It doesn't feel right to just pass by." She paused. "And, since they are attacking foot traffic and farmers, they don't seem like they'd be very strong, so we could deal with them quickly, we could still be on our way and cut off some travel time."

Kiri looked between the redhead and the map. "The bandits aren't our mission, so they aren't our problem..." She muttered. "At least that's what my sister would say." She thought for another moment and then nodded slowly. "Natsumi's right. It doesn't sit right just ignoring it when there are two people in need of help."

Sena nodded. "Agreed. Most bandits are petty thieves and cowards, so even if they outnumbered us, it should be easy to take care of them." She pointed to the map. "And since this road is a shorter route, we should still reach our meeting point early."

"Then, it's decided." Kiri folded the map and slipped it into her pack. "We'll take the bandit road and do a little clean-up work." She grinned. "It'll be our first real encounter as a team, so it should be fun. I always like knocking the lights out of crooks."

Natsumi looked over at Sena, who was staring at the ground in thought.

"Is something wrong?"

Sena met her eyes after a moment. "It just... well, it seems odd that petty thieves would go from stealing money to stealing people. That seems too bold a move for bandits. It's not as if simple farmers would be good to use for ransom, either."

Kiri's expression darkened slightly and she pulled on her pack.

"Let's face it, Sena. A bunch of lonely men hiding in the woods... and then they see women..." She shook her head. "It's not unusual for them to look for _entertainment_." Kiri spat the words out.

Sena made a face and crossed her arms. "I'm not usually one to advocate for unnecessary violence, but I can't wait to slaughter them like the pigs they are."

"Me too." Natsumi mumbled and adjusted her gear.

_If Sena is right, then those men are no better than animals. I don't like the idea of killing, but if we got rid of them... it would help a lot of people._

"Alright, let's keeps our masks off for now." Kiri put on her cloak last. "If these guys are interested in women, then they'll get them." She smirked. "And then we spill their guts."

* * *

They walked for several hours at a steady pace and Natsumi looked around at the forest on either side of them. After a long period of silence, Natsumi looked up at Kiri, who was humming a song to herself.

"Kiri?"

The woman looked down at her, still humming. "Yeah?"

"How long have you been in the ANBU? You said that you've been in a long time, but how old were you when you joined?"

"Officially?" Kiri chuckled. "Officially, I was brought in the day before I turned twelve. Unofficially... my father had me accompanying Team Yoru on exercises and missions since I was nine. I graduated from the Academy at eight-and-a-half and he decided to put me to work."

Kiri shrugged. "Yuuri and our brother, Yuuta, were both already in the ANBU, being quite a bit older than me. Yayoi and Zenzo, our parents, decided that I needed field training. Once I was twelve, a spot opened up on the team when Yuuta was transferred to Danzo's organization."

Kiri's fists balled and tightened, then she let out a slow breath. "So, I was made an official ANBU member then."

Natsumi pressed her lips together as she walked. "So, your brother and nephew both are named Yuuta?"

Kiri shook her head slowly. "Yuuri named her son after our brother. Yuuta died when I was seventeen."

"I'm sorry." Natsumi's eyes rested on the road. "You must have been really close."

"As a kid, I idolized Yuuta." Kiri's tension melted slightly and a small smile curved her lips upward. "When I was first brought to Konoha and was adopted, Yuuta took to me immediately as if I were his real baby sister. He spoiled me to death, bringing be wildflowers and dolls whenever he could. I always liked when he carried me on his shoulders, and when he wasn't away on a mission, he would stroke my hair and tell me stories every night until I fell asleep."

Kiri's expression softened and her smile grew at the memory. "Once I started to really do well at school, Yuuta started training me at home under our father's supervision. I was a fast learner, and he was a good teacher. I followed him around like a little puppy. I wanted to be just like him."

"He sounds like a really great brother." Natsumi smiled and kept her eyes on Kiri. _I've never seen her smile that like before. It's nice._

"He was the best." Kiri agreed, and then her expression fell and darkened again. "And then everything changed after Danzo snatched him up."

Silence fell between them.

"What happened?"

Kiri shook her head. "He never came home again, not once..." She paused. "Until one night, five years later. That was the night he died, right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it."

Kiri's pace slowed and her voice quieted. "Everything changed after that. Yuuta had been the light that kept us all together. With him gone, Yuuri became even more insufferable and took as many missions as she could, and our mother started to spend more time by herself, just sitting outside and looking at Yuuta's picture. Our father..." Kiri sighed quietly. "He developed a short fuse and started drinking when he was off-duty... But I guess we all had our way of coping."

Natsumi looked ahead and walked slowly.

_I don't know what I'd do if I lost Naruto... just being away from him like this is hard enough, but if it was permanent..._ She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat._ I don't know what I would do._

"The next mission I went on after he died, I completely blew it." Kiri continued, talking more to the open air than either of them in particular. "I was a complete mess, and my father was furious. He told me not to come home for a whole week, until I could prove that I wasn't going to be a liability anymore." Kiri slipped her hands into her pockets.

"The first three days I did nothing but wander around in my misery, and then I found myself in Nekobaa's company. After a day of watching the Ninja Cats, I sort of found myself again and realized that if I had a companion in battle, it'd make me stronger. So, that's what I did with the rest of my week, and when I got back, my father was satisfied enough to let me continue with my missions."

Sena stopped walking and pointed at the road ahead. "Guys... look."

Kiri blinked and they turned to follow where she pointed. Out of the trees stumbled a figure and then collapsed on the street.

Their eyes widened and they rushed to the figure. Sena carefully rolled her over and gasped quietly.

"It's the missing girl!"

Natsumi looked down at her face, which was covered in ugly bruises in various stages of healing. One eye was blackened and swollen, her clothes were dirty and torn, and her feet were bloody.

"Is... she dead?" Natsumi whispered. _She's the same age as Sena..._

Sena pressed her fingers to the girl's neck. "Her heartbeat is weak." She knelt and examined the girl, looking over the various injuries on the rest of her body. "Judging by her condition, she escaped and was using the last of her strength to get herself to safety." Sena began to heal a wound on her wound. "Poor girl."

Kiri shook her head and furrowed her brow. "Whoever did this is going to pay."

The girl's eyes cracked open and her lips moved silently. Natsumi's eyes widened and she leaned closer.

"Are you okay?" Natsumi gently touched her forehead, resting the girl's head on her lap.

"Can you tell me your name?" Kiri asked, and the girl nodded slowly.

"S-Sonoko." She answered weakly. "I'm Sonoko..."

"Okay, Sonoko," Sena met her eyes. "What do you remember?"

"Mom and I..." Sonoko began, wetting her dry lips. "Those men attacked us. They separated us."

"Sonoko," Sena moved her hands to heal a series of cuts on her chest. "Do you remember where you were kept? Or how many men were there?"

The teenager shook her head slowly. "I don't know... they made me drink something strange. Everything was... fuzzy." Her eyes closed for a moment, and then reopened, her lip quivered as her eyes watered and spilled over. "Those men... they..._ did_ things to me."

Natsumi's hands trembled and she stroked the girl's hair, trying to calm her down.

"I don't remember... much. My head still hurts."

"Shh..." Sena nodded slowly. "It's alright. You're safe now."

"N-No." Sonoko shook her head and tears spilled down her cheeks. "Leave me. If they see you, you'll be in danger. Go before they come looking for me."

Kiri furrowed her brows. "Like hell we're going to leave you."

Sena looked up at Kiri and Natsumi, lowering her voice. "She needs to get to a hospital right away. I can only do so much, and she's dehydrated and malnourished."

Natsumi retrieved her water and tried to offer it to the girl.

"N-No... you have to leave me." Sonoko shook her head again. "They're monsters..."

"We're not going to leave you." Natsumi met her eyes, her own brimming with tears. "You're safe, now."

"No one is safe..." The girl cried steadily. "Just... tell my dad that I love him and that... I'm sorry."

"Sonoko," Kiri's eyes lowered from Sena and looked at the girl. "do you remember where they were keeping you?"

Sonoko trembled and bit her lip. "I-I'm not sure. The room I was in had no windows... but I did hear a waterfall."

Kiri pulled out the map and quickly scanned it. "There." She pointed to a small spot on a river. "There's a small waterfall here, along with some old hunting cabins. I'm sure that's where they are."

Kiri put the map back into her pack and she shared a nod with Sena.

"W-What are you doing?" Sonoko looked between them. "Don't go there. They're monsters."

"They're going to find out what a monster really is." Kiri clenched her fists, and then looked up at Natsumi. "I know I said that you weren't allowed to use that Jutsu from a distance... but I need you to transport her there."

"She won't last long if she doesn't get to a hospital right away." Sena added softly.

Natsumi blinked and looked between them. "Y-You want me to teleport her? I don't know if I can teleport anyone but myself."

Kiri nodded. "I know, but I need you to try. _Sonoko_ needs you to try."

Natsumi looked down at the girl's heavy breathing and then nodded. "I'll do it."

Kiri bit her thumb and pressed her hand to the ground, summoning an elegant fox with deep red fur.

"Kiri." The fox narrowed its eyes and flicked its tail.

"Mori, Natsumi is going to teleport you and this girl back to the village. You're going to alert whoever you can and see that she gets to a hospital as soon as possible." Kiri scribbled their location on a piece of paper and passed it to the fox. "Make sure that you let Yuuri and Lord Third know that we have a slight detour. They'll want to tie up loose ends."

The fox nodded and carefully grabbed the paper between its teeth, sitting on Sonoko's chest.

"A-A talking fox..." The girl muttered, falling back into unconsciousness.

Natsumi drew in a deep breath and touched both the fox and Sonoko.

"I-I've... never tried to transport anyone but myself before..." She swallowed. "But I'll make sure it works."

Natsumi closed her eyes and channeled her Chakra, picturing the destination in her head. Blue symbols appeared on Mori and Sonoko, and Natsumi let out her breath slowly.

_Space-Time Jutsu!_

The two disappeared in a puff of smoke and Natsumi's vision filled with black spots as she wobbled back-and-forth.

"I... did it."

Kiri and Sena held her up and Kiri touched their foreheads together.

"Yes, you did. That was amazing."

"I... don't feel so good now."

"I know..." Kiri retrieved a food pill and put it into Natsumi's mouth. "You'll feel better after this."

Natsumi chewed slowly and it took effect almost instantly. Her eyes opened wide as a new, intense energy surged through her and her Chakra replenished and increased. Kiri stood her up carefully and held her until she could stand on her own.

"How do you feel now?" Sena looked at her carefully. "You must have used such a huge amount of Chakra..."

"I..." Natsumi flexed her fingers and looked around, her senses more alert. "I feel amazing."

"It's the Food Pills. They can keep you awake and fighting at your full strength for three days." Sena smiled faintly. "But I don't recommend trying that Jutsu again anytime soon. It'll be too hard on your body."

Kiri drew her Ninjato and rested it on her shoulder with a smirk as she fixed her mask into place.

"Now, then, let's go kill those bastards, shall we?"

Natsumi drew her sword as Sena nodded.

"Let's."


	26. Chapter 24: ANBU Slayer

Kiri held up a hand and they stopped once a cluster of cabins came into view.

Most were in such a state of disrepair that nature had begun to take over. Only the largest of them stood strong, worn, but habitable.

_There._

Kiri relayed signals and they nodded and split up cautiously, examining the area and found it to be clear. They drew nearer to the buildings, peering inside before meeting again on a branch.

"They seem to be all clear. Let's check inside to be sure." Kiri looked between Sena and Natsumi. "There only seems to be one way in and out, and most of the windows are boarded up. Stay alert."

Kiri checked for traps, then carefully opened the door and led them inside.

Natsumi walked carefully around the darkened cabin with her Ninjato drawn.

_It doesn't look like anyone is here..._

Kiri turned to Sena and Natsumi, making several hand signals, and they spread out to look into the various side rooms.

Natsumi peered into a small, windowless room. It was stained with blood and waste, with chains attached to the wall. She stooped to examine the shackles, stained also with blood. She raised a hand to her mask and made a face.

_The smell is so strong in here... it's disgusting._

She swallowed and nearly gagged at the taste in the air.

_But this is definitely where people have been held._

Along the walls and back of the door were bloody scratches. On another wall, several names were scratched in with tallies beneath. Natsumi's stomach turned as she read off the names in her head, stopping at the final one— _Sonoko_.

_There are fourteen tallies under her name._ Natsumi pressed her lips together. _That poor girl was here for so long._

Natsumi left the room silently and spotted Kiri, who waved her into the next room.

This room was identical to the one before, with the exception of the woman slumped into the corner. Sena knelt at her side and looked her over.

After a moment, she shook her head and stood close to Kiri and Natsumi, glancing back at the corpse.

"It's the missing woman, for sure." Sena whispered. "Judging by her color and texture, and by the smell... I'd say she's been dead about a week."

Natsumi studied the woman cloaked in the shadows. Her wrinkled, aged face was gray and ghastly, with a waxy appearance. She was abnormally skinny, as if hollowed, and her skin clung to her bones like wet clothes. Flies buzzed around her, and maggots could be seen wriggling under and on her skin.

Natsumi turned her face away and bit her lip hard.

_Don't throw up. Don't throw up. Don't throw up._

Kiri patted her shoulder, leaning in close to whisper. "Don't worry; You'll get used to seeing corpses. It's the smell you never get used to."

Natsumi gulped, immediately regretting it, and coughed quietly. _That doesn't make me feel better at all!_

"Spread out. Make sure the place is clear." Kiri muttered. "They probably went out looking for Sonoko."

Natsumi nodded gratefully and stepped out of the room, looking around.

Kiri made the signal for all clear, and Natsumi looked around the common area.

_They could come back anytime. There wasn't anything to indicate how many people were here, or who they were._

As Natsumi looked around, she bumped into Sena. Natsumi blinked and looked at her as she stood, transfixed at the ceiling with her body shaking.

"Sena?" Natsumi's eyes followed her gaze and she gaped in horror, gasping.

The ceiling was covered in ANBU masks.

Natsumi trembled. _What's going on?! Why are these masks here?_

"Kiri... we need to get out of here. _Now." _Sena managed. "These aren't bandits_."_

Kiri stepped out of another room and stared at the ceiling, her eyes completely wide.

"Oh... _fuck_." She pointed to the door. "Retreat! Retreat now!"

"Retreat?" Natsumi blinked and her heart pounded. _Who are these people?_

Kiri growled, grabbing both girl's arms and running toward the door. The door was thrown open and a group of men blocked their exit.

"Fuck." Kiri growled, pulling Natsumi and Sena back and standing in front of them. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck."_

The men eyed the trio with impish smirks and stepped inside, surrounding them easily.

"Well, well, well... what have we here?" One of them chuckled and licked his lips.

"Replacements." Another cackled to himself, pulling two serrated daggers out.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._ Natsumi tightened her grip on the Ninjato as her hands began to tremble. _We're outnumbered. They're blocking the only exit. And we're in a small space..._

"Kiri." Natsumi muttered as the woman continued to curse under her breath and cover the younger girls with herself. "Who are they?"

"Did Aito ever tell you about his sister?" Kiri's voice shook with anger as she replied quietly. "Asahi?"

Natsumi nodded slowly. "He said she died on a mission."

"She did." Kiri glared at the men. "She was killed by these assholes. By the Araki brothers."

A seventh man stepped inside the cabin, clapping slowly with a broad smirk.

"Thank you for that wonderful introduction." He licked his lips and looked over the trio. "I lose a farm girl and gain three new ones. Today is my lucky day."

He eyed Natsumi, and a chill shot down her spine. He stepped closer to the trio and Kiri stood defiantly in his way.

"If you think you're going to touch them, you're going to go through me."

"Oh?" He chuckled and held up a hand sign. "Feisty girl."

A strong force threw them to the floor, pinning them down.

"Gravity Subjugation Jutsu."

_He's a Ninja! _Natsumi's heart pounded in her ears as she tried to get up.

"Don't bother. The more you resist, the greater the intensity of gravity will act upon you. You're not going anywhere."

_I can't move at all!_ She trembled at the force that weighed her down and watched helplessly as he knelt and removed each of their masks in turn to examine their faces.

He gripped Sena's chin. "Hm... Aged sixteen, if I'm correct. Boyish hair but a pretty face." He paused. "Not my preference, though."

"She's mine, though." Another man laughed.

"Quiet." The seventh man barked. "I get first pick."

"You bastard! Don't touch her!" Kiri struggled, but was unable to move.

The man laughed and examined Kiri's face more closely. "You're too old for my tastes, unfortunately." He glanced up at Natsumi and ran his fingers through her hair, tilting her chin up to see her better. "Well, hello there. Rare eye and hair color combination, a pretty face... and perfect, cherubic lips..." He ran his thumb over her trembling mouth with a laugh. "You, on the other hand, are _exactly_ what I've been wanting."

"Don't you touch her!" Kiri shouted and wriggled, glaring at him. "Don't you fucking touch her!"

The man stood and took the Ninjato from her hand and looked it over, then drove it into the back of her hand until it stuck into the floor. Kiri cried out in pain, and bit her lip as he pulled the blade out once more and blood poured from the wound.

"You won't be needing your hands, anyway..." He laughed, and the others joined in, as he drove the blade through Kiri's other hand.

Kiri bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and resisted the urge to cry out.

The man wiped the blade on Kiri's cloak and then tossed it to the floor.

"Kiri!" Natsumi's eyes widened as her hands bled.

The man turned back to Natsumi and rolled her over onto her back. "What's your name, sweetheart?" He stroked her cheek. "I'm Taichi, the oldest of us brothers."

Natsumi remained quiet and he admired her features. "A little young for the ANBU, aren't you?" His fingertips traded the shape of her lips and followed her jawline. "A beauty like you shouldn't be doing such dangerous work. You might get hurt."

"Leave her alone!" Sena found her voice and glared at him.

Taichi smirked at Sena. "Your voice is shaking too much to sound threatening at all, but that was a cute attempt."

Sena's eyes widened and she was unable to speak.

"Now back to you, my little angel." Taichi's attention returned to Natsumi. "What's your name? I'll bet it's beautiful." He brushed his fingers against her lips again, opening them slightly. "Come on, now... I know you can talk."

Natsumi glared, opening her mouth and biting down on his finger hard. He yelped in pain and, with a _pop_, his finger was severed.

Natsumi turned her head to the side and coughed out his finger and blood. He backed away and held his bleeding hand with a glare.

"You little—!" His anger faded and he laughed loudly. "I like you." He met her eyes. "I like you a lot. You'll be mine."

He knelt beside Natsumi again. "So, what's your name?" His expression darkened and he picked up Kiri's sword and pointed it at Sena's throat. "If you refuse to answer me again... I'll cut out her tongue."

Natsumi shuddered and gritted her teeth. "...Natsumi."

"Natsumi?" He repeated, smiling as he did. "A lovely name for a lovely girl." He stroked her cheek with his intact hand. "You and I will get to know each other _very_ well, so I suggest keeping those teeth to yourself. I'd rather not have to discipline you and leave marks on your lovely little face."

_I'd like to leave marks on your face._ Natsumi glared and the taste of his blood still lingered in her mouth. She gathered it together and spat at him. _I'd like to take my sword and leave marks all over your face._

Taichi smirked and wagged his finger as the saliva missed and splattered onto the floor. "Be nice, now, or I'll have to discipline you."

"Let us go and you can have whatever reward you want." Kiri bargained through gritted teeth. "Money... weapons... land... just let us go."

"Kiri!" Natsumi stared at her in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"We can't fight them, Natsumi." Sena muttered. "We're not anywhere close to being a match for them."

"You're... giving up?" Natsumi glanced between them both.

"We don't have a choice." Kiri snapped. "Taichi Araki is the one known as the ANBU Slayer. Him and his brothers were senior ANBU members who betrayed the Leaf Village and went rogue seven years ago. They've killed dozens of us just for sport..." Kiri trailed off and eyed the masks above them. "There's no beating them."

"No way..." Natsumi quivered and glanced at the men. _They're ANBU?!_

"Ah those were the days." Taichi chuckled and rested his hand on his hip. "Back then, it was only Kenji, Saburou, and I. Hunting down Ninja was fun while it lasted. Except for all those damned rules and regulations..."

"Completely took the fun out of killing." Kenji nodded in agreement and crossed his arms.

"It wasn't good enough for them that we killed the targets, oh no." Saburou shrugged. "They wanted the bodies i_ntact._"

Taichi looked down at his bloody hand and flexed the remaining fingers before looking at the redhead. "Higher-ups didn't like that we brought back our targets as soup. So picky."

Natsumi shuddered and glanced at Kiri, who glare at the former ANBU members was seething in hatred.

_Hunting rogue Ninja... that means..._ Natsumi gulped and remembered what she had been taught in the Captain's lectures. _They were the most elite ANBU..._

"Things got even more fun once we left. We gained four more brothers..." Taichi looked around the room. "We've had so many good times together... The blood we spilled... the girls we shared... what a blast."

Dark, low laughing sounded around them.

_We don't stand a chance..._ Natsumi shut her eyes tightly and panic burned in her throat. _I don't want to die. Not like this._

"I'm sure we could work out a deal or something." Kiri clenched her teeth.

"A deal, hm?" Taichi chuckled and looked upward in thought. "Alright. I'll let you go..."

Natsumi opened her eyes and stared up at the killer. _Is... he really going to?_

Taichi tapped Natsumi's shoulder and immediately the crushing invisible force lifted from her. She gasped in a large breath of relief. He lifted her up by her right wrist, immobilizing her sword arm and held her close to him, facing her away from him as he leaned in close and pressed his face against her neck. He breathed in a deep breath before letting it out.

"You smell so lovely, sweetheart." He whispered in her ear and her skin prickled. She tried to kick him, but he pinned her too tightly for her to move.

"Let her go!" Kiri glowered.

"I'll let you all go..." He smirked and looked down at Natsumi. "if I can have one hour with her."

Natsumi's eyes widened and she trembled visibly.

"If you don't agree to my terms, I'll kill you both and still have my fun with her."

"There's no way in hell I'd ever agree to those terms." Kiri spat and struggled against his Jutsu.

"A shame." He nuzzled again Natsumi's hair and took in another breath. "I was feeling generous today."

He held up a hand sign, releasing his Jutsu, and the other men pounced on Sena and Kiri as soon as it was lifted.

The man with the daggers held Sena close to him and pressed a blade to her neck.

"Well, how about now?" Taichi held Natsumi closer and stared at Kiri and Sena. "Last chance."

Sena scowled. "Burn in _hell."_

"One day. Not yet." Taichi nodded to the man, who laughed as he slid the blade across her throat and blood gushed out.

"NO!" Kiri struggled against the three men that held her and stared in horror as Sena's body was dropped to the floor.

"Sena!" Natsumi screamed and her head pounded. "NO!"


	27. Chapter 25: Assassin of the Mist

A thick fog hung in the air, making it difficult to see ahead. Team Seven sat in a small wooden boat with Tazuna in silence, as a man ferried them over the expanse of water.

Sakura looked around the mist nervously, while Sasuke remained suspicious and watchful.

Water lapped at the sides of the boat and the oar creaked as it moved through the water.

"This is some thick fog."Sakura looked around cautiously and muttered under her breath.

Naruto sat at the bow of the boat, sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed as he kept unusually quiet, puffing his cheeks. Kakashi looked over his students, then at Tazuna from the corner of his eye, who tilted his head down.

"The bridge should be visible soon." The ferryman quietly announced. "When we reach the side of the bridge, we'll be in the Land of Waves."

Naruto leaned forward and squinted and broke into a wide grin as the bridge came into view.

As they drew closer, a large structure came into full view of the incomplete bridge. Cranes and other equipment rested on its surface and Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the sight.

"Wow! It's huge!" Naruto looked excitedly at the bridge, estimating its height and width. "I can't wait to tell Natsumi about this!"

"H-Hey!" The ferryman scowled and scolded in a low voice. "Please keep it down. I took this boat out under cover of fog, and I cut the engine to row by hand. If they find us, we'll be in deep trouble."

Naruto covered his mouth quickly and gulped.

Kakashi turned his attention to Tazuna, whose expression was hauntingly serious.

"Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi started, speaking quietly. "I want to ask you something before we arrive at the pier."

Tazuna kept his eyes on the bottom of the boat and remained quiet.

"The identity of your assailants, and the reason why they are after you." Kakashi continued. "If you don't tell us... our mission may end when you make landfall."

Naruto turned around to look at the old man. With all eyes on him, Tazuna finally let out a slow breath and looked up.

"It seems I have no choice but to tell you. Well, I'd like for you to listen closely." He paused. "Just as you said, this may be beyond the scope of your mission. Actually... I am being targeted by a terrifying man."

"A terrifying man?" Kakashi repeated. "Who?"

"You guys have probably heard at least of his name before." Tazuna admitted bitterly. "The shipping magnate known as Gato."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "What? Gato... of the Gato Company? One of the world's richest men?"

"Who? What?" Naruto asked, only partly listening.

"Yes." Tazuna closed his eyes briefly. "On the surface, he's the chief executive of a shipping company... but underneath, he's into drug trafficking and deals in contraband using gangs and Ninja. Moreover, he runs a despicable business, ruthlessly taking over nations and enterprises."

Tazuna opened his eyes once again. "It was about one year ago when that man first set his eyes on the Land of Waves. He used his wealth and violence to enter this country, and, before anyone knew it, had taken complete control of the island's maritime transportation and shipping. Having a tight grip on the ocean in an island nation like the Land of Waves, means having control of finance, the government, the people... everything."

Tazuna placed his hands into his lap. "The one thing Gato fears is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction for some time now." He looked up at the imposing structure with his brows furrowed.

"I see." Sakura held her chin in thought. "Since you're the one building the bridge, you've become a hindrance."

Naruto blinked and stared blankly at the old man. _"Is this guy... for real?"_

"Then, those Ninja from before were Gato's men?" Sasuke mused, glancing at Sakura.

"Hm..." Naruto closed his eyes and touched two fingers to his temple.

"But I don't understand." Kakashi kept his eyes on the old man. "Your opponent is a dangerous one, who will even use Ninja. Why did you hide that face from us when you made your request?"

"The Land of Waves..." Tazuna looked away shamefully. "is a very poor nation, and even its feudal lords have little money. Of course, we ordinary citizens have no money, either. We can't afford to make requests of Rank B or higher..." He let out a sigh. "Well, if you pull out of the mission when I land ashore, I will, no doubt, be killed. Killed long before I make it home."

The old man waved a hand. "Oh, but there's no need for concern! Should I die, my cute grandchild, who will turn eight soon, will only cry his heart out!"

The Genin made nearly identical faces and Naruto crossed his arms. _"This old guy is laying it on thick..."_

"And..." Tazuna continued. "My daughter will only blame the Hidden Leaf Ninja for the rest of her life and grieve in solitude! Oh, it's not your fault at all!"

Kakashi turned to his students, who shared an uncomfortable look. Kakashi scratched his headband in silence for a moment, and then smiled awkwardly at Tazuna. "I guess we have no choice. Let's continue as his bodyguards."

"Oh?!" Tazuna smirked slightly. "I am most grateful." Turning his head to the side, his smirk grew. _"I won!"_

After a moment, the ferryman spoke up again. "We'll be arriving soon." He looked down at Tazuna as they approached a series of archways. "It appears we haven't been noticed up until this point."

"Thanks." Tazuna looked up a him with a short nod of appreciation.

The man steered the boat under one of the archways and entered a long tunnel. It was dark, with only dim orange lights every few meters along the ceiling. Naruto squinted as they approached the end of the tunnel, where blinding light greeted them.

As they emerged from the tunnel, they saw a pristine blue sky and an expanse of water in a central area, surrounded by houses built over the water. Clusters of tall trees with high roots grew out of the water. Birds sounded in the air and puffy clouds rolled lazily by high above them.

Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the sight and the boat continued forward through the trees. They pulled up to a small pier and stepped off one by one, looking around at the strange country. Tazuna glanced back at the ferryman.

"This is as far as I go." The man met Tazuna's eyes. "See you around."

"Yeah, thanks. You've been a big help." Tazuna nodded shortly.

"Be careful." The ferryman warned and started the engine to the boat, then left.

Tazuna looked up across the bay and saw the bridge in the distance, clearer now that the fog had lifted.

"Okay!" The old man turned back to the Leaf Ninja. "Now, get me home safely."

"Right." Kakashi turned and began to walk, and they followed behind him, his expression fatigued. _"When they next attack, it won't be Chunin, but elite level Jonin."_ He sighed. _"Cripes!"_

* * *

Sea birds squawked and argued with each other as Team Seven continued down one of the island roads. Naruto walked ahead, though Sasuke began to walk faster and walked beside Naruto, nearly pulling ahead as he kept his eyes closed and hands in his pockets coolly.

Naruto looked over at him and made a face. _"I won't let this guy do all the fun stuff anymore!"_ Naruto ran ahead, looking around. The group stopped behind him, and he looked into the surrounding forest with his hand on his forehead. He looked to his right, pulling out a Kunai as the underbrush rustled.

"There!" He launched the Kunai at the noise, smirking coolly, and then scratched his head. "Heh... Just a mouse."

Sakura glared and pointed at him. "Quit trying to show off! There was nothing there in the first place!"

"Please, Naruto, don't throw Kunai knives so recklessly." Kakashi held up his hands in exasperation. "They're really dangerous."

Tazuna glared at Naruto and gritted his teeth. "Hey, brat! Don't be doing anything stupid or confusing!"

"Hm?" Naruto looked around again. "I sense a presence there! No? Over here?!"

Kakashi turned his attention to the left, where a new rustling could be heard, and Naruto turned toward the sound.

"There!" Naruto threw a second Kunai and Sakura ran up to him, hitting him on the head.

"Stop it, already!"

Naruto winced and held his head. "S-Someone's really been targeting us the whole time! I can feel it!"

"Yeah, right!" Sakura put her hands on her hips and looked down at him. "Just knock it off, already!"

Kakashi stepped into the underbrush and saw Naruto's Kunai stuck into a tree, having just barely missed the head of a pure white hare, frozen in shock. Sakura turned to her teacher and followed him, and then her widened.

"Naruto! What have you done?!"

"It's a bunny?!" Naruto ran toward the animal and picked it up gently and held it close. "I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry, bunny."

"It's just a rabbit, eh?" Tazuna muttered under his breath.

Kakashi turned to scan the area. _"That's a snow hare. But that doesn't explain its fur color..."_ He glanced back at the rabbit in Naruto's arms. _"Their coat is only white during winter when there is little sunlight."_ He continued to look around, sensing a pair of eyes watching them. _"Which means... that rabbit was raised indoors without sunlight in order to be used as a substitution." _Kakashi turned to look high into the trees behind them, sensing the presence. _"I guess they're already here..."_

* * *

_The assassin looked down at the group and his eyes rested on the silver-haired Jonin._

_"I see... The Demon Brothers wouldn't be enough to take on these guys."_ He reached behind to grip the hilt of the sword mounted on his back. _"It's the Copy Nina from the Hidden Leaf Village... Kakashi of the Sharingan in the flesh."_

He leapt up from his hiding place and threw the weapon at them.

Kakashi's eyes widened and turned to the group. "Everyone, get down!"

The massive blade spun and came directly at them, missing only once they flung themselves to the ground, and then circle around and lodged itself into a tree. The assassin landed on the hilt skillfully with his back to them, glancing down at them from over his shoulder.

Kakashi stood and look up at the enemy, narrowing his eyes. _"If I'm not mistaken, he's..."_

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Tazuna all picked themselves off from the ground and stared up at the assassin in silent.

Naruto trembled with his hand hovering over the sheath on his thigh. _"Here we go...!"_ He glanced toward Sasuke. _"I'm going to do it this time. I won't lose to Sasuke!"_

"Well, well." Kakashi put his hands into his pockets and took a step toward the enemy Ninja, speaking casually as if greeting a friend he hadn't seen in several years. "If it isn't the rogue Ninja of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi!"

_"Rogue Ninja?"_ Naruto blinked. _"Whatever that is. What's important now is... ready... set... go!"_

Naruto ran forward but was stopped when Kakashi held out his arm.

"You're in the way." Kakashi muttered. "Everyone get back."

"Why?" Naruto clenched his fist and gritted his teeth

"Because he's on a totally different level from the guys we encountered the other day." Kakashi answered simply. _"His being our opponent means... that things might get tricky as I am right now."_ Kakashi narrowed his gaze and lifted his hand to his face, reaching for his mask that covered his left eye.

"I assume you are Kakashi, the Sharingan user..."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and he looked at the Jonin.

"Sorry, but..." Zabuza muttered. "I'll have you hand over the old man."

Kakashi face settled into a scowl as he watched the rogue Ninja carefully.

_"Huh? What? Sharingan? What's that?"_ Naruto looked at the back of his sensei's head.

_"What is he talking about?"_ Sakura looked between the assassin and Kakashi. _"Is this guy strong?"_

"The Sharingan..." Tazuna muttered under his breath.

"Get in Manji battle formation, you guys." Kakashi ordered without raising his voice or moving a muscle. "Protect Tazuna... Don't involve yourselves in this fight."

"Huh?" Sakura looked at Kakashi.

"That's the teamwork for this situation." Kakashi fully uncovered his left eye and opened it, revealing a crimson eye with three tomoe in a ring around the iris. He met Zabuza's eyes directly. "Fight me."

_"W-What's with that eye?"_ Naruto's own eyes widened as he stared at Kakashi's unsual eye.

"Oh?" Zabuza chuckled. "Well now... I never expected to see the rumored Sharingan this soon..." He turned around to look at Kakashi directly. "This is an honor."

"Everyone's been saying Sharingan... But what is it?!" Naruto stared at Kakashi and made a face, shaking his head in frustration.

"Sharingan..." Sasuke answered. "Power that the light of the eye generates and the pupil emanates. The user of the so-called Dōjutsu or visual art is said to possess the vision to see through all Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu and is able to deflect them." Sasuke paused. "The Sharingan is a type of eye that is unique to the Dōjutsu user. However, that is not the only power of the Sharingan..."

"Well said." Zabuza glanced at the Uchiha boy. "That's not all. What's more frightening is that such an eye can assess an opponent's techniques and copy them exactly."

A thick fog rolled into the area suddenly and obscured their vision.

"When I was in the ANBU Black Ops of the Hidden Mist, search information about you was in the Bingo Book. I would carry it around with me. There was also something else in that book... about the man who has copied over one-thousand Jutsu... known as Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

Sakura stood beside Tazuna and stared in amazement. _"What? Kakashi-sensei is really that incredible of a Ninja?"_

"W-Wow!" Naruto grinned at the Jonin as Sasuke regarded him silently.

_"What does this mean?"_ Sasuke furrowed his brows. _"The Sharingan is a special trait that appears in only a select few of the Uchiha clan. Could it be, that this guy..."_

"Let's end the talking here." Zabuza kept his intense gaze on Kakashi and squatted. "I have to kill that old man immediately."

Tazuna's eyes widened as the assassin looked at him and he froze in place. The Genin drew their Kunai and surrounded Tazuna in a protective position.

"However, Kakashi... It seems I must defeat you first." Zabuza stood at his full height and pulled his sword from the tree with ease and vanished into the fog around them.

"Over there!" Naruto called out.

"And he's even on the water?!" Sakura watched in surprise as Zabuza stood with ease on the surface of the water.

Water swirled around him in a ring as he held up a one-handed seal in front of his face while his other arm formed a second seal and stretched toward the sky.

"He's building up quite a bit of Chakra." Kakashi observed the rogue ninja with his Sharingan, remaining in place as he assessed the situation.

"Ninja Art, Hidden Mist Jutsu." Zabuza vanished in a swirl of fog and disappeared completely into thin air.

"He vanished?!" Naruto looked around for the Ninja again as the fog continued to thicken.

"Sensei!" Sakura watched as Kakashi silently approached the water, standing in front of them.

"He'll probably come to eliminate me first..."

"What is he?" Sakura asked in a whisper.

"Zabuza Momochi. He's an ANBU Black Ops member from the Hidden Mist and is known as the master of the "silent killing" technique."

"S-Silent?" Naruto looked around, still holding his Kunai as he remained guarding Tazuna.

"As the name suggests... it's a killing skill that's implemented in an instant in silence. By the time you realize it, it's likely you'll already find yourself in the afterlife." Kakashi paused. "I haven't totally mastered the use of my Sharingan, so don't lower your guard, you guys."

Naruto stared at Kakashi as he spoke, and then gulped slowly.

"Well," Kakashi continued, his tone lighter. "If we fail, we'll only die."

"H-How can you say that so casually?!" Sakura furrowed her brows in panic at Kakashi.

"The mist is steadily getting thicker!" Naruto nearly lost sight of Kakashi through the dense mist, and Tazuna scowled down at him.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by ocean, so mist rises very easily." The old man explained.

Sakura's eyes widened as Kakashi completely disappeared from view and it was difficult to see her own hand in front of her face. "Sensei!"

"Eight spots." Zabuza spoke, seemingly from all around them, as if he were the mist himself.

"H-Huh? What?" Sakura shuddered as a chill ran down her spine at the echoing voice.

"The larynx, the spine, the lungs, the liver, the jugular, the subclavian veins, the kidneys, and the heart." Zabuza paused. "Now then... which vulnerable spot would be good?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth in a glare while Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened, nearly trembling where they stood.

Kakashi eyed a space in the mist in front of him, then narrowed his eyes and brought his hands together to form a hand sign, channeling his Chakra. The power and energy were enough to dispel some of the mist and a visible blue glow illuminated Kakashi's form.

Sasuke's eyes widened and his body froze in place as he stared at his teacher, shaking involuntarily. _"What an intense thirst for blood! If I take even one breath... or move my eyes... I'll be marked and killed... that what this feeling is."_ A bead of sweat formed on his brow and slowly ran down his face. "_If I'm stuck like this for even an hour, I'll go mad!"_

Sasuke trembled at the intensity of the Chakra emitting from Kakashi and another bead of sweat ran down his face. _"Facing a Jonin's intent to kill... this sensation is like having my life being held in limbo..."_ He gritted his teeth and slowly moved to grasp the Kunai with both hands, his movements slow and arms heavy. _"No way! I'd rather die to escape this feeling!"_

"Sasuke." Kakashi said in a low tone, and the Genin's eyes widened as he blinked. "Don't worry. I'll protect you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to get killed."

Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke over his shoulder, both eyes crinkling as he reassured him.

Sasuke released the breath he'd been holding slowly and closed his eyes momentarily as the menacing feeling faded.

"I wonder about that..." Zabuza appeared between the Genin and Tazuna, their eyes widening and filling with fear. "It's over."

Kakashi turned to Zabuza as his Sharingan locked onto his moments. He rushed quickly to him team, flickering and appearing just as Zabuza was about to swing his sword.

His eyes widened and he let out a groan of pain as Kakashi drove his Kunai deeper into his torso, between his ribs to puncture his lungs. Water poured from the wound and flowed over the Jonin's hands as the real assassin appeared behind Kakashi.

"Sensei!" Naruto pointed quickly as his heart raced. "Behind you!"

Zabuza swung his sword at Kakashi, who watched as the clone he had wounded disappeared into a puddle.

"Die!" Zabuza sliced through Kakashi, cutting him in half in a single slice.


	28. Chapter 26: The Oath of Pain

Zabuza smirked slightly beneath his bandages as his sword sliced through Kakashi, though his eyes widened as his target turned to water and landed with a splash around him.

_"The water clone jutsu?"_ His eyes widened further. _"No! It can't be! Did he... actually copy me then?"_

Zabuza watched the last of the water from the clone splash and ripple, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly as a Kunai was held to his throat from behind.

"Don't move." Kakashi watched the assassin carefully with his eyes narrowed and his expression dark. "It's over."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stared at Kakashi in silence, holding their breaths in anticipation as Kakashi maintained the upper hand.

"W-Wow!" Naruto grinned at Kakashi's skill and Sakura let out a sigh of relief, then smiled faintly.

A low chuckle came from Zabuza as he closed his eyes momentarily. "Did you say it's over? You don't understand, do you?"

Kakashi eyes narrowed and he kept his Kunai at the assassin's throat.

"You won't be able to beat me just by making like a monkey... no chance." Zabuza chuckled again. "However, I must say that you are good. To think that my water clone was copied at that point... by letting the clone talk as if it were you, you succeeded in distracting me."

Zabuza turned his head slightly to stare at Kakashi with a dark look. "And you used my Hidden Mist Jutsu to hide your true form to see what I was doing... but..."

Kakashi's eyes widened and another Zabuza appeared behind him.

"...I'm not a fool."

The clone speaking vanished into water and Naruto's eyes grew wide in panic. "That one was a fake, too!"

Kakashi turned to Zabuza as he swung his blade again, ducking just in time to avoid the blow. The sword became lodged in the ground and Zabuza pushed himself off from its hilt to launch a strong kick at his opponent, knocking Kakashi into the air.

Zabuza fell into a deeper stance and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. _"Now!"_

Pulling the blade from the earth quickly, he ran at Kakashi as he fell back, only to stare at the ground ahead that had been covered in spikes.

_"Makibishi spikes!"_ Zabuza stopped before he could step into the trap and looked around. "How foolish!"

Leaping backwards, he avoided the spikes and landed in the water to hunt the Copy Ninja.

"Sensei!" Naruto called out, but was frozen in place and unable to move.

_"No way..."_ Sakura gulped. _"I can't believe that Kakashi-sensei got kicked away like that..."_

Sasuke eyes narrowed and he kept his gaze trained on where the assassin had vanished. "His Taijutsu skills are also extremely good."

The water rippled and bubbled as Kakashi emerged with his hair limp and wet. He struggled to leave the water, looking down at it.

"What's with this water? It's awfully heavy."

Zabuza stepped out of the water, using his Chakra to stand on its surface behind Kakashi as he formed several hand signs. "Hmph... Fool!"

Kakashi's eyes widened as the water around him began to constrict him and Zabuza chuckled.

"It's the Water Prison Jutsu!"

"Damn it!" Kakashi glare at him and mumbled under his breath as an orb of water trapped him. _"My temporary escape into the water... was a huge mistake!"_

Zabuza kept a hand partially submerged in the water prison's pulsing orb to hold Kakashi captive as he laughed under his breath. "You're caught inside my special prison that makes it impossible for you to escape! It makes it difficult for me if you are able to act." He turned to his prisoner, then then to the Genin. "Now... Kakashi. I'll settle things with you later. First, I'm going to finish those guys off.

Using only one hand, Zabuza formed a sign and narrowed his eyes at the Genin. "Water Clone Jutsu."

Kakashi turned his attention to his students, who were watching him from the shore. _"I didn't expect this level of skill..."_

Water gathered and came together into a humanoid form, standing at its full height. Its appearance took on Zabuza's and Naruto gulped, trembling slightly at the sight.

The clone eyed Naruto and laughed. "You're acting big, wearing the headband of a Ninja... But... a real Ninja is one who have hovered between life and death numerous times." The clone stepped onto the shore and watched the blond carefully. "In other words... only those who are worth being listed in my Bingo Book are the ones who deserve to be called Ninja. Guys like you can't be called real Ninja."

The clone formed a single hand sign and a heavy mist filled the area once again, vanishing before their eyes.

Naruto's shaking worsened and he looked around, nearly blind as his surroundings were obscured. "He's disappeared again!"

A sudden kick from the mist threw him backward, knocking off his headband. Naruto crashed to the ground several meters away and Zabuza stepped on the fallen headband with a smirk.

"You're nothing but a kid!"

Sasuke and Sakura turned in the direction of the coomotion.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out.

Kakashi glared at Zabuza from his prison, then looked over to the shore. "You three! Take Tazuna and run! You have no chance against this guy! As long as he has me trapped in the Water Prison, he won't be able to move from here. And she shouldn't be able to use the Water Clone if it's far enough away from his real body."

Their eyes widened as they trembled, looking between the assassin and his clone.

"In any case, just run for now!" Kakashi ordered his students.

_"Run away?"_ Sasuke clenched his jaw but was frozen in place as he stared at Kakashi. _"You've got to be kidding me. That option was gone from the moment you got caught. Even if we ran, without you, sooner or later we'd be found and killed by Zabuza."_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glanced between Sakura and Naruto, who were both paralyzed in fear. _"Even if we were to reform the Manji defense, it would be impossible to block his attacks. In the end... we'll have no options left. In order to survive, our only option is to rescue you."_

Sasuke shifted his stance with his hand hovering over his thigh sheath. "We'll just have to do it."

Sasuke ran forward and the clone's attention to him as he grabbed the sword from his back. Sasuke threw a series of Shuriken at the clone that were easily struck away by the massive blade. Sasuke leapt into the air as he was distracted and the clone looked up to see the boy coming from above for a strike.

"Too easy!" The clone smirked and reached out, stopping Sasuke entirely and gripping his throat.

Sasuke attempted to pry his hand away and struggled, only for the clone to throw him hard in the opposite direction where he crashed onto the ground and skidded to a stop.

"Sasuke!" Sakura turned to look at him, nearly taking a step toward him until she saw the clone from the corner of her eye.

"Sasuke..." Naruto's eyes widened and he stared at his teammate, then turned to stare at the clone as it stood before him. _"T-This is the Jonin level... a real Ninja... We've gotta run... at this rate..."_ Naruto trembled violently and acid burned his throat. _"Seriously... we're all going to die!"_

Naruto turned to move and started to get up as a pain shot through his hand and arm, temporarily crippling him. He stared down at his bandaged left hand, recalling the oath he'd made as he'd pledged his own Kunai there to drain the poison. His trembling faded and his expression softened. After a moment, he looked back at the clone who was watching him intently.

Naruto's eyes fell on his headband beneath the clone's foot and he clenched his jaw. _"That's right..."_ Naruto slowly got to his feet with his fist balled tightly. _"I am a Ninja now. And... I decided that I wasn't going to run anymore!"_

Naruto began to tremble again as a fierceness burned in his eyes as he ran at the clone. _"I won't run away!"_

Kakashi watched from the Water Prison and his eyes widened slightly. "You fool! Stop it!"

"Naruto!" Sakura paled beside Sasuke, gripping her head. "What are you thinking?!"

"Hmph! Fool..." The clone sneered at Naruto as he came at him, and easily knocked him back with a hard strike.

Naruto groaned, crumpled on the ground and Sakura stared down at him. "What were you thinking... charging off on your own?! Even Sasuke is no match for him... No matter how hard we try, we Genin are no match for him at all..."

Naruto slowly got up and was clenching his headband tightly. Sakura blinked and looked at it as he brought himself to a stand. _"The headband...?"_

"Hey! You, with no eyebrows..." Naruto wiped the line of blood from his lips with a look of hatred. "Record in your Bingo Book... about the man who will one day become the Leaf Village's Hokage." Naruto tied his headband around his head and tied it securely back into place with a smirk. "Konoha's Naruto Uzumaki!"

_"Naruto..." _Kakashi kept his eyes on his students, focusing on the blond.

Tazuna looked over to Naruto with his lips pressed together. _"When I first saw that little squirt, he seemed so unreliable..."_

"Sasuke! Lend me your ear!" Naruto glanced back at the Uchiha, then back at the clone.

"What is it?" Sasuke kept his hand hovering over his weapons pouch and turned to him.

Naruto grinned. "I've got a plan."

_"You want to discuss plans under these circumstances?"_ Sasuke's gaze shifted from Naruto and the clone, then back to Naruto. "Hmph. You're talking about teamwork?"

Sakura stared at the boys quietly with her eyes widened slightly. _"What is this feeling? Was Naruto always so...?"_

"Heh." Naruto wiped the remaining blood from his blood. "Now... let's get wild!"

Zabuza's clone chuckled and tilted his head to look at them. "Such loud squealing, but do you have a winning plan?"

_"This isn't good."_ Kakashi eyed the assassin and his clone. "What are you guys doing?! I told you to run! It's obvious what was going to happen once I was caught! Hurry up and just run! Your mission is to protect Tazuna! Have you forgotten that?!"

Naruto turned to look at the old man, whose expression was serious. "Old man..."

Tazuna looked down slightly and laughed under his breath. "Well... this is a seed that I planted. I can't say that I want my life to be spared." He looked up at the Genin. "Sorry, you guys. So, just go on and fight as much as you want!"

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly and smirked. "Hmph." Looking up, he met Kakashi's eyes. "You hear that?"

Naruto furrowed his brows, grinning as he clenched his fists. "Are you ready?"

"Heh." The clone smirked and laughed out loud, bowing his head as the sound echoed through the mist. "You guys haven't really learned anything, have you?"

"What?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man.

"You're still playing at being Ninja? When I was your age..." The clone looked down at his hand as he held it up. "This hand of mine was already stained with blood!"

The Genin's eyes widened slightly and Kakashi glanced over at his captor. "Zabuza the Demon."

"Oh?" Zabuza chuckled and looked at Kakashi from the corner of his eye. "It seems that you have heard of me."

Kakashi's eyes fell to the figures on the shore. "A long time ago, in the Hidden Mist Village, when it was known as the Village of the Bloody Mist, Ninja candidates faced their biggest challenge."

"So... you also know about the Graduation Exam." Zabuza looked at Kakashi and furrowed his brows.

"The Graduation Exam?" Naruto asked.

Zabuza's clone laughed again and Naruto scowled. "Hey! This Graduation Exam you're talking about... what is it?"

The clone met Naruto's eyes and smirked. "The students were made to kill each other."

"W-What?" Naruto's eyes widened and he froze.

"Classmates who had shared rice from the same pot, formed pairs and tried to kill each other. It didn't end until one of them died. Partners who once talked about their dreams and aspirations..." Zabuza trailed off with a smirk.

Sakura covered her mouth with her hand as she trembled. "How cruel..."

"Ten years ago..." Kakashi continued. "The Mist Village's Graduation Exam was forced to undergo drastic reform. That was because an evil demon had appeared on the scene the previous year."

"Reform?" Sakura lowered her hand slowly and gulped. "What kind of reform? What had that devil demon done?"

"Without any doubt or hesitation... a young boy who didn't even have the qualifications to be a Ninja, annihilated over a hundred examinees." Kakashi glanced at Zabuza with a hard look.

"Ah..." Zabuza drew in a breath, exhaling as he looked upward. "That sure was fun."

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened and the clone rushed forward and knocked Sasuke back. He landed hard on the ground and the clone brought his elbow down on his stomach. Blood spurted from Sasuke's mouth and he cried out in pain.

"Sasuke!" Sakura turned toward him and covered her mouth as the clone stepped on the boy's stomach and dug his heel in as he reached for his sword.

Kakashi clenched his jaw as he watched, tightening his hands into fists.

"Go ahead and die now." Zabuza's clone smirked down at Sasuke.

"Darn!" Naruto scowled and formed a hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Dozens of Shadow Clones surrounded Zabuza's water clone and filled the area.

"Ah... Shadow Clones." The clone gripped his hilt tightly and looked around. "and there are quite a few of them."

The Naruto clones each retrieved a Kunai and held it out, ready to strike. "Here I go!"

Zabuza's clone stepped away from Sasuke, who slowly got up, coughing as he looked around at the clones.

The Shadow clones leapt into the air to rain down on Zabuza's clone, covering him in a dome as they attempted to restrain him. The clone shouted and threw the Narutos off of him, slicing several in half and sending them flying away.

Tazuna's eyes widened as a bead of sweat formed on his brow. "It's impossible after all... there's no way you can defeat that guy!"

Naruto's clones landed on the ground, sliding and dissipating into small clouds. Naruto reached into his backpack, gritting his teeth. _"There is only one way left to defeat this guy!"_ He retrieved a large Shuriken and tossed it through the air.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke reached up to catch the weapon in his hand and then smirked. _"I see! So that's your plan, Naruto! That's pretty good for you!"_

Sasuke gripped the Shuriken and took a stance as he looked at Zabuza as Naruto chuckled to himself. Sasuke opened the Shuriken until each of the four blades were extended and he smirked. "Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows."


	29. Chapter 27: Red Flash Unleashed

_*Warning: This chapter contains heavy violence*_

"NO!" Kiri struggled against the three men that held her tightly and stared in horror as Sena's body was dropped onto the floor and blood began to pool around her head.

"Sena!" Natsumi screamed and her eyes were full and wide. "NO!"

Natsumi trembled as all sound disappeared around her.

_Sena._

Natsumi's heart pounded in her ears, thumping in her chest until it might burst out.

_Sena._

Natsumi felt herself go limp as she was unable to look away from the pooled blood and acid burned her throat.

_Why?_

Natsumi gulped slowly and a small sob choked out.

_Sena... is the best person I know._

Taichi chuckled and took another long breath, nuzzling his face into Natsumi's hair. "Ah... Natsumi... I promise you that I'm gentler than my brothers. I'll treat you nicely and maybe in time, you'll come to like me. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Natsumi eyes rose slightly to Kiri, whose mouth was open in a scream, but no sound reached her ears.

_This can't be happening._

_This is just a nightmare._

Natsumi's head wobbled as her gaze returned to Sena.

_No... not Sena._

"Sena..." Natsumi murmured and the ache in her chest spread and formed a hollow pit. "Sena..."

Taichi glanced away from Natsumi to the girl on the floor, then let out a slow sigh and shrugged. "Don't worry yourself about that little... _mess_, sweetheart. They'll get it cleaned up." He ran his fingers through her hair and adjusted his grip on her. "In the meantime, why don't you and I slip away? It's time we got to know each other."

Natsumi eyes shot open and she stared at Sena.

_Mess._

Her jaw clenched and her trembling worsened.

_How dare you speak about her like that._

"Hm?" Taichi smirked slightly and looked at Natsumi. "What is it, sweetheart?"

_Sena..._

Natsumi bit her lip and her heart pounded harder. Her face screwed up and she opened her mouth to let out a resounding scream as her veins filled with fire and her Chakra began to spill out of her body, visibly coating her skin in a soft violet glow. She screamed again, nearly howling in rage as she threw her head back and struck her captor directly on the bridge of his nose.

"What?" Taichi's eyes narrowed and he loosened his grip on her to lift one hand to his face. "You..."

Natsumi pulled one of her arms free, her breathing heavy and she quickly pressed her palm to her stomach. A glowing blue symbol appeared and her Ninjato vanished from where it had fallen onto the floor and the hilt stuck out from the seal. She gripped it tightly and pulled the sword from herself, slicing it quickly to amputate his left arm at the elbow.

His eyes widened and he stepped back, releasing her and clutching the bleeding stump of his arm as his hand fell to the floor. _"That speed!"_

The other men stared at Natsumi in surprise and Kiri's eyes widened. "Natsumi..."

Natsumi's head whipped in the direction of the man with serrated daggers and narrowed her gaze as the blood coating the blades dripped onto the floor.

"You."

He smirked and held up his blades, meeting her eyes. "Try it, little girl."

Natsumi gritted her teeth and her Chakra bubbled and surged around her, shooting out in every direction like quills. The men dodged them easily and the narrow points embedded themselves into the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Taichi stepped back and narrowed his eyes at the girl. _"What kind of technique is this? Her Chakra is visible..."_ Glancing down at his missing arm, he cursed under his breath. _"Damn it. I can't conjure a single Jutsu like this."_

He glared at his brothers and looked at the girl. "What are you waiting for? Kill them! Kill them both!"

Natsumi turned in time to see the eldest Araki slipping away through a hidden back door, leaving a thick trail of blood behind him.

_Damn! He's getting away!_

Her Chakra spikes retracted and where each point had stuck, a blue seal appeared. Kiri's eyes widened and she stared at the seals.

_"She's going to use that technique... but when did she master it?!"_

Several of the brothers lunged at Natsumi, who snarled and dodged.

_Damn! I'll have to take care of them first._

One brother's blade sliced her cheek as she dodged just enough to avoid a fatal blow.

_There's too many!_

Natsumi's eyes fell to Sena and she screamed out again, gripping the arm of one man as he lunged at her, dodging while simultaneously thrusting his arm forward to stab another of the men. Another grabbed her from behind around the waist and the two she'd just avoided turned on her.

_No!_

Natsumi exhaled and disappeared, teleporting behind her captor and arcing her Ninjato to cleave off his head in a single stroke. Blood erupted and splattered from the neck, spraying down in a fountain. Gripping her sword tightly, she avoided another attack and slid under the legs of the headless man before he crumpled to the ground, blood continuing to spurt out, thick and dark onto the floor.

* * *

Kiri struggled and looked between the two men now holding her. _"Fuck. With my hands like this, there's nothing I do."_ She glared and shoved herself back, forcing one of them between her and the wall as they slammed against it. _"Maybe there is."_

Kiri kicked the second man away and gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain and formed several hand signs, causing her hands to bleed more. Then, she placed her hands on the cheeks of the stunned, chubby brother against the wall and met his eyes. _"Love Trap Jutsu."_

The man's eyes widened and flashed a vibrant pink before returning to their natural brown, and his expression shifted into a smile as he saw her.

"Darling!" He leaned in with puckered lips and she moved her head to avoid the kiss.

"Darling dearest." Kiri touched his shoulder and kept her eyes locked with his. "Your brothers want to keep us apart. They want to kill me."

His face screwed up and his nostrils flared, then glanced down at the wounds on her hands. "No one can hurt my darling like this and get away with it!" He retrieved his own dagger from his back pouch and lunged at the brother nearest him, who struggled to keep the blade from piercing his chest as he was pinned down.

"Roku! Snap out of it!" The scrawny man snarled as the tip of the knife began to press against his clothes.

"Was it you, Shichi?!" Roku snapped at his brother and added more weight to the blade. "Were you the one who hurt my darling like that?!"

"Roku, stop!" Shichi lost his grip on his brother's wrists and the blade pierced his chest as blood spurted from his lips and the new wound. "S-Stop!"

"NO ONE CAN KEEP US APART!" Roku pulled the knife out, and stabbed his victim repeatedly, punctuating each word with a squelch and blood splatter. "I LOVE HER!"

Kiri winced and looked from the holes in her shaking hands to Sena's body and threw herself to the ground and gently cradled the girl in her arms as her eyes spilled over.

"Sena, it's okay. It'll be okay. I'm here. I've got you."

Kiri bit her lip and gathered the Chakra to her hands, struggling as her concentration faltered. _"Damn it! I wish I had paid better attention to her healing crash courses!"_

Kiri placed her hands over Sena's throat and shut her eyes, hiding from the gaping flesh, sinew, and muscle there.

"I-I've got you. Don't worry." Kiri muttered under her breath and gulped. "You'll be okay. We've been through worse. Just hold on."

Roku laughed as he continued to stab his brother, and Kiri looked up at him and shot him a glare.

"Will you shut up, you fat pig?! I'm trying to concentrate!"

Roku's laughing stopped instantly and he looked back to Kiri with a soft grin. "I stopped him, my love. He won't get in our way again."

Kiri growled. "Your brothers are trying to kill my friend! Help her!"

Roku's eyes shifted to the redhead girl and he brought himself to a stand slowly. "Yes, my darling." He rushed at one of the men to engage him and Kiri let out a hot breath and returned her gaze back to Sena's empty eyes.

"Y-You'll be okay, Sena. Just listen to my voice. And, if you see a light, stay the hell away from it!"

* * *

Natsumi looked around the cabin and dodged a strike.

_Two down. Four left._

Natsumi parried and sliced open the man's inner bicep. He screamed and reeled in pain, clutching his wound as the artery erupted.

_These guys are weaker than the leader._

Taking in a deep breath, she activated the seals and narrowed her eyes as she held up her sword in preparation.

_Flying Thunder God Jutsu!_

In a flash, Natsumi was everywhere and nowhere, teleporting and zipping between her two targets before either could blink, slicing off limbs and reducing them to fountains of blood and a pile of small pieces.

She landed on her feet in front of the last man with blood entirely saturating her cloak, covering her features, and dripping from her hair.

The man screamed at the sight of his brothers and dropped his serrated blades as he backed away from her. His eyes were wide and he desperately gasped for breath as she approached him.

"M-Monster! What kind of monster are you?!"

The corners of Natsumi's mouth curved in a slightly smirk as she tilted her head to the side, then lifted as she grinned ear-to-ear.

"Oh, _I'm_ the monster?" Natsumi laughed shortly and then pointed the end of her sword at him. "I think you're the ones who have earned that title after everything you've done... After you killed my friend."

Natsumi laughed again under her breath, low and dark. "I should torture you, you know. But looking at your face makes me sick."

"H-Have mercy!" He flung his hands above his head, shaking his head back and forth.

"Mercy?" Natsumi laughed and pressed the Ninjato against his throat. "Why should I show you mercy, when you didn't?"

"Natsumi!" Kiri called out to her, though it was ignored. "Natsumi, leave him! We need to go!"

"P-Please! Have m-mercy!"

Natsumi laughed as the man trembled and she lowered the tip of her blade to the base of his neck.

"Not a chance."

"Natsumi, stop!" Kiri pleaded, her voice cracking.

Natsumi sliced down and opened the man's torso and belly so that his organs and blood spilled out onto his lap. The man screamed, and Natsumi brought her sword down to pierce his heart.

All went quiet.

Natsumi slid the sword out and flicked the blood away, glancing at the back of the cabin and ran to the secret door, throwing it open with a growl.

"Natsumi!" Kiri yelled again, gritting her teeth. "Wait!"

* * *

Kiri screamed and stared down at Sena as she continued to heal.

"Damn!"

"My darling." Roku squatted next to Kiri, watching her with the doting eyes of a puppy. "What can I do?"

Kiri shot a glare at him and let out a breath.

"You can die."

Roku's face slowly contorted, then his eyes flashed pink once more and he nodded.

"As my darling commands." He grabbed his knife and held it to his throat. Kiri looked back at Sena as he brought the blade across his flesh and his blood spilled onto the floor as he collapsed in a heap.

* * *

She looked out into the woods and her eyes immediately landed on the blood trail.

_If he thinks he can get away from me, he's wrong!_

Natsumi chased after the trail until she came to the edge of a small cliff where a wide river ran below. Taichi stood at the edge, laughing as he looked her over.

"Well, well, well..." He smirked faintly. "I underestimated you, sweetheart."

"Stop calling me that!" Natsumi clenched her jaw and scowled.

"Sorry, sweetheart." Taichi shrugged. "I know I'm irresistible, but I have somewhere to be."

Natsumi lunged forward with her Ninjato but he flickered away, reappearing beside the river below.

Natsumi turned over her shoulder to listen to Kiri's voice as it was carried on the wind, then looked back down at the man, who only waved at her.

"COME BACK HERE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU, YET!" Natsumi yelled, and his laughter echoed through the cliffs.

"Until next time, sweetheart." He flickered again, only this time, he was nowhere to be found.

Natsumi let out a scream as she fell to her knees, supporting herself by sticking her sword into the dirt.

"DAMN!" She gritted her teeth. _He got away... I wasn't fast enough._

Natsumi let out a slow breath and turned back over her shoulder to Kiri's faint voice. Her eyes widened slightly in remembrance and her Chakra withdrew beneath her skin once more as her breathing slowed and she was left panting.

"Sena!"

She stood and raced back to the cabin, bursting through the back door, panting heavily as she stared at Kiri.

"Natsumi!" Kiri scowled and trembled, holding Sena in her arms. "That was stupid and reckless! Because of you, we don't have much time at all."

Natsumi blinked slowly and took a step forward, gulping at Sena.

"Is she...?"

Kiri bit her lip. "I did my best to stop the bleeding, but I'm shaking too much to even tell if she has a pulse..." She cursed under her breath. "Dammit!" She looked back at Natsumi. "Why didn't you just listen to me?! We could have left sooner! This didn't have to happen!"

Kiri choked back a sob and Natsumi fell to her knees.

_This is... my fault?_

"We have to get her to the Hospital right away." Kiri spoke softly and looked down at Sena's features. "Even if she doesn't make it... we have to try."

Natsumi's lip quivered. "But... Taichi... he got away. And the mission..."

"To hell with him!" Kiri looked up at the girl with fire in her eyes. "To hell with the mission! We need to save Sena! If you're not going to help, then just send us two back to the village and you can finish the damn mission yourself!"

Natsumi's eyes watered and spilled over, hot tears slowly rolling down her face. She wiped them away, the blood of her cloak only smearing the tears and blood on her face.

"I-I'm not..."

"Not what?!" Kiri snapped and Natsumi sputtered.

"I-I'm not going to leave you guys..." Natsumi bit her lip to contain a sob, dropping her sword as she reached out to touch both of them. "W-We're gonna go back together."

Kiri's expression softened and she nodded slowly. "She'll be okay. We just have to hurry."

Natsumi nodded and pressed her lips together.

_To send all three of us back to the village like this... after sending that girl before, and using that technique... it just might kill me._

She gulped again and her eyes rose to Sena's lifeless eyes.

_But if there is still a chance to save her, however small... I would gladly die._

Natsumi closed her eyes, focused her Chakra, and then the trio disappeared from the cabin.

They reappeared outside of the Village gates and Kiri instantly raced inside, carrying Sena in her arms. Natsumi fell forward onto her hands and knees, choking and coughing blood. Kiri stopped and turned to look at her, biting her lip.

"Natsumi!" She looked between the redhead and Sena, biting her lip. "Natsumi, hang in there! I'll be back!"

Kiri ran ahead, stopping again as she caught sight of Kotetsu and Izumo. "You two! Help Natsumi!"

They jumped and looked up suddenly from their game of cards and their eyes widened as they looked at her.

"K-Kiri?"

"Get Natsumi to the Hospital!" Kiri snapped and ran off again at full speed. _"Please let it not be too late."_

The two men scrambled to their feet to look beyond the gates and froze at the sight of Natsumi.

"I-Is that..." Izumo stared and slowly pointed.

"...Natsumi?" Kotetsu gaped at the figure covered head-to-toe in blood.

Natsumi's vision blurred and she glanced up at the two familiar faces, hear arms shaking under her weight. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

_Damn... I can't... feel my body._

Her arms gave out and she collapsed on the ground and her eyes fluttered closed.

_Is this... death?_

A weak breath escaped her lips and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

_Please, let it not be too late. Let Sena live._


	30. Chapter 28: Sharingan Warrior Pt 1

Sasuke gripped the Shuriken and took a stance as he looked at Zabuza as Naruto chuckled to himself. Sasuke opened the Shuriken until each of the four blades were extended and he smirked. "Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows..."

Zabuza's clone lowered his arm from his hilt and it rested at his side as he looked at the Uchiha boy.

"A Shuriken won't work on me."

Sasuke leapt high into the air and used the momentum of his entire body as he twisted and through the Shuriken at the clone with a shout.

The clone's eyes widened as the weapon curved around him, missing him entirely as it went instead at the real Zabuza.

"I see." Zabuza muttered to himself as he watched the weapon coming at him while maintaining the Water Prison. "This time it's aiming at my real body... but..." He reached out his free arm and grippe the Shuriken, stopping it mid-air. "It's not so easy as that!"

He looked up quickly, realizing that a second Shuriken was coming directly at him, aimed in the center of his torso.

"A Shuriken hiding in the Shuriken's shadow! This is... The Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!"

Sakura stared at the weapon with her hands clasped together. _"A second Shuriken in his blind spot!"_

Zabuza jumped and lifted his legs out of range of the Shuriken while the Water Prison remained intact and the Shuriken passed underneath of him easily.

"But... still too naïve."

Sakura's mouth gaped open and her eyes widened. _"He dodged it!"_

The corners of Sasuke's mouth curved in a smirk as the dodged Shuriken skimmed the top of the water and continued behind Zabuza. In an instant, the Shuriken vanished in a puff of smoke and transformed into Naruto as Tazuna, Kakashi, and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.

Zabuza turned to looked behind at the blond, his own eyes widened as Naruto smirked and threw a Kunai at the assassin.

"Here it is!"

Just before the Kunai could strike his arm, Zabuza pulled out his hand from the Water Prison as the Kunai grazed his cheek. He turned to Naruto, glaring menacingly as blood came from his wound. Spinning the Shuriken he had caught before, he rushed at Naruto to strike him dead.

"You little brat!"

Now free, Kakashi stopped the Shuriken's blade with the back of his fist, dripping wet from the Water Prison.

Naruto fell into the water with a heavy splash and Kakashi looked up slowly at the assassin with a dark glare.

Zabuza's eyes widened as the Sharingan eye locked onto his and Sakura leaned forward, smiling.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto surfaced and took a large breath of air and looked up at his teacher.

"Naruto..." Kakashi glanced toward the blond. "Your strategy was outstanding. You've grown up... both of you."

Naruto chuckled as he floated up and down, grinning broadly. "The purpose of the Shadow Clones was not to take down Zabuza, but to hide my transformation into the Demon Wind Shuriken! Then a clone threw the real me, who had transformed, towards Sasuke! When Sasuke got me, he must have realized right away who I was. Then, he took out his own Shuriken..."

"...And that's the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Naruto chuckled as he explained. "Hidden in the shadow of the real Shuriken, I aimed for Zabuza. Of course, I didn't think I would actually defeat Zabuza! But I thought I'd destroy the Water Prison. And as a bonus, I defeated his water clone, too. It was a huge success!"

Sasuke made a face and exhaled quietly. "That was a fluke..."

"It was a fluke, huh?!" Tazuna shot the Uchiha a look.

_"Still," _Sakura looked between Sasuke and Naruto. _"They performed outstandingly in tandem...even in this desperate situation. Despite the fact that those two always fight like cats and dogs."_

"Hmph!" Zabuza watched Kakashi and glanced around. "I got distracted and broke my Water Prison..."

"That's not it." Kakashi maintained his hard look and his eyes stayed on Zabuza. "You didn't break the Jutsu... They forced you to break it."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed at Kakashi and Kakashi kept his hand in place to hold back the Shuriken.

"I'll tell you now, the same Jutsu won't work on me twice." Kakashi narrowed his own eyes. "So... what will you do?"

Sasuke glanced around the area and then over to Sakura. "Sakura. Stay alert."

She nodded and they moved closer together to stand in front of Tazuna protectively.

Zabuza smirked slightly and shifted the Shuriken into its resting mode with all four blades as one and pressed them harder into Kakashi's hand as more blood dripped down. Kakashi struggled to hold back the weapon as it drew nearer to his face, then he pushed back hard enough and sent the Shuriken flying away into the mist.

The two leapt back from the other and Zabuza began to form hand signs mid-air. Kakashi's Sharingan eye widened and he copied the signs easily.

Sasuke's own eyes widened slightly as he watched Kakashi. "The Sharingan!"

The two Jonin landed on the water's surface and Zabuza continued the series of hand signs, Kakashi copying them exactly and in time with him.

"Ushi, saru, u. Ne, inoshihi, tori, ushi. Uma tori, ne, tora. Inu, tora, mi, ushi, hitsuji. Mi, inoshishi, hitsuji, ne..." Zabuza's chanting as he formed each sign was copied by Kakashi, resounding as one as it echoed eerily around them. "Jin, saru, tori, tatsu. Tori, ushi, uma, hitsuji. Ne, ushi, saru, tori. Jin, ne, inoshihi. Tora, mi, ne, saru. U, inoshishi, tatsu, hitsuji."

As they continued to chant, the water between them bubbled and foamed.

"—Ne, ushi, saru, tori. Jin, ne, inoshishi. Tori!" A final sign and the water between them came to life and took the shape of two rival dragons. "Water Style! Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The dragons looped around one another, rising higher until they lunged at one another, crashing into each other, causing a massive splash and a large wave to surge onto the shore at Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke. The dragons continued to fight as the water surged and sprayed around, soaking everything.

_"He copied that chant in seconds..."_ Sasuke kept his eyes on Kakashi. _"And so perfectly!"_

Sakura helped Tazuna back onto his feet where the swell had knocked him over and she gaped at the fighting dragons. _"W-What is this?"_

As the dragons battled, Zabuza swung his sword down at Kakashi, who blocked it with a Kunai knife, both of them struggling to gain an advantage over the other.

_"Strange..."_ Zabuza furrowed his brows as he pressed more weight into his blade. _"What is going on...?"_

As Kakashi pushed back, Zabuza gritted his teeth. _"The Sharingan is the ability to memorize and copy the enemy's Jutsu... But... the Jutsu were set in motion at the same time!"_ He narrowed his eyes. _"By any chance, is this guy...?"_

A masked figure watched the fighting at a distance from a high branch, his long robes flowing in the wind, unnoticed by anyone below.

_"This guy!"_ Zabuza clenched his jaw and leaned deeper into his strike, then he and Kakashi leapt apart simultaneously.

Once they landed on the water, Zabuza began to run in a circle on its surface as Kakashi continued to copy his every movement. Now at the other's original spot,they stopped and gave the other a hard look.

Zabuza raised his arms again to form a hand sign, only for Kakashi's arms to lift as well. With their right hand, they formed a singular sign, and the left raised above their head. Zabuza's eyes widened at Kakashi.

"The same identical movement!" Tazuna blinked in astonishment. "Furthermore, at exactly the same time!"

"What's going on Sasuke?" Sakura looked up at him, who wore a serious expression.

_"This guy..."_ Zabuza thought to himself again and a scowl formed. _"My movements! He's perfectly..."_ Lowering his left arm slowly, Kakashi did the same.

"Reading them." Kakashi finished the assassin's thought out loud with a quiet chuckle.

"What?" Zabuza stood still and a bead of sweat formed on his brow. _"He's reading my mind?!"_ Slowly he shifted to form another sign. _"Blast him! He's..."_

"—Giving me that barren, evil eye... right?" Kakashi formed the same sign and finished his thoughts again.

"Heh!" Zabuza chuckled, shifting to another sign. "You're just copying... you're just a pale imitation. You—"

"—Won't be able to beat me!"

Zabuza's eyes went wide and he quickly formed a series of signs with a glare. "I'll shut that copycat monkey-mouth permanently!"

A shadowy figure appeared behind Kakashi and the assassin narrowed his eyes at the figure as it formed. _"What's that?!"_


	31. Chapter 29: Sharingan Warrior Pt 2

Zabuza's eyes went wide and he quickly formed a series of signs with a glare. "I'll shut that copycat monkey-mouth permanently!"

A shadowy figure appeared behind Kakashi and the assassin narrowed his eyes at the figure as it formed. _"What's that?!"_

The form became clearer until it resembled Zabuza himself.

_"Me?" _Zabuza kept his eyes on the figure. _"Ridiculous! Is that a Genjutsu?"_

Kakashi formed a final sign, narrowing his eyes. "Water Style! Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

His Sharingan eye widened and the Tomoe inside began to spin counter-clockwise. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"W-What?!"

The water in front of Kakashi bubbled and a swirling vortex of water spun around him, growing in size until it surged forward at the assassin.

"No way!" The tsunami overtook Zabuza and flooded the area, knocking over trees as it blasted its way forward several kilometers. _"I was just about to set forth that Jutsu... I can't keep up with his Jutsu!"_

Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna raised their arms to block their faces from the raging spray of water just far enough from them to remain safe from the flood. Naruto, who was still bobbing in the water, stared wide-eyed at his Sensei's Jutsu in amazement until a series of large waves knocked him underwater and eventually deposited him onto the shore.

The surge thrust Zabuza hard against the trunk of a large tree, where he sputtered and remained fixed in place from the water's sheer pressure. Kakashi threw several Kunai into him to hold him against the tree more securely as he landed on a high branch and looked down.

"It's over..." Kakashi watched the water retreating from the shore, taking with it debris and splintered trees, having created a canyon from its blast.

Zabuza glanced up at the Jonin as he recovered his breath. _"Why...? Are you able to see into the future?"_

"Yeah..." Kakashi answered him under his breath and held up a Kunai. "You're going to die!"

Before Kakashi could strike, two Senbon needles were thrown from an unknown location and plunged into Zabuza's neck. Blood spurted out and the assassin was knocked to the ground suddenly, unmoving.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he followed the direction the needles had come from and his eyes rested on the mysterious masked figure in the tree across the clearing. The figure giggled quietly to itself as it looked down at Zabuza's body.

"You were right." The newcomer glanced at Kakashi from behind his mask. "He died."

Team Seven stared up cautiously at the stranger who quietly regarded them. Naruto turned to look at Zabuza, whose eyes were wide and frozen in death.

Kakashi leapt down from the branch and landed beside Zabuza and examined the fatal blow. Then, he pressed two fingers to Zabuza's neck.

"He's definitely dead." He confirmed to himself and turned to look at the masked Ninja.

The Ninja bowed slightly. "I thank you. I have been waiting for the chance to kill Zabuza."

"By the looks of that mask..." Kakashi observed. "You're a Tracker Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist."

The Ninja straightened and looked down at Kakashi. "Impressive. You're very knowledgeable."

"Tracker Ninja?!" Naruto glared up at the stranger suspiciously.

"You don't know what a Tracker Ninja is?" Sakura put a hand on her hip. "It's something we learned at the Academy. Tracker Ninja pursue guys like Zabuza who turn against the village they were born and raised. And when they break away from the village, Tracker Ninja go after these Rogue Ninja and assassinate them in order to avoid having the secrets of the village being leaked. That's common knowledge!"

"That's right." The Ninja glanced at Sakura. "I'm a member of the Hidden Mist's Tracking Unit whose mission it is to hunt Rogue Ninja."

_"From his height and voice, he's not that different from Naruto..." _Kakashi kept his eyes on the Ninja. _"A Tracker Ninja...? He's not just an ordinary kid..."_

Naruto ran closer to the Tracker Ninja to look up at him, looking between Zabuza's body and the Ninja with his jaw clenched tightly.

"What are you?!" Naruto balled his hands into fists and yelled up at the boy. "Hey you!"

"Don't worry, Naruto." Kakashi stood and turned to his student, sticking his hands into his pockets. "He's not an enemy."

"That's not what I'm asking!" Naruto looked at Kakashi. "I... I mean...! That guy who was so strong... He was killed so easily... by a kid who's no different from me! We're... we're pathetic! I can't accept that!"

"Well, I understand your disbelief." Kakashi stepped closer to him and rubbed the boy's head. "But... this, too, is reality. In this world, there are kids who are younger than you... and stronger than me." He glanced toward Sasuke, who gritted his teeth.

Naruto huffed and averted his eyes.

The Ninja raised an arm slightly, vanishing in a swirl of wind, and then reappeared beside Zabuza. He lifted the body and draped one of the corpse's arms around his shoulders and looked to Naruto.

"You battle is over for now. I must get rid of this corpse... because it contains many secrets. Now then... please excuse me." He raised a hand to form a sign, vanishing with the wind once more.

"H-He's disappeared!" Naruto blinked in amazement and looked around.

Kakashi lowered his headband over his left eye with a slight sigh. "He's not here anymore, Naruto."

Naruto gritted his teeth and balled his fists, sinking to his knees in the damp grass, beginning to punch the earth. "What was all this for?! What are we anyway?!"

"Naruto..." Sakura watched him strike the ground and she held one hand over her heart.

"Darn it! Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!"

Kakashi reached out to grab Naruto's arm, stopping his punches. "Things like this happen when you're a Ninja. If you're frustrated, apply it next time!" He released Naruto, whose body relaxed and he let out a short breath.

Kakashi turned back to his other students. "Our mission hasn't ended yet. We must get Mr. Tazuna home."

Tazuna began to laugh and adjust his hat. "So sorry, everyone! You all can rest at my house!"

"Okay!" Kakashi looked between his students. "Let's perk up and go!"

Kakashi turned to continue down their path, freezing in place suddenly as his eye widened, and then collapsed to the ground, suddenly unconscious.

They ran up to him, looking him over.

"W-What?" Sakura blinked quickly. "What happened?!"

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto bent down to look at him. Without a reply, Naruto tried to shake him. "Kakashi-sensei!"


	32. Chapter 30: Kiri, Alone

Kiri paced the hall quickly with her arms folded over her chest as she chewed on the ends of her hair. Finally, a doctor stepped out of a nearby room. Kiri stopped pacing and moved the hair from her mouth as she approached with a solemn expression.

"Well?"

The doctor sighed for a moment before meeting Kiri's eyes. "Well... we've been able to stop the bleeding and heal the wound. If you hadn't acted so quickly, we wouldn't have been able to."

Kiri's eyes watered and she covered her mouth. "You mean... she'll be okay?"

The doctor shifted her feet and slowly continued. "She got very lucky. The wound was not very deep, and it didn't sever the arteries. While it certainly bled a lot, it looked much worse than it really was."

Kiri's eyes lowered as she choked back a cry softly and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so glad... I thought for sure she wouldn't make it."

"There has been... a problem, though." The doctor cleared her throat and Kiri looked up at her.

"A... problem?" Kiri bit her lip. "What do you mean?"

"While we were able to heal the wound itself, we discovered that she had been poisoned." The doctor glanced back at the door, then turned her eyes to Kiri again. "The blade that cut her must have been coated with some kind of toxin, but it's one we've never seen before. It's consistent with all the old reports of the Araki brothers."

"Poison?" Kiri put her arm out to steady herself against the wall. "But you can create an antidote, right?"

The doctor paused. "We can try, but without knowing the origin of the poison, we could end up making it much worse. We've isolated a sample of the toxin to study for now, however it seems to be slow-spreading and concentrated in her neck— as long as someone continues to heal the area every thirty minutes or so." The doctor let out a small sigh and put her hands into her pockets. "For now, we'll have someone assigned to treat her at all times while we work to create the antidote. However, if the poison continues to spread and it reaches her heart before we can find the cure, she won't survive it."

Kiri began to tremble and pressed herself against the wall. "No..."

"I'm sorry to have to deliver this kind of news." The doctor patted Kiri's shoulder and forced a faint smile. "However, don't lose hope. Without you stopping the bleeding and getting her here so quickly, she wouldn't have made it. But now she has a fighting chance."

Kiri stared at the floor and drew her arms in closely, and the doctor lowered her arm.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to brief the nurses and set up a treatment schedule."

"...Thank you." Kiri mumbled as the woman nodded and walked away.

"Kiri?"

Kiri looked up slowly and blinked, then wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Kotetsu?"

Kotetsu furrowed his brow as he looked her over. "...Bad news?"

Kiri shrugged. "A little good and bad..." She mumbled and leaned against the wall. "Sena's alright for now... but her condition is..." She shook her head and bit her lip. "Well, they're not sure what will happen."

"I'm sorry." He stood beside her against the wall and his eyes fell to the floor ahead.

"What about Natsumi?" Kiri glanced up at him, her chest heavy and her stomach knotted. "Is she okay?"

Kotetsu met her eyes. "...To be honest, they're still working on her. Chakra exhaustion of that extent... they said she was half dead when they began to heal her." He sighed quietly. "But they said that if they could stabilize her, that she would be alright... the problem is that her body is so deprived of Chakra and she pushed herself so hard that her cells were damaged." He paused. "They think that she converted the life from the healthy cells into Chakra, sort of... eating herself in order to draw extra Chakra."

Kiri pressed her lips together and looked away and he touched her arm. "There's a whole team working to help her. She's a tough kid, so she'll be okay. They both will."

Kiri gritted her teeth and swatted his hand away. "How can you say that?"

"W-What?" Kotetsu blinked and looked at her.

"H-How can you say that?" Kiri asked again, her eyes spilling over as her voice quivered. "Natsumi is already half dead and Sena's wound was tainted with an incurable poison, so how can you just say that everything will be fine?!"

Kotetsu blinked and reached out to comfort her. "Kiri..."

She shoved him back, shaking her head. "Just leave me alone!"

Kotetsu's eyes widened and he grabbed her wrists, looking over her hands. "Kiri, your hands!"

She tried to pull away from him, only turning to look away as she remained quiet.

Kotetsu furrowed his brows and looked between the wounds in her palms and her eyes. "You need to be treated right away. This is serious."

"I'm fine." She muttered and tugged away from him again, though her energy was slowly draining.

"You're _fine?"_ He scoffed. "I can see through your hands!"

"This is nothing." Kiri mumbled. "Sena and Natsumi are more important."

"They're being treated as we speak." Kotetsu gently tugged her along as he looked around the halls. "Now _you _need to stop being so stubborn and let someone take a look at you."

"Let go of me!" Kiri glowered and Kotetsu narrowed his eyes back at her.

"Not until someone sees you."

A group of Medical Ninja rounded the corner to look at the pair.

"Excuse me." A woman looked between them. "If you can't keep it down, we'll have to ask you to leave."

"She needs help." Kotetsu pointed at her hand as he lifted one of her arms up to reveal the wound. "Right away."

"Oh my." One of the women walked over and gently took Kiri's hands and examined them. "This is serious." She smiled reassuringly at Kiri. "Come with us, please, and we'll get this all fixed up for you."

Kiri shot Kotetsu a glare as he chuckled and put a hand on his hip. "Ass."

Kotetsu shrugged and smirked. "You're welcome, you stubborn idiot."

Kiri followed the Ninja to another room and sat in silence as they cleaned her wounds and began to heal.

"You're very lucky." One smiled at Kiri, her eyes raising from Kiri's hands to her face. "Your boyfriend is very caring, looking after you like that."

Kiri blinked for a moment, then her cheeks warmed as she realized what had been said. "H-He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh." The woman pursed her lips, then winked with a soft laugh. "Maybe he should be."

Kiri's eyes unfocused as she stared down at the soft glow on her hands. After some time, her hands were carefully bandaged and the woman patted Kiri's shoulder.

"All done now, dear. Considering the severity of the wound, you should come back every day for several weeks so we can be sure it's healing properly without any infections forming. Please try to take it easy so that your hands have the opportunity to heal."

Kiri stood slowly and nodded, only half listening. "...Thanks." She stepped out of the room with a long sigh, then left the hospital, wandering slowly with her eyes glazed over.

* * *

_"Tell us again, K, what you saw." One man asked another gruffly and crossed his arms._

_"I already told you! I went to pay back some of the money I'd borrowed from Gou, and I saw that _girl_ killing him! Stabbing him over and over with a look in her eyes like a wild beast!" The smaller man shuddered and shook his head. "I've been in war before... and never seen anything so gruesome."_

_Another man scoffed under his breath. "A four-year-old child couldn't have killed Gou."_

_"I know what I saw!" The second man insisted again and glanced toward the barred holding cell, pointing a finger at the blood-covered figure inside. "That _thing_ is a monster!"_

_"That _thing_ is a four-year-old girl." A new man entered. "Furthermore, why would a child kill her own parent in cold blood?"_

_"Lord Raikage." The men turned to him and nodded respectfully, glancing away._

_"Gou has always told us that his daughter was... strange." The second man spoke slowly. "Ever since she was born, there's been nothing but bad luck. Fatal work accidents... wells running dry... fertile fields turning barren..."_

_Another man spoke up, stepping forward from where he'd been standing in the corner. "It's more than just that. There's an old myth about the Ueno clan... that they were placed under a curse hundreds of years ago. If there was ever a daughter born to them, they would face ruin..."_

_The Raikage raised a brow. "Are you suggesting that a supposed cursed child is to blame for all those problems?"_

_"All of those old predications have come true since that child was born, Lord Raikage." He defended._

_"That's right..." Another man nodded. "It has been strange..."_

_"And, Gou's talked about how strange she was before, too." The second man continued. "He said that usually she was a happy child, though sometimes... she would suddenly change. She'd be cold and callous— as if she was some kind of... empty puppet."_

_"I heard once that she killed a wild dog with her bare hands after it had wandered into their garden." Another muttered under his breath. "And was using its blood to paint a picture..."_

_"Enough!" The Raikage looked between them. "We're talking about a young girl here. Has anyone spoken to her yet?"_

_"No, sir." One man quickly answered. "Once we captured her... she's been mute and staring into the corner of the cell. I'm not sure she's even blinked."_

_"Let me see her."_

_"S-Sir!" K's eyes widened slightly. "I'm telling you, she was like a wild animal!"_

_With one glance, the man stepped aside and the Raikage walked over to the cell and peered through the bars of the cell. He knelt and his eyes fell on the small girl, who was covered entirely from head-to-toe with blood splatter._

_He cleared his throat and she remained in place, staring into the corner as they'd said, unblinking._

_"Kiri, isn't it?" He spoke softly to the child, who didn't acknowledge him. "Are you alright? Were you hurt at all?"_

_Without a reply, he frowned and tried again. "K says he saw you attacking your father... but I want to know what happened."_

_After a long pause, he let out a sigh and shifted to stand when a small voice answered._

_"He didn't want vegetable soup again."_

_"Hm?" The man's eyes fell on her again and the men behind her shuddered at the chill in her voice._

_"Mommy made vegetable soup. He wanted meat and rice." Kiri muttered under her breath, her tone hollow. "Meat and rice, he said. Meat and rice." She began to cackle loudly._

_The Raikage looked behind him at the others, who had stepped back and were staring at the child, frozen in place. He turned back to the girl._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Meat and rice, he said." Kiri cackled again. "He said it with his mouth... and his hands. Meat and rice... he was tired of vegetable soup. Mommy said we had no money for meat. No money for rice. No meat and rice."_

_"Meat and rice." Kiri laughed coldly and swayed slowly side-to-side. "He was yelling. Yelling. Yelling. And hitting. Hitting. Hitting. And mommy was crying. Crying. Crying." The laughing stopped suddenly and she stopped rocking. "Meat and rice."_

_The men gulped and looked at one another and the Raikage turned to his assistant. "Why is she like this?"_

_"Often, when a child undergoes trauma, their psyche is damaged and they are thrust into an instinctive, protective state of mind." The woman answered quietly. "The looping responses are not atypical, and they always pertain to the incident."_

_"What does it mean?"_

_"I-I'm not sure..." The woman answered hesitantly. "I doubt we'll get a clear answer from her when she's in shock like this."_

_They turned to look inside the cell, where faint singing was echoing from._

_"Daddy wanted meat and rice, mommy said no._

_No money for meat, no money for rice._

_Lots of empty bottles daddy tried to hide._

_Daddy yelled. Mommy fell. Daddy hit. Mommy snapped. Crack, crack, crack."_

_The girl began to laugh again, first as a whisper, and then it grew louder and louder._

_"Kiri killed daddy. Kiri killed daddy._

_Lots of pretty, pretty blood on the pretty, pretty knife._

_No more daddy. No more yelling. No more hitting._

_And no more meat and rice."_

_The Raikage's eyes widened as the girl turned her head slowly, still unblinking, with her eyes wide and wild and a grin on her face._

_"No meat and rice for daddy."_

_He stood quickly and turned to the small group._

_"I-It's like I said." K gulped again and held his arms close. "That's not a child... it's a monster."_

_"If I may..." The woman cleared her throat. "From what I've gathered, her father was the murderer. She's just a child who tried to help her mother when she was being abused."_

_"That's impossible!" Another man muttered. "Gou was deeply in love with Aimi. They'd been together since they were kids. He would have never hurt her."_

_"Kiri's testimony suggests otherwise." The woman put a hand on her hip. "'Lots of empty bottles' is what she said... did you know if he had a drinking problem?"_

_"No!" K shook his head. "It's true that we did like to go out for drinks often, but he never drank around his family. And none of us have ever known him to be violent."_

_"Do you know this for certain?" The Raikage looked at him. "Have any of you been to his home before?"_

_"W-Well..." They looked at each other. "He's always asked that we stay away."_

_"He said that Aimi became anxious around guests, and that Kiri was too... odd to be around company." Another man admitted._

_"My lord, it seems to me that Gou presented himself much differently in public than he was at home." The assistant turned to him. "If we could have someone investigate at the home, we could confirm what really happened."_

_The Raikage nodded. "We'll get to the bottom of this."_

_"What about..." K glanced into the cell. "..._her_?"_

_"She should be looked at immediately, my Lord. She could have been injured in the struggle, and the psychological damage needs to be addressed right away."_

_"Very well. See to it that she's treated. Have her moved into the hospital, but separated from the other patients and monitored." The Raikage nodded once more and let out a breath as he turned to the men. "No one is to go near her without authorization. She's a key witness to this investigation."_

_"Y-Yes, Lord Raikage."_

* * *

_"Kiri." The Raikage cleared his throat a second time and the girl slowly blinked as her eyes came into focus. She vaguely met his eyes, saying nothing, as she had become mute once more after her song._

_"You're going to spend tonight in the hospital." The Raikage explained. "There are guards outside your room, for your own protection." He paused to look for understanding or recognition in her eyes, but only saw emptiness. "I've arranged for Medical Ninja to tend to you, so cooperate with them."_

_He sighed and stood straight to look at the pair of guards in the doorway. "No one is allowed in or out without my authorization. Understood?"_

_They nodded he solemnly glanced back at the child in the bed before leaving. The guards looked between themselves and stepped out of the room, allowing the Medical Ninja inside._

_Once they had cleaned her off and examined her over, they left her alone with a tray of food and shut the door behind them. After some time of staring blankly at the ceiling, Kiri eventually fell into a restless sleep._

_Several hours later, K approached the guards with quiet steps to avoid waking any of the sleeping patients._

_"Hey." K smiled slightly and nodded his head to them._

_"We can't let you in, if that's what you want." One of the guards grunted under his breath, leaning against the doorframe._

_"Nah." K shook his head and held up the two steaming cups he held in his hands. "I just brought these for you. I figured you two might be getting tired and needed a pick-me-up."_

_"Huh. Thanks." The other guard nodded in appreciation and reached out to take a cup and took a long drink. "Ah. Good stuff."_

_The first guard took his own cup and drank._

_"She hasn't tried to escape or anything, has she?" K glanced toward the door._

_"Nah." The second guard shook his head. "We've peeked in a few times and she's fallen asleep."_

_"Good." K let out a slow breath. "After what I saw her do to Gou... I'm glad the Raikage has you keeping an eye on her. I'd hate for her to get loose."_

_"We heard." The first guard sipped his coffee and exhaled slowly. "To think that Gou could have been completely different than we knew..." He shook his head. "And to think that a small child like that could have done so much damage in retaliation... it's hard to believe."_

_K clutched on hand into a tight fist and shook his own head. "I still can't believe it. It keeps replaying in my mind over and over. It was unlike anything I've seen before."_

_"I can't even imagine." The second guard finished his coffee in a gulp and crossed his arms. "She's such an innocent-looking kid."_

_"Appearances are deceiving." K muttered quietly under his breath and crossed his own arms and rested a shoulder against the wall. "What is the Raikage even thinking? What is he going to do with her now?"_

_"What do you mean?" The first guard sipped and held the cup near his mouth. "She'll go to the orphanage, won't she?"_

_K shook his head. "That's just it... even if she is a victim... would you feel safe letting her near the other children after she's brutally killed someone?" He paused and cleared his throat and met their eyes. "The trauma of it has probably done severe damage on her mind. Would it really be a good idea to have her around the others? Or placed into a foster family?"_

_The guards quieted, and the second one yawned slightly and shrugged. "She'll definitely need therapy, but she's so young. You don't think she'll make a recovery?"_

_K shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've never known anything like this to happen before. I'm just concerned for everyone's safety. I think the Raikage is only concerned about the girl, instead of the potential risks."_

_The first guard finished his cup and shook his head sadly. "I'm sure the Raikage has considered all sides to it. Whatever he decides, I'm sure it will be the right thing."_

_"I forgot..." The second guard yawned again and blinked hard. "You're the one who was closest to Gou. It must be hard for you."_

_"We've been friends since we were kids." K closed his eyes and furrowed his brows. "We did everything together. He was the one there for me after my father walked out on me. To think he's gone... it's going to take a while to sink in."_

_"I can imagine." The first guard nudged the second with a scowl. "Hey! Stop nodding off!"_

_The second guard blinked and held up the cup. "Sorry. I think I need more coffee. This one cup only reminded me how tired I really was."_

_His eyes began to flutter close and he leaned against the wall, his words beginning to jumble together. "I dunno... why I'm so tired..." He collapsed on the ground and the first guard's eyes widened and he stepped closer to him, wobbling suddenly as his vision blurred._

_He blinked as he fell to his knees and gritted his teeth, glaring up at K. "You bastard... why the hell did you drug us?"_

_K's innocent expression of surprise twisted into a smile nearly too wide for his face and his eyes darkened. He stepped over the guard's body and watched as his eyes closed heavily._

_"Too trusting..." K chuckled under his breath. "Just like Aimi."_

_Cracking his neck, K propped the guards up so they appeared to the sitting at their posts and opened the door to step inside._

_His eyes adjusted to the darkness and his smirk grew as he approached the bed, watching intently as Kiri's chest rose and fell in her sleep and her eyes darted back and forth behind her eyelids in a nightmare._

_"Oh, poor girl." He chuckled again. "I used to be plagued with nightmares as a kid, too. I was cured of them after I fell in love... but they came back when she married someone else."_

_He shook his head, reaching out to stroke her silky black hair. Kiri's eyes burst open at the touch and her mouth opened to scream in surprise, and K clamped his hand over her mouth tightly._

_She thrashed in the bed and he kept his hand over her mouth tightly._

_"Shh now... you don't want to alert anyone." He chuckled. "I just wanted to have a little chat with my own daughter."_

_Kiri's eyes widened like saucers and K laughed under his breath as her struggling faded._

_"Don't make that face." He leaned closer to her as she began to tremble. "Gou wasn't your father." He laughed. "Oh, he thought he was. But he didn't know..."_

_"You see..." K stroked her hair with his free hand. "I always loved Aimi. I never had the guts to tell her... not until she'd already married Gou. I went over to drop off some tools Gou had asked to borrow... and I found myself confessing to Aimi and begging her to run away with me. Of course, she refused and ordered me to never speak of it again or mention the conversation to Gou."_

_K sighed and shrugged. "Of course, I was too in love with her to accept her answer. I had to take matters into my own hands."_

_Kiri continued to struggle and attempted to scream, but was stopped when he placed his foot on her stomach and kept his hand in place._

_"__So, I pretended to go along with her terms and offered to make her tea as an apology. I had some poison on hand if I ever gathered the courage to take out my rival... but I put it to better use. One sprinkle in her cup was enough to knock her out." He stopped stroking her hair to mime sprinkling a powder and smirked. "And, she just looked so lovely that I couldn't help myself. By the time Gou finally returned home, all evidence had been erased and I convinced him that she must have been sick and overworked herself."_

_K laughed and then quieted himself. "Of course, that fool never doubted me for a moment. She made a full recovery in less than a day and had no memories of that day. And, when Gou announced that she was expecting... I knew that you were mine. I've always known. I could feel it in my bones."_

_Kiri's eyes began to water and spill over as she cried, trying to pull away from him._

_"I knew Gou best, so I knew just what to say over time to plant the seed in his mind that Aimi was unfaithful." K chuckled, a breathy, raspy laugh. "Not only that, but he was so gullible that I was able to twist him and turn his unwavering love for her into violence. I had hoped that, once it became too much, Aimi would simply leave him, taking you with her. And then I would be there as the compassionate friend and protector, until she fell for me as well, and we would be the family we always should have been."_

_K's expression darkened. "But, you went ahead and ruined those plans instead. Aimi grew too devoted and timid to leave— most likely for your own sake. And you couldn't have even attacked Gou until after Aimi was..." He clenched his hand tighter over her face and scowled. "Why couldn't you have done something sooner? My Aimi is gone now, and all that's left of her is you... you worthless child."_

_His hand moved from her mouth to her throat, gripping it as she thrashed and gasped desperately for a breath._

_"The last thing I wanted was to lose Aimi... and it's your fault that she is gone forever. You might be the beloved daughter I've wanted to raise, but I can't forgive you for letting her die."_

_Kiri struggled and he laughed coldly._

_"You might have overpowered Gou by pure surprise alone... but you're not strong enough to defeat me."_

_Kiri narrowed her eyes and clasped the silverware she'd hidden beneath the mattress, swinging them into his side. His eyes widened slightly and his grip loosened just enough on her throat for her to draw in a large gasp of air._

_Before he could react, Kiri drove the knife and fork into his chest again and again. He growled and gripped her wrists, squeezing to get her to drop her weapons as he bled._

_"You little—!" K pinned her down, scowling. "You took Aimi from me! Just accept your death!"_

_She bashed her head against the bridge of his nose, regaining control of her arm and she plunged the knife into his neck and kicked away from him. She scampered over to the window, out of breath and crying, prying it open as he clutched his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding._

_"Get back here!"_

_Kiri shook her head quickly, her lips quivering, and she jumped from the window with her eyes closed tightly as she fell from the second story._

* * *

Kiri blinked hard and gasped for breath, clutching her neck as if a man's large hand were still there and she rushed behind the nearest shop. Gasping and trembling, she clutched her head at the memories and she suppressed a choking sob. She sunk to the ground, out of sight of the street, and buried her face in her legs as she drew them nearer.

_"No." _She held back another sob, biting her lip to keep quiet as her eyes spilled over. "_Not those memories again. Not now."_


	33. Chapter 31: Forest of Chakra Pt 1

Sea birds squawked and flew in the deep cerulean sky, swooping down and dipping into the water to catch fish before returning to their nests on the rocky shoreline. Houses were built over top of the water, forming a village entirely free of dry land.

Kakashi lay on a sleeping mat, now awake with his eye partially open as he took in his surroundings. _"It seems I've overused my Sharingan..."_

A dark-haired woman approached him as she noticed his eyes were finally open. "Are you alright, Sensei?"

"Not really..." Kakashi turned to her and answered. "It will be hard just to move for about a week..." He attempted to sit up, his body aching in protest.

The woman rested her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows. "Well, then, it would be better if you didn't move for a while."

"O-Okay." Kakashi blinked up at her. And lay back down, pulling the blanket back over himself.

Sakura peered around the corner, and then the rest of Team Seven entered and looked at Kakashi.

"Hey! Sensei's awake!" Naruto grinned.

Sakura knelt beside Kakashi, scolding. "Come on! Your Sharingan is fantastic, but if it puts that much of a strain on your body, it may not be worth it!"

"S-Sorry." Kakashi turned to look at her.

"But you know..." Tazuna dabbed at his brow with a handkerchief, having come in behind the Genin. "He did take down a real powerful Ninja like that! There's probably no need to worry for a while."

"Anyway..." Sakura touched her chin in thought. "That kid with the mask... what was he?"

"He was an ANBU Black Ops agent from the Hidden Mist Village. It's a mask that the elite Ninja Tracking Unit's members wear"

"The elite Tracking Unit?" Sakura asked.

"They're commonly called the 'fire extinguishing corps,' and their duty is to erase all traces that a Ninja ever lived. The body of the Ninja reveals a variety of things... Ninjutsu secrets and Chakra characteristics which permeate the Ninja of their village. The composition of secret medicines used on a Ninja's body..."

"For instance, if I were to die," Kakashi continued. "every secret about my Sharingan would be investigated thoroughly, and in the worst case, there's a danger that my entire Jutsu could be stolen. In other words, Tracker Ninja are specialists that prevent village secrets from leaking out by killing rogue Ninja who've run away from their village and completely eliminating their bodies..."

* * *

The masked boy knelt besides Zabuza's body in a clearing and took out a satchel, unrolling it on the ground to look over the various knives as tools at his disposal. He selected a pair of scissors and his eyes fell on Zabuza's face.

"First, I'll cut the mouth cloth and have him spit up blood..."

He brought the scissors close to Zabuza,s mouth, but his arm was grabbed as Zabuza' eyes burst open suddenly, red and bloodshot.

"It's alright." Zabuza reached up with his other hand, pulling down the bandaging to uncover his mouth, revealing his sharpened teeth. "I'll do it... myself."

"What?" The boy stared down at the man, unflinching. "You've already come back to life..."

Zabuza sat up slowly and rested his arms on his lap, exhaling and refilling his lungs.

"Damn, you really are rough..." He pulled the senbon needles from his neck and tossed them to the ground.

"You too, Zabuza." The boy watched him carefully. "Please don't pull them out so violently or you really will die."

"Hmmph." Zabuza glanced over at the boy with a glare. "How long do you plan on keeping that shady-looking mask on? Take it off."

"It's a relic from the past, and it's been handy for trickery..." He reached up to remove the mask carefully, then smiled faintly. He reached up to remove the mask carefully, then smiled faintly. "But, if I hadn'trescued you, you certainly would have been killed."

Zabuza turned away and spat out a glob of saliva and blood onto the ground before he looked back at the boy. "If you were going to put me into a state of apparent death, you didn't need to aim for the secret opening on my neck." Zabuza recovered his mouth with the bandages. "You're a really nasty one."

"It couldn't be helped..." The boy smiled. "Besides, I didn't want to mark up your immaculate body. And also, I can aim more accurately on the point on the neck where there isn't much muscle."

Zabuza remained quiet and tried to stand but was unable to lift himself off the ground.

"You'll be numb for about a week and won't be able to move. But since you're Zabuza, perhaps you'll be able to recover more quickly..."

Zabuza kept his eyes on his protégé. "You're so innocent, smart, and untainted... that's what I like about you."

The boy giggled to himself, blushing faintly. "I am, after all, still only a child." He stood and looked outward at the bay. "The fog has lifted."

"Yes." Zabuza responded dully.

"Will you be alright the next time?" The boy asked, not meeting his mentor's eyes.

"The next time..." Zabuza glared. "I'll be able to see right through the Sharingan."

* * *

Kakashi sat upright carefully, holding his hand over his face in thought.

_"What is this feeling? Even though Zabuza is dead... I have this indescribable uneasiness... it must mean something very important..." _He let out a quiet breath. _"I have the feeling I've overlooked something."_

"What's going on, sensei?" Naruto asked, blinking at the Jonin.

"Hm?" Kakashi blinked and changed the subject. "Oh... so, to continue my earlier story..." He scratched his cheek, then rest his hand in his lap. "Ninja Trackers take care of the bodies of people they've killed, immediately and on the spot."

"So... what about it?" Sakura asked.

"What did that kid with the mask do with Zabuza?" Kakashi answered with another question.

"How should we know?" Sakura sighed quietly. "The masked one took Zabuza away!"

"That's right." Kakashi nodded. "If he needed proof he'd killed Zabuza, he could have simply taken the head... and the question is... the weapon that Tracker kid used to kill Zabuza..."

"A regular Senbon." Sasuke spoke up and his eyes widened slightly. "That's impossible...!"

"Right... it's impossible?" Kakashi looked at the Uchiha boy.

"What have you guys been clamoring on and on about?!" Tazuna uncrossed his arms and waved one of his hands slightly.

Kakashi lowered his hand and met the man's eyes. "It's probable that... Zabuza is actually alive."

Tazuna, Sakura, and Naruto's eyes widened and they stared in shock.

"E-Eh?!" Naruto exclaimed. "H-How?!"

"What?" The woman glanced at Kakashi once more.

"What the heck do you mean?!" Naruto clutched his fists and looked at his teacher."

"But, Kakashi-sensei, you made sure that he was dead!" Sakura voice rose slightly in alarm.

"It's true, I did make sure..." Kakashi's eyes wandered and he stared at the wall momentarily. "But he was probably just in a state of near-death." His eyes lowered as he thought. "The Senbon that Tracker Ninja used has a very low ability to kill unless it directly hits a vital spot. It's something that was originally used for medical treatments such as acupuncture therapy."

"Ninja Trackers know all about the structure of the human body... Putting people into a state of apparent near-death is probably simple for them." Kakashi explained further. "First, he went to the trouble of taking Zabuza's corpse, which was probably heavier than he is. Secondly... he used a Senbon, a weapon with a low ability to kill. From these two factors alone, that youth wasn't aiming to kill Zabuza, but to save him."

"Aren't you reading way too much into it?" Tazuna shrugged.

"No." Kakashi looked at him. "If something seems fishy, make preparations before it's too late." He narrowed his eyes. "That's also an ironclad rule of Shinobi."

Kakashi glanced up at Naruto, who was smirking slightly with one fist clenched, his body trembling.

"Hmph." Kakashi scoffed quietly. "To hear that Zabuza may be alive and to be pleased..."

"Sensei, what do we do to make preparations before it's too late?" Sakura leaned forward slightly. "You won't even be able to move properly for a while..."

Kakashi chuckled. "I'll assign you training, of course!"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "W-Wait a minute! Even with the training, we're not going to be that strong! Our opponent is a Ninja whom even you, with the Sharingan, had a tough fight with!" She furrowed her brows in concern. _"Are you trying to kill us, Sensei?!"_

"Sakura..." Kakashi looked at her. "Who was it that saved me during my difficult battle?" He narrowed his eyes. "You've all quickly grown... especially Naruto."

Naruto blinked, having only been partially paying attention. "Huh?"

Kakashi smiled at the blond, his eye creasing. "You've grown the most!"

Naruto grinned at the praise and Sakura looked at him from the corner of her eye. _"He clearly does seem somewhat stronger than before, but..."_

"So, you noticed, Kakashi-sensei!" His grin grew wider. "Now it's getting interesting!"

"It's not interesting at all..." A new voice came from behind and they turned to look at its owner.

Naruto squinted at the young boy that stood in the doorway and pointed his finger at him. "And who the heck are you?!"

"Oh, Inari!" Tazuna smiled broadly and held out his arms. "Where have you been?!"

The boy rushed forward and threw his arms around the old man. "Welcome back, Grandpa!"

"Inari!" His mother scolded and put her hands on her hips. "What sort of greeting is that?! These are the Ninja who escorted your grandpa!"

"It's okay, it's okay." Tazuna chuckled and patted the boy's head. "Right, Inari?"

The boy studied the Genin with a hard look, then turned to his mother with a blank expression.

"Mom, these guys will die... There's no way they can oppose Gato and win."

Naruto clenched his fists and shot a glare at the boy. "Say what, you little brat?!" He pointed at Inari and furrowed his brows. "Now, listen up! I'm a super hero who's gonna become an awesome Ninja named Hokage in the future! I don't care if it's Gato or Chocolat or whatever... I'm not worried about those guys at all!"

"Huh. A hero." The boy's expression darkened and he turned his head downward so his hat covered most of his face. "That's ridiculous! There's no such thing!"

"What did you say?!" Naruto stepped toward the boy with his fists readied and Sakura grabbed him, holding him back.

"Stop that!"

The boy turned his back to them to leave, then glanced over his shoulder coolly. "If you don't want to die, you'd better hurry up and go home..." He left the room, leaving Sasuke to narrow his eyes in thought.

"Inari!" Tazuna called out to him. "Where are you going?"

"The sea..." The boy glanced back at his grandfather. "I'll be looking at the sea..."

Once he had gone, Sakura released Naruto and Tazuna turned to the blond.

"I apologize."

Naruto kept his jaw tight as he glared at the doorway the boy had left through. After a while, he went upstairs to look for him.

"Darn..." Naruto muttered under his breath. "That brat... I need to tell him a thing or two!" As Naruto approached the door in the hall, his paced slowed and he leaned closer to listen. "Huh?" His body relaxed as he recognized the sound coming from within the room and peered through the thin crack of the door. _"Is he... crying?"_

Inari sat on his desk with his window open, clutching a photograph in his hands as he cried and faced the sea. "Dad..."

Naruto's eyes fell to the floor and he stepped back from the room with his stomach twisting into knots.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he stretched in his pajamas, nearly ready for bed. The gnawing feeling in his gut had continued to grow and he clutched at his stomach, frowning. _"What's with this feeling?"_ Natsumi's face appeared in his mind and he pressed his lips together tightly. _"I wonder if Natsumi is okay..."_

"What's wrong?" Kakashi glanced at Naruto, tilting his head slightly.

"I-It's nothing." Naruto scratched his head and lowered his other hand from his stomach. "I just miss Natsumi is all."

"Natsumi?" Tsunami looked over at Naruto and smiled. "Is that the name of your girlfriend?"

Naruto blinked and blushed. "W-What?! No!" He shook his head quickly. "Natsumi's my sister."

"Ah, so that's it." Tsunami looked at him. "I didn't know you had a sister. What's she like?"

Naruto nodded and chuckled, retrieving a picture of him and his twin from his backpack to show the woman.

"We're twins, ya know, but we don't look anything alike! She's always acting like she's older than me and nagging me to do chores." He crossed his arms and made a face. "And she's always so busy, busy, busy with her training and won't ever let me join her." He smiled again, relaxing his arms. "But, she's also really fun to be around, too. She's not bad at cooking, even if we don't have a lot of food at home, and she's always looking out for me."

"How cute." Tsunami leaned down to smile at the picture. "You may not have the same hair and eyes, but I can see the resemblance there. You're definitely siblings."

Naruto sighed softly and stared at the photo in his hands. "Natsumi and I have never been apart for this long before... I guess, without her, I just feel like I've got a big hole in me."

"Well, I'm sure she's missing you just as much." Tsunami giggled. "You know, some old wives' tales say that twins have a natural psychic link to sense the other's emotions— even from far away."

"Really?" Naruto blinked and looked from the woman back to the picture. "Then... every time I think about her... I have this bad feeling like something is wrong." He frowned slightly. "Could she be in trouble?"

Tsunami shrugged and shook her head. "I'm sure she's fine. I'm not sure how true those sayings are, but it could just be that you're homesick. It's only natural."

"Yeah..." Naruto muttered to himself and clutched at his stomach again.

"It's as she said." Kakashi shrugged and looked at him. "I'm sure Natsumi is doing fine."

"I wonder if her mission is going alright." Naruto wondered aloud. "She said it would be easy, but the Old Man said it would be her first important mission..."

Kakashi watched Naruto as he remained deep in thought. _"Even if it's just an old tale... Naruto seems genuinely concerned. I wouldn't be surprised if he could be sensing something wrong. Considering that she's ANBU... it's very possible that she could be facing danger as we speak."_

"Well," Kakashi smiled at Naruto reassuringly. "Natsumi is a capable Ninja, so I'm sure everything is fine."

Naruto looked up at him and blinked. "You think so?"

Kakashi nodded and shrugged slightly, raising his arms. "Of course. I think she might even be as skilled as the three of you combined. With her level of skill, I don't think she'd run into trouble on a mission."

Naruto choked on his saliva. "W-What?! You're kidding! Natsumi can't be that strong!"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she lowered the glass of water she had been quietly sipping. "Stronger... than the three of us?" She glanced down at her glass. _"She's definitely stronger than me... and faster, too. If Kakashi-sensei is so confident in her abilities, then it must be true... but how could someone our age be that strong?"_

"Hmph." Sasuke crossed his arms and turned away. _"There's no way he really believes that... he's only trying to make Naruto feel better."_

"I've seen her skill assessment scores myself." Kakashi affirmed. "She's an excellent Ninja." He smiled and then looked between the Genin. "Which reminds me... it's getting late, and I have a full day of training planned for your three. You should go to sleep now so that you're well-rested in the morning."

"W-Wait a minute!" Naruto pointed at his teacher. "You can't just say something like that and tell us to go to bed! Natsumi can't really be that strong..." He lowered his arm, thinking. "...Can she?"

He held his chin in his hand and pursed his lips. _"Come to think of it... she does wake up at dawn and train every single day... sometimes twice in one day. And, we haven't sparred since we were little. I wonder..."_ He made a face at Kakashi. _"And he looks like he's telling the truth, too..."_

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "There's no way..."

"Well, I guess the only way for you to know is to complete this training and then challenge her to a match once we get back." Kakashi chuckled and shrugged. "In the meantime, get to bed. Even if I'm in this condition, I don't plan on going easy on you tomorrow."

Naruto exhaled deeply and grunted to himself. "...Fine." He yawned and stretched again, glancing back down at the photograph he held as he waved to the others. "G'night."


	34. Chapter 32: Forest of Chakra Pt 2

"So, now the training begins!" Kakashi propped himself up with his crutches and looked over his students.

"Yes, sir!" Naruto grinned enthusiastically.

"But, before that..." Kakashi held up a finger. "Let me explain again Chakra power for a Ninja, from the beginning."

"At this point...?" Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment and put a hand in his pocket.

"Of course we know about that!" Naruto nodded. "Chattora, right?"

"It's Chakra..." Kakashi corrected, letting out a heavy sigh as he shook his head slowly.

Naruto chuckled nervously. "H-Heh..."

Kakashi glanced to Sakura. "Yes, Sakura?"

Sakura cleared her throat quietly and put her hands on her hips. "Are you listening, Naruto?! It's tiresome, so I'll explain it simply!" She held up a scroll for him to see, then rolled it so he could see the writing and illustrations. "Chakra is energy that a Ninja requires when he uses a Jutsu!"

"It's made up of two energies." Sakura pointed to the images. "One— Physical energy gathered together from each and every cell in the body and, two— spiritual energy accumulated based on training and experience!" Sakura looked at Naruto to be sure he listened, then looked down to the scroll. "In other words, Jutsu wrings out and combines those two energies from within the body and this is called 'combining the Chakra.' Then, Chakra is activated by forming hand signs."

"That's exactly right!" Kakashi smiled at Sakura, then looked at Sasuke and Naruto. "Iruka really does have good students."

"Hee." Sakura giggled to herself and smiled at the praise.

"Whatever!" Naruto complained. "I may not understand difficult explanations, but I'll just learn it with my body!"

"Naruto's right." Sasuke spoke up and looked at him from the corner of his eye. "We're already able to use Jutsu..."

"No! All of you still haven't used Chakra efficiently."

"What?!" Naruto glared at him.

"Hold on and just listen..." Kakashi continued. "As Sakura explained earlier, combining Chakra means picking up both the physical and spiritual energies and mixing them together within the body. And of course, the amount of each energy and the preparation of the energy changes based on the Jutsu you want to activate. Thus, all of you at present aren't using Chakra efficiently!"

Kakashi paused and his eyes rested on Naruto. "Even if you're able to combine a lot of Chakra, if you're not able to control it in a balanced way, the effectiveness of the Jutsu not only will be cut in half, but it may not even activate at all. Wasting energy like that will prevent you from battling for long periods. These are some of the weaknesses that can occur."

Naruto blinked slowly and scratched the back of his head. "So... What should we do?"

"You need to learn to control the Chakra with your body!" Kakashi narrowed his eyes seriously. "It's difficult training that requires you to put your life on the line to master!"

Sakura gulped slightly. "W-What will we be doing?"

"Hm?" Kakashi held up a finger. "Tree climbing."

"Tree climbing?!" The three asked simultaneously, incredulous.

"That's right!" Kakashi nodded. "But it's not just simple tree climbing! You'll climb without using your hands."

"What?" Sakura's eye twitched. "H-How?!"

Kakashi noticed their expressions and sighed slightly. "Well! Just watch."

Kakashi formed a hand sign and focused Chakra to his feet, then used the crutches to walk himself to the nearest tree, placed his foot on the trunk, and began to walk up.

Their eyes widened and Naruto's mouth gaped open. "He's climbing..."

"...Perpendicular to the tree and with his feet!" Sakura finished his thought, staring in amazement.

"So... see?" Kakashi walked on the underside of a branch, hanging upside down, and looked at them. "Kind of like this... Focus the Chakra on the bottoms of your feet and make them stick to the tree trunk. If you use Chakra well, you can do things like this easily."

"Wait a minute!" Sakura looked up at the Jonin. "How does something like that make you strong?"

"So, this is the main point..." Kakashi explained. "The aim of this training is to accumulate the required amount of combined Chakra to the required spot... This is something difficult even for expert Ninja. The amount of Chakra used for tree climbing is very subtle, and the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult place to gather Chakra." Kakashi glanced at his feet, then to his students. "Anyway! In other words, if you master that control, it will be possible to master any Jutsu. In theory, that is!"

"The second aim is to maintain that combined Chakra." Kakashi went on. "Ninja combine the most Chkra during battles. Under such situations, control and maintenance of Chakra becomes most difficult. So... anyway, nothing's really gonna happen with me saying this and that... You'll need to learn it with your own bodies."

He threw three Kunai down, and one landed in front of each of them.

"Use those Kunai to put a mark at the spot where you can climb up to under your own strength now. Next, make an effort to put a mark further from it. You aren't good enough to walk up from the start, so run and use your momentum to get used to it... You got it?"

"This training is nothing!" Naruto reached down to retrieve the Kunai with a slight smirk. "Ha! This is too easy for me!" He grinned up at Kakashi. "After all, I'm the man who's grown the most!"

"Enough with the talk..." Kakashi sighed. "Now get to it. Try climbing any tree."

Naruto made a face and shut his eyes. Forming a hand sign, he focused intently. _"Okay, so first I need to gather the Chakra on the bottoms of my feet..."_

Sasuke and Sakura took the same pose and focused on their own Chakra.

Naruto opened his eyes with a smile and looked at a tree. "Ready! Here I go!"

He ran at the tree as Sakura and Sasuke did the same with their own trees. Naruto placed one foot on the tree and barely made it up another step before he fell to the ground and hit his head.

Sasuke ran steadily up the tree until the bark beneath his foot cracked. He marked the spot on the tree then leapt down, looking up to see how far he'd managed to get.

_"I didn't think it'd be this difficult to maintain a constant amount of Chakra..."_ Sasuke gritted his teeth at the mark on the tree. _"If the Chakra is too strong you get pushed back..."_ He turned to look at Naruto, who rolled on the ground, clutching his head as a bruise began to form. _"But if the Chakra is too weak, there's no sticking power and... that happens."_

Kakashi watched them from above. _"Well, the difference between Naruto and Sasuke seems about right..."_

"This is pretty easy!" Sakura giggled from a high branch and all eyes turned to her.

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked up at her. "S-Sakura!"

She giggled again and stuck her tongue at him.

"So, it looks like the one with the best control of Chakra is Sakura, the girl..." Kakashi looked at her.

"Wow! Way to go, Sakura!" Naruto beamed up at her. "Just what you'd expect from the girl I've set my sights on!" Naruto's smiled wavered momentarily. _"But it does sort of tick me off!"_

"Hmph." Sasuke looked away from her. "Whatever."

Sakura's expression fell as Sasuke's attention turned away. _"I wanted Sasuke to notice me... why does this always happen?!"_

"Not only does Sakura have knowledge about Chakra, but her control and stamina are also pretty good. It looks like... she might be the closest one to becoming a Hokage... unlike someone else." Kakashi chuckled slightly and Naruto scrunched his face, Kakashi chuckled again and looked at Sasuke. "And also... the famed Uchiha clan isn't really that great..."

"Shut up, sensei!" Sakura glared and pointed at Kakashi, blushing deeply. _"Sasuke won't like me if you keep talking like that!"_

"Ah, and... you know..." Kakashi looked back at Naruto, shrugging slightly. "I've heard that Natsumi already mastered this technique a while ago. It seems like you two have been surpassed by two girls..." He chuckled to himself. "How embarrassing for you..."

Naruto and Sasuke gritted their teeth and locked onto each other's eyes.

_"Having said that... Naruto and Sasuke... those two have an incredible amount of Chakra hidden in them, that even Sakura can't match." _Kakashi observed them from above. _"If this training goes well, this will become an asset to them..."_

"Okay!" Naruto smirked slightly and balled his hands into fists. "First, I'll catch up to Sasuke! I'll do it for sure!"

Sasuke turned away from Naruto and narrowed his eyes at his mark on the tree.

From behind a tree, Inari peered out to quietly spy on them. Aftersome time, he scoffed under his breath, turning away to leave. _"Whatever..."_

_The boy glanced back at the Ninja momentarily before turning back around and continuing on his way. _"Even if they do that, it's just a waste..."__

* * *

__Deep in the forests, in the fortress of assassins and mercenaries, Zabuza lay resting in a large bed as his apprentice sat beside the bed in silence.__

The door opened hastily and the boy turned to look at the intruders.

"Unbelievable..." The short man looked at Zabuza and laughed to himself. "Even you got beaten and had to come back? The Ninja from the Hidden Mist Village look like total weaklings! You can't even clean up after your subordinates, and you think you're a "demon!" Don't make me laugh!"

Zabuza and the boy remained quiet and did not look at the man or acknowledge his presence. After a moment, the boy stood and Gato's guards reached for their swords in preparation as the magnate smirked.

_"So... they're drawing swords..."_ The boy looked at the group through his peripherals.

"Hold on. Wait." Gato chuckled and stepped forward towards the bedridden assassin. "Hey! There's no need to stay silent! Why don't you say something?"

Gato reached out to grab at Zabuza's mask and the boy grabbed his arm tightly, holding him in place with a glare.

"Don't touch Zabuza with your filthy hands!"

Gato let out a scream as the boy's grip tightened. "I-It's gonna break!"

The guards reached to draw their swords and the boy looked to them, clenching his jaw, and flickered between the two, taking control of their swords and pressing their blades against their owner's throats.

The tattooed guard's eyes widened and he glanced sideways at the boy. _"N-No way..."_

The other guard froze in place and gulped. _"He moved in an instant..."_

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." The boy warned with his eyes enlarged and wild. "...I'm ticked off!"

Gato turned and stared at the boy, speechless as he threw the swords to the ground behind him.

"Next time!" Gato shouted at Zabuza, retreating back to his guard's sides with a snarl. "If you lose again next time... remember that there will be no place for you here!"

The man pulled at the bottom on his suit jacket and adjusted his tie briefly before he turned and to leave. "Let's go!"

His guards followed closely behind and, once they had left, the boy approached the bed once more and Zabuza glanced at him.

"Haku... such unnecessary actions..." Zabuza clutched at a Kunai knife in his hand, hidden beneath the covers.

"I know." The boy lowered his head in apology and sat back down. "But it's too early to take down Gato right now... If we make trouble here... we'll be pursued by them again. Thus, we must restrain ourselves for now."

Haku smiled gently and rested his hands in his lap as Zabuza's gaze returned to the ceiling.

"Yeah..." Zabuza closed his eyes. "You're right."

* * *

"Aaaaah!" Naruto ran up the tree with his face scrunched in concentration, then slipped and fell once more onto his head. "Ow!" He rubbed his head and frowned as his fingers brushed the bruises.

Sasuke huffed as he recovered his breath, kneeling on the ground. He looked up at his tree and the cluster of marks there.

Sakura panted as she lay down under her tree, out of breath and covered in scrapes. _"I'm totally worn out!"_ She looked over at the two boys and sighed under her breath. _"How much stamina can those two have?"_

Naruto rubbed his head, wincing in pain as he glared up at his markings.

_"But Naruto isn't getting any better at all."_ Sakura giggled to herself. _"He'll soon give up and start throwing a tantrum."_

Naruto stood, still staring at the markings on his tree in frustration. "Shoot!"

_"See!"_ Sakura sat up and watched him. "_He sure is an easy one to figure out!"_

Naruto walked slowly over to Sakura and she blinked. _"Huh?"_

"Hey, Sakura." Naruto squatted in front of her, then held up a hand to whisper. "Can you give me some tips?"

"What?" She blinked again at him.

"Let's keep it a secret from Sasuke!" Naruto pleaded in a hushed voice. "Come on, come on!"

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, narrowing his eyes slightly as he whispered to Sakura and Kakashi watched Naruto. _"He's getting stronger and stronger... How strong will he get? At any rate, Naruto, the amount of your dormant Chakra is probably more than Sasuke's. And it's even more than mine! I look forward to seeing you grow... I really do."_


	35. Chapter 33: Where A Girl Once Lived

_Falling._

_Kiri's eyes dared flutter open as she fell from the second story. As the ground drew closer, a strong gust of wind suddenly thrust her sideways and she landed in the thick foliage of a tree. She tumbled down the branches, crying out in pain as she crashed down onto the ground, covered in scratches and scrapes from the tough bark._

_She lifted herself off the ground slowly, trembling, and glanced back at the window she'd come from, then turned and ran._

_She ran until her legs and lungs burned and only slowed when she reached the hill overlooking her home. She collapsed on the dirt road, her arms trembling as they supported her weight. Her eyes rose to the house below, where it was guarded as ANBU investigators filled the area._

_She bit her lip and carefully crawled inside of a large shrub as she eyed the house._

"I can't even go home..."_ She hugged her arms close to her as the chill of the spring night settled into her bones. _"And it's so cold..."

_Kiri looked around as the small valley below and her eyes rested on another house, and the barn nearby. Without being seen, she crawled over the dust, rock, and stiff grasses until she reached the barn. She cracked open the door, slipped inside, and immediately the warmth enveloped her._

_She let out a small sigh and looked around to find a stack of hay, then crawled inside until she was cushioned on all sides. She fell into a dreamless sleep as soon as her eyes closed._

* * *

_Kiri kept to the shadowed half of the alley and peered into the trash as her stomach rumbled loudly. She reached inside and pulled out a half-eaten sandwich wrapped up in its original wrapping. She scrunched her face at the smell, swatting away the flies as she hungrily unwrapped it and brought it to her mouth._

_A piercing yowl echoed in the alley and a feral cat leapt at the girl, hissing and scratching furiously until Kiri dropped her meal and the cat ran to it, pulling at a corner of the bread to nibble at it ravenously._

_Kiri trembled at the bleeding scratches over herself and then gritted her teeth, clenching her teeth. She rushed at the animal with a yell, grabbing a fragment of brick and striking the cat. It swatted in defense, but the girl landed a heavy blow on its head. It crumpled to the ground with a pained mewl and bled out. Kiri grabbed the sandwich from the ground and devoured it in only a few bites, turning her back on the dying animal._

_Still hungry, she clutched at her stomach and looked around, then tugged on the horseblanket she'd stolen and covered herself with it like a cloak, stepping out of the alley and walking as inconspicuously as she could to the general store._

_She slipped inside without the clerk glancing up from his newspaper. Kiri took a small shopping bag and began to fill it as quietly as possible with juice boxes, fruit, and chips. She stopped moving several times to listen and look around, to be sure that no one had spotted her. She reached for a candy bar and took it, as the clerk stood in the aisle with his hands on his hips._

_"Hey, you!"_

_She gulped and slowly brought the candy close to hold it to her chest and kept her back to him._

_"Hey!" He took a step toward her with his eyes furrowed. "Where are your parents?! Are you stealing?!"_

_Kiri's eyes narrowed and she bolted, running around to the other aisle to loop around. He blocked the path of the door, his arms and legs outstretched as he glared._

_"Oh no you don't! No one steals from my shop!" His eyes widened and he looked at her more closely. "Y-You're that Ueno girl! The one who killed Gou and attacked K!"_

_Kiri clenched her jaw at the names. "I didn't!"_

_The man reached out, trying to grab the phone from the wall. "You just stay right there, little miss. You're a wanted girl."_

_Kiri grabbed the brick fragment in her pocket and held it tightly, took aim, and then threw it expertly at the sprinkler on the fire alarm. The brick hit its mark and the alarms erupted in the shop and the sprinklers activated and rained down heavily._

_"W-What?!" The man blinked in surprise and covered his head. While he was distracted, she ran under his legs and out of the store, racing as fast as her feet could carry her until she disappeared in a narrow alley, hiding between the dumpster and wall until the man had passed, cursing._

_After waiting several minutes, she slipped out from the other end of the alley and made her way back to the barn and nestled into the mound of blankets and hay she'd made for herself in the loft. Letting out a deep breath, she took a peach from the bag and took a large bite of it. She ate it quickly and settled down into the pile for a nap as the horses rustled in their stalls below._

* * *

_Kiri stood in the stream with her pants rolled up as she watched the water intently. In her hand she gripped a handmade spear, then stabbed at the water suddenly. When she lifted the spear out of the water, a fat fish wriggled helplessly on the end._

_Kiri grinned and stepped over to the shore to put the fish into a bucket, counting her catch before she stepped out of the water and tugged the bucket over to a small fire she had lit. She skewered each of the fish and rested them over the flames. She let out a short sigh and rested under the tree nearby, nestling into the moss and closing her eyes as the summer heat of midday lulled her into a light sleep._

_When her eyes opened again, the area was filled with the smell of cooked fish and she sat up, rubbed her eyes, and moved the fish from the fire. Once cooled, she bit directly into one fish, spitting out bone and scale as she chewed and swallowing what remained._

_She worked her way through two fish and leaned back as she picked the scales from her teeth and watched the clouds drifting by._

_"I wish I could float away like that, too..."_

_She reached up behind her ear to touch the small braid concealed there and touched the ribbon woven in with it, then, her arm dropped to her side and her stomach twisted into knots._

_"I miss you... mom."_

* * *

_Kiri sat under a tree and held her arms closer to ward away the cold. Her spot in the barn's loft had been lost that morning when the farmer had discovered her and chased her off, and the bitter chill of winter still hung in the air, though spring was only a few weeks away._

_She rubbed her nose and buried her face in her arms, shivering as a cold breeze passed over her._

_"What's this?" A man's voice came from behind and Kiri turned quickly turned to see two men approaching down the road._

_"Looks like a kid." The second man eyed her suspiciously and slowed his pace. "All alone?"_

_The first man looked around, then chuckled. "Seems like."_

_They drew closer and Kiri stood and stepped back. "S-Stay away!"_

_"Oh? Spunky little girl." The first man chuckled and bent to look at her. "Whatcha doin' out here? You like freezing your little ass off?"_

_She remained quiet, and the second man laughed. "An orphan, huh?" He put his hands on his hips. "So were we, a long time ago."_

_"Wait a second..." The first man took a step closer and squinted, then laughed loudly. "Isn't this the girl that's wanted for murder, supposedly?"_

_"You're right." The second man squatted from a distance and pointed at her. "The one who killed her father, poisoned those guards, and attacked K."_

_Kiri's eyes narrowed at the name and she balled her hands into fists. "I didn't! He tried to kill me!"_

_"Right..." The second man snorted. "As if K's ever been one to lie."_

_Her eyes widened. "H-He's... alive?"_

_"Oh, yeah, sweetheart." The first man reached behind his back and nodded. "And he made sure to tell us all about how violent you were."_

_"Yeah, but she doesn't look wild at all." The second man shrugged. "But... isn't there some kind of reward the Raikage's offering for anyone who finds her?"_

_"Yeah... there is." The first man chuckled. "One thousand, I think."_

_"One grand?" The second stroked his chin. "That's not much... we could get three if we sold her on the black market."_

_"True..." The first man scratched his head. "But, if we bring her to the Raikage and get on his good side, he might be willing to wipe our records clean in exchange for the girl."_

_"Well, that's a good option, too." The second crossed his arms. "We can decide what to do later." He pulled a pair of short swords from behind and smirked. "First, we've gotta catch the little bugger first."_

_The first man drew his own shortsword with a smirk. "Piece of cake."_

_Kiri backed away from them slowly, and then quickly ran from them. The followed her closely and swung their blades at her. She yelped and fell to the ground with her arms covering her head to dodge their attack. With a laugh, they pinned her to the ground with their feet._

_"Not too bright, are you?" The second man sneered down at her. "We could have done this the easy way."_

_He grabbed her arm and pulled her off the ground with a jerk._

_"No! Leave me alone!" She struggled again his grip. "Let go!"_

_"Hmm.. I don't think so, kid." The first man pointed his sword at her. "Nothing personal, but we like money, and you're worth some."_

_She pulled against the man's grip with a grunt and clenched her jaw. "Let go!"_

_"Stubborn, ain't she?" The first man laughed and lowered his sword._

_Kiri glared and lunged forward, biting the man's hand as hard as she could, breaking the skin and drawing blood. He cursed and loosened his grip on her, and she reached for a dagger on his hip. She promptly plunged it into his gut, pulling it out to slash at his inner thigh._

_Thick blood spurted out and he screamed loudly and clutched his leg and fell to his knee._

_"Damn it!"_

_"H-How?!" The first man glared at the child and gripped his sword tightly. "You're just a kid!"_

_Kiri held the dagger up her victim's neck and stared up at the other man. "Leave me alone, or I'll kill him."_

_The man glared and sputtered as his vision blurred. "Damn you...!" He pressed down on his wound and cursed again. "She hit the vital spot..."_

_Kiri stared at the first man, who hadn't moved. "One..." She warned._

_"Go ahead." He laughed. "He'll bleed out in a minute anyway, and then I won't have to split the pay."_

_Kiri's eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed. "You're a monster..."_

_"Ironic, coming from you." He chuckled and watched his friend collapse to the ground. "Now, come nice and quietly and I promise I won't hurt you."_

_"No!"_

_He lunged at her, his sword slicing her side before she could move out of its way. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Red blood spilled from the wound and onto the frost-covered ground._

_He stepped closer, and pressed the tip of the blade to her chest. "It's over, little girl. Just submit."_

_Her eyes watered and spilled over. _"No..."_ She bit her lip and sobbed. _"Why does this always happen?"

_Hatred burned and spread like fire through her body and she gritted her teeth._

_"Well, guess I have to settle for only one grand." He knelt and gripped her shoulder. "Don't worry; I'm sure the Raikage will have someone patch you up after the hand-off. You won't die."_

_Kiri trembled and turned slowly to look at him. Sparks started on her arms, growing larger and covered her whole body. Gripping the dagger, and screamed and lunged at him._

_"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me!"_

_His eyes widened as the lightning surged and struck him and was channeled into a bright column of lightning from the tip of her blade. She stuck it deep into his chest and he screamed as his body convulsed. His skin charred and he fell forward, smoking and unmoving._

_The lightning dissipated and_ _Kiri panted and fell to her knees, crying as she looked at the bodies and dropped the knife._

_"Why..." She sobbed and stared at the blood on her hands, then winced in pain at the large gash in her side. "Why do people only hurt me? I didn't do anything wrong."_

_The soft sound of footsteps widened her eyes and she turned to see two figures with white masks and black cloaks approaching her._

"Oh no! More?!"_ Kiri backed away, one hand covering her wound and the other reaching for the Kunai, which was just out of reach._

_"Easy, now." The masked woman held up her hands to the girl and spoke gently. "We're not going to hurt you."_

_Kiri froze in place, sniffing and trembling as she looked up at them. "W-Who are you?!"_

_The woman slowly knelt down to her eye level and removed her mask to reveal her face. Her smile was reflected in her deep brown eyes and she mindfully kept her distance from the girl._

_"We're Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village."_

_Kiri blinked and looked between the woman and man, with her eyes falling back on the woman. "But... that's really far, isn't it? What are you doing here?"_

_"We had a mission nearby." The woman explained gently. "We had just completed it and begun to return home when we heard a commotion and decided to investigate." She paused and her smile faltered. "We saw those men attack you, and we were about to intervene, but you took care of them all by yourself."_

_Kiri bit her lip and glanced back at the bodies. "They... they were deciding who they were selling me to... I was so scared... people are always trying to hurt me."_

_The woman's eyes widened slightly and she frowned. "Damn bastards." She muttered under her breath. "People these days have no decency whatsoever."_

_The man looked around, acting as a lookout to be sure that they weren't seen._

_Kiri flinched and clutched her wound with both hands and groaned quietly in pain. The woman moved closer, pressing her lips together as she examined the wound._

_"Oh, you poor thing. That's a terrible wound." She looked up at the cliff nearby to a figure hidden in the rock. "Muji! Get down here! This girl needs treatment!"_

_A Ninja came into view as his invisibility wore off and he leapt down, landing beside the woman as he took out his medical kit._

_"Let me see..." He reached out to move Kiri's hands from the wounds and she flinched away from his touch._

_The woman's expression softened and she met Kiri's eyes. "There's no need to be afraid of him. Muji is very gentle, and an excellent Medical Ninja. You'll be feeling better in no time at all."_

_Kiri hesitantly removed her hands to expose the wound and the man whistled quietly from beneath his mask. "Quite a nasty scratch, there, little miss." He plucked an antiseptic from his kit and a cloth and looked at her. "Please lie down. I'll be done shortly."_

_Kiri bit her lip and remained standing, then the woman placed a hand on her shoulder._

_"It's okay, I promise. Just do as he says."_

_She guided Kiri to lay down and Muji carefully lifted her shirt to expose the area and began to clean the wound. Kiri winced from the sting of the solution and the woman held her hand._

_"You're doing great." She smiled reassuringly, looking from Muji as he worked to the girl's face. "What's your name?"_

_"K-Kiri." She answered, wincing again as Muji muttered an apology._

_"Nice to meet you, Kiri." The woman gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm Yayoi. This is Muji," She motioned to the Medical Ninja with a nod of her head, then did the same for the third member. "-and this is my husband, Zenzo."_

_Each of the men nodded in acknowledgement as they were introduced and Kiri looked back at Yayoi._

_"What kind of mission were you doing that made you come here?" Kiri asked, wincing once more._

_"That's classified." Zenzo answered gruffly and Yayoi rolled her eyes._

_"The details are, Zenz." Yayoi smiled at Kiri. "We were sent to hunt down a very dangerous criminal who had fled the country and come all the way here."_

_Kiri's eyes fell on the bodies. "So... you kill bad people?"_

_Yayoi nodded. "That's the general idea of it."_

_"But..." Kiri thought, speaking slowly. "If you kill people, even if they're bad... does that make you bad, too?"_

_Yayoi blinked, and then laughed to herself. "I sure hope not. I don't like the idea of being a bad guy."_

_Kiri turned her gaze away and stared at a small cloud above her. "...They say I'm bad, because I killed a bad guy before."_

_Yayoi watched the girl's expression shift. "Is that why those men were trying to kidnap you?"_

_Kiri nodded slowly. "Everyone says I'm bad, because I killed him..." She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "But he was hurting my mom... and he killed her. He would have killed me, too, if..."_

_She choked on a sob as fresh tears escaped her eyes._

_"Kiri." The woman gave her hand another squeeze, and the girl slowly turned to meet her eyes. "Killing in cold blood is bad, yes. But what you did... you stopped a terrible person from hurting others. That's a very good thing, and a very brave thing."_

_Kiri's eyes widened. "I'm... brave?"_

_Yayoi nodded as her smiled returned. "Yes. Most kids your age would have run, or cried while paralyzed in fear. But you were able to act, and put an end to someone very dangerous. In Konoha, you'd be called a hero."_

_"H-Hero?" Kiri's lip quivered. "But... I killed him... and other people, too..."_

_"Was it in self-defense?" Yayoi asked softly._

_After a moment, the girl nodded. "People always find me. They always try to hurt me."_

_"Then, _they're_ the ones who are bad, and not you."_

_Kiri bit her lip and remained quiet as Muji began to heal the wound and a warm, tingling sensation emanated from his hands. Once he was finished, he carefully wrapped her torso in bandages and sat back._

_"There. All done." He looked at the girl, speaking in a flat tone._

_Yayoi helped Kiri to sit up slowly and wiped some frost and dirt from her hair. "Kiri, where do you live? Do you have any family? We can bring you back home before we have to leave."_

_Kiri's eyes fell on the ground and she shook her head._

_The woman frowned. "No relatives? No home?" She let out a short breath and met Kiri's eyes. "...How long have you been on your own for, exactly?"_

_Kiri bit her lip. "Since the spring."_

_"Last spring?" Yayoi furrowed her brows. "You've been... surviving out here on your own for almost a year now?"_

_Kiri nodded and Yayoi glanced up at Zenzo, who met her eyes._

_"Zenz..."_

_The man put his hand on his hip and looked at his wife. "That's not part of our mission."_

_"Well, we can't just leave her here by herself, either." Yayoi looked back at Kiri. "You're, what? Five?" Before she was answered, she looked at her husband. "If we leave her out here, we're no better off than those men who attacked her."_

_Zenzo let out a long sigh and then shook his head slowly. "If that's what you want to do, I'll support it."_

_Yayoi broke into a grin and turned to the girl. __"Kiri, how would you like to come back with us?"_

_Kiri blinked. "Me... go with you? Why?"_

_"Well..." Yayoi moved a strand of hair out of her face. "You don't have a home or anyone to care for you, and we have such a big home... it's a waste for all those rooms to be empty."_

_"You... want me to live with you?" Kiri stared up at her, and she nodded again._

_"Yes, but only if you wanted to. You'd have plenty of food, a roof over your head, you could go to school and make friends, and you'd have a surrogate family. We have a son and daughter, though they're much older than you, so you wouldn't have anyone your age at home to play with, but you wouldn't have to be alone anymore, and we would gain a new daughter. What do you say?"_

_Kiri looked between the Ninja, then at the corpses of her attackers. After a moment, she nodded._

_"I hate it here." Kiri scowled bitterly and eyed the landscape. "I hate the people here, too. I want to go with you."_

_"Great!" Yayoi beamed and gently kissed the top of her head. "I promise, we'll take good care of you, Kiri."_

_"We should leave as soon as possible." Zenzo fixed his gaze at the distance. "There is a group coming this way."_

_"Alright." Yayoi helped Kiri stand and met her eyes. "It's a bit of a long journey, but don't be scared, alright? We'll travel by ship for a while. Have you ever seen the sea?"_

_The girl shook her head. "No, but I heard it's really big."_

_"Very." Yayoi smiled and retrieved a warm blanket from her backpack and wrapped Kiri inside. "There. Nice and cozy?"_

_Kiri nodded and Yayoi replaced her mask, then scooped Kiri into her arms. The three Shinobi flickered and reappeared at the stop of the cliff, just in time to avoid being seen by the travelers as they went down the road, not noticing the bodies off to the side._

_"Do you have anything that you'd like to get before we go?" Yayoi asked in a quiet voice, and Kiri shook her head. "Alright. We're off now. Just hold tightly and don't worry about a thing. I won't let anything happen to you."_

* * *

_Kiri began to nod off as the ship's rocking lulled her into another nap and she blinked her eyes slowly. "How much longer? It feels like forever that we've been on this boat."_

_Yayoi laughed quietly and stroked the girl's hair as she lay her head in the woman's lap. "Only another day now. Then, we'll have about a day and a half of travel before we reach Konoha."_

_Kiri yawned slowly and Zenzo, who sat off to the side, watched her with his mask off to the side._

_"What is it like there?" Kiri asked sleepily._

_"Well..." Yayoi looked up in thought for a moment. "There are many, many forests, that seem to go on forever. It looks like such a beautiful sea of green if you're high enough. The forests are full of life and the village feels relaxed and peaceful. I like falling asleep to the sounds of the crickets and cicada. The Academy is excellent, and there will be plenty of kids your age for you to make friends with."_

_She looked down at Kiri, who was already asleep, and smiled. "You'll like it there, I know."_

_Zenzo moved quietly to sit at his wife's other side, putting an arm around her._

_"Do you really think this is a good idea?" He asked in a low voice._

_"I think so." Yayoi stroked the girl's hair slowly. "I think she's a good fit for our family."_

_"Your mother isn't going to like this."_

_Yayoi laughed quietly under her breath. "There isn't much my mother actually likes, though."_

_Zenzo looked down at the girl and he sighed. "I suppose you're right." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "And, bothering your mother is only another benefit."_

_"I'd forgotten how great kids are at this age." Yayoi leaned back and closed her eyes. "Why did ours have to grow up?"_

_"She'll grow, too." Zenzo chuckled._

_"Shh. Let her be little for a while."_

_"You know..." Zenzo looked at the girl. "I always wanted another daughter."_

_Yayoi cracked her eye opened and kissed his cheek. "I know, you big softie."_

* * *

_"We're back!" Zenzo's voice boomed through the house and he kept his hand on Kiri's shoulder gently as she looked around._

_"Yuuta, Yuuri, come here!" Yayoi put a hand on her hip as they removed their shoes and stepped deeper in the home._

_A moment later, a set of footsteps sounded down the stairs and another came from the kitchen. Kiri looked between the strangers, keeping quiet as she watched them both carefully._

_"Yuuta," Zenzo patted Kiri's shoulder softly and looked at his son. "This is Kiri. From now on, she's going to be part of our family."_

_The eighteen-year old girl at the bottom of the stairs scowled deeply and crossed her arms, first looking between her parents, and then narrowing her eyes at the five-year-old between them. "This is a joke, right?"_

_Yayoi shot an identical scowl at her daughter. "This is most certainly not a joke. Kiri has no one to care for her and nowhere to go."_

_"And?" Yuuri kept her eyes fixed on the child, who only glared back. "Since when did we start doing charity work? This is our house— it's not an orphanage."_

_"Yuuri..." Zenzo shot his daughter a look, who then went quiet, though she continued to glare. He looked between his children. "Kiri is part of our family now; I expect you to treat her as such. If I learn that either of you has mistreated her, you'll be put on probation from your ANBU duties until further notice."_

_Yuuri's eyes widened. "W-What?! That's outrageous! She's just some dirty brat who belongs in an alley somewhere!"_

_"Silence!" Yayoi snapped and took a step toward her daughter; whose features were nearly identical. "You are a capable Ninja and an adult now— I expect better from you."_

_Zenzo's eyes rested on Yuuri. "You're going to treat her like any other member of this family, and you're going to set a good example for her as well."_

_A scoff came from behind Yuuta, where an older woman with piercing, dark eyes stood as she leaned against her cane and looked over the child._

_"I'm disappointed in you, Yayoi." The woman tsked. "Bringing in a stray child like this. Our family has no room for weaklings."_

_"Mother." Yayoi rested a hand on her hip. "Kiri has been living on her own for a year now, sustaining herself. Not only that, but she has natural skill and is more than capable in a fight. She's not weak, by any means."_

_"Hmph." Fuyu looked at the child again. "I suppose if she genuinely impressed you, I'll allow her to stay. However, I expect she pull her own weight."_

_"You forget that you aren't the head of the family anymore." Zenzo reminded the woman in a low voice, causing her to scoff once more._

_"If your charity case causes our family any disturbance or she embarrasses our name by being weak, you'll change your minds." Fuyu sneered at the child and left, her cane and slight limp interrupting the rhythm of her steps._

_Yuuri rolled her eyes and looked at Kiri again. "I suppose I can give her a chance. If grandmother doesn't approve of her, though, I don't either." She turned and went up the stairs again, leaving them alone._

_Yuuta stepped closer to Kiri, then knelt in front of her and smiled at her, holding out a hand. "Hey there, Kiri. I'm Yuuta. It's nice to meet you."_

_Kiri flinched instinctively at his hand as it drew nearer and he pulled his hand immediately back with a slight frown._

_"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled again, more broadly, and pointed to himself. "From now on, I'm your big brother, okay? If you need anything, just come to me anytime, alright? No matter what it is, even if some kid is bullying your or if you want help reaching someplace high. I'm here if you need me."_

_Kiri's eyes widened slightly. "But... you don't know me." Her eyes wandered and she looked away. "I'm just some random kid... you don't have to be nice to me."_

_Yuuta shook his head, then gently reached out to take her hand. "You're not some random kid... you're my sister now. It's my job and my pleasure to look out for you."_

_Kiri stared down at his hand on hers, then gently squeezed it. "...Thanks. I'll try to be a good sister and not bother you."_

_"Just be yourself." Yuuta chuckled. "Why don't I show you to your room? And then I'll take you on a tour of the house. When we're all done, I'll even treat you to ice cream. Would you like that?"_

_Kiri's mouth gaped and she smiled. "Ice cream? Really?!"_

_Yuuta laughed. "You like ice cream?"_

_Kiri blushed faintly and shook her head quickly. "I've never had any before." She admitted in a whisper. "But I've always wanted some."_

_Yuuta smiled and patted her shoulder. "It's settled then. Once I show you around, I'll get you the biggest Sundae in Konoha."_

_Yayoi laughed quietly and looked at her son. "I'm sure Kiri would appreciate a nice bath and some fresh clothes first." She knelt beside Kiri and held out her hand to the girl. "You can bathe and relax while I get your room ready. How does that sound?"_

_Kiri nodded quickly, unable to contain a smile. "I'd like that."_

_"And _then_ I'll get you the biggest Sundae in Konoha!" Yuuta grinned. "With extra toppings to celebrate my new sister."_


	36. Chapter 34: Where a Hero Once Lived

Cranes hoisted large beams from a barge below the bridge as the builders worked to set the beams into place. Sakura stretched and yawned, as she sat off to the side, out of the way of the construction,

"It looks like you've got some time to kill there all by yourself." Tazuna glanced at her as he walked by, carrying a steel beam over his shoulder singlehandedly. "What happened to the blond boy and that stuck-up boy?"

Sakura rested her hands in her lap and looked at him. "They're in the middle of tree-climbing training."

"You don't have to do it?"

"I'm exceptional, so Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you." Sakura smiled and shrugged.

Tazuna stopped walking momentarily to looked at her with a brow raised. "Really?"

Sakura blinked, then screwed up her face to grit her teeth. "What?!"

Tazuna set the beam down on a pile of others and one of the other men approached him.

"You got a minute, Tazuna?"

Tazuna turned to him and wipe sweat from his face with a towel. "Huh? What's up, Giichi?"

"Uh... actually..." He looked to the side. "I gave it a lot of thought. Building this bridge..." He looked back to Tazuna. "Will you let me quit?"

"What?! Why so suddenly?!" Tazuna's eyes widened slightly. "Not you too?!"

"Tazuna, I've known you since the old days. I'd like to cooperate, but if we push it too far, Gato will set his sights on us, too."

Tazuna's expression darkened at the name and his brows furrowed.

"Also..." The man continued. "If you get killed, everything is lost!" He sighed. "Why don't you just stop building the bridge?"

Tazuna remained quiet for some time as he stared at him before he finally answered. "Not a chance. This is our bridge. This is the bridge that everyone in town has built, believing that it would generation distribution and transportation for this poor land that has few resources."

"But if it goes so far as to take our lives..." Giichi averted his eyes again."

"It's already afternoon..." Tazuna stepped toward his friend, then walked past. "Let's call it a day."

"Tazuna!" Giichi held out a hand and Tazuna stopped to look at him from over his shoulder.

"Giichi... you don't have to come back tomorrow." Tazuna continued to walk away and Sakura watched quietly as he did.

* * *

"Damn it!" Naruto panted heavily and stared up at the markings on his tree, then scowled and flailed his arms and legs. "What the heck is up with this?!"

Sasuke knelt on one knee, his own breathing heavy as he scowled at his own markings. The two looked at each other and glared, standing suddenly as a new surge of energy filled them.

_"I won't lose to you!"_ Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha.

They ran at their trees once more, running up the trunk, racing each other to the top.

* * *

Tazuna and Sakura walked through the streets, and Sakura looked around nervoulsly.

"Say... where are we going?"

"I was asked to get some ingredients for dinner on the way home..." Tazuna answered, glancing down at her before turning his attention back to the street.

Sakura frowned slightly as they passed a man dirty, worn clothing. One held a sign that read "will do any kind of work," while children sat on the sides of the streets alone, filthy, and skinny.

_"What's up with this town?"_ Sakura looked over at the kids as her heart sunk in her chest.

"We're here." Tazuna announced and let Sakura into a small grocery store.

"Welcome..." The clerk greeted them dully.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she looked around, realizing that nearly every shelf and rack were bare. _"There's hardly anything here..."_

A man passed behind Sakura and eyed her shoulder bag. He smirked slightly and reached out to grab it, and Sakura's eyes went wide as the touch and she turned quickly around, bringing her leg up to kick him in the face.

"You pervert!"

"Y-You're wrong...!" The man muttered as he fell to the ground and went unconscious.

After Tazuna had paid for the food, he led Sakura back to the house. "Man, I was really surprised earlier."

"What's going on with this town?!' Sakura walked with her hands balled into fists and her steps heavy. She felt a hand grip the back of her dress and she blushed slightly and furrowed her brows. _"Again?!"_

"Hey, you!" She turned around with a glare only to stop when she saw a small girl behind her. _"What?"_

She grinned and held out her hands to Sakura eagerly. "Gimme some!"

Sakura relaxed as she looked the child over, then reached into her bag. "Oh... here..."

The girl's eyed widened at the sight of the candy and took them from Sakura. "Wow! Thank you!"

Sakura smiled faintly and the girl ran off through the crowd with her treats.

"This is how it's been ever since Gato showed up." Tazuna stood beside her and watched the child leave their sight. "Here, all the adults have turned into cowards."

Sakura looked up as him as he furrowed his brows.

"So, that's why that bridge is necessary... It's a symbol of bravery... In order to restore their spirit, so they don't keep running away... For the people of this land, who have set their minds on remaining passive..." He let out a short breath and clenched his fist. "If we can just complete that bridge, this town will return to how it once was and everyone will come back."

Sakura pressed her lips together and looked toward the horizon, where a beautiful sunlight illuminated the sky. _"Sasuke... Naruto..."_

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto ran up their trees again, long after the sun had set, with their eyes fixed on the bare area of the trunk above their marks. Naruto's foot became to come loose and he quickly marked the tree and leapt back to land safely on the ground.

He stared up at the newest mark, out of breath., then watched as Sasuke continued to scale the tree.

_"Damn it! Damn it!"_ Naruto clenched his jaw. _"Are you telling me that Sasuke's still climbing?!"_

Sasuke reached his limit, marked the tree, and jumped back down to land gracefully on the ground. _"Darn it..."_ Sasuke at Naruto's tree. _"He's gradually catching up..."_

_"Damn!" _Naruto looked away from the Uchiha. _"No! No!"_ He shook his head in frustration. _"If I let myself get distracted by Sasuke, my concentration will be disturbed!"_ He exhaled and closed his eyes, forming a hand sign to concentrate on how Chakra flow and remembered what Sakura had told him.

_"Listen,"_ Sakura had said. _"Chakra uses spiritual energy, so you mustn't get too strained or frantic. Relax and concentrate on the tree so that you can constantly accumulate a fixed amount of Chakra in the bottom of your feet."_

_"Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate."_ Naruto focused and let out a slow breath as the Chakra gathered to his feet. _"Okay, I'm getting good vibes, I think!"_ He opened his eyes and smirked faintly. _"Okay! This is it!"_

Naruto began to ran toward the tree, when Sasuke called out to him.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto stumbled in surprise and fell over, smacking his face onto the ground. "Ow..."

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a glare. "Geez! What the heck's wrong with you?! Don't interfere when I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Uh... well..." Sasuke started to say, avoiding looking at Naruto directly.

"What? What is it?" Naruto sat up and narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. _"I'm not used to him speaking to me first..."_

Sasuke's eye twitched as he looked Naruto, then looked away again and made a face. "Y-You asked Sakura to give you some tips before... what did she say to you...?"

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at Sasuke, then he broke into a grin. After he chuckled to himself, the smile faded and his expression turned serious. "I'm not telling!"

Sasuke turned to him and stared, his eye twitching again. "...what?"

* * *

"Man!" Tazuna scratched the back of his head and looked out at the Ninja as they ate dinner. "This is really fun! It's been a long time since we've had a meal with this many people!"

Naruto shoved bite after bite into his mouth hastily, barely allowing himself an opportunity to breathe. Sasuke did the same, scarfing down his meal at the same pace as Naruto. They each stood and held up their empty bowls at the time time.

"Seconds, please!"

Sakura blinked and stared at them, and the boys met each other's eyes and glared. Theyn, their faces turned green and they each turned away from the table and threw up.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and stood quickly to yell at them. "Stop eating if you're going to vomit!"

"No, I'll eat." Sasuke wiped his mouth with the b ack of his hand and stared at Naruto.

Naruto wiped his own mouth with a smirk. "I have to eat even if it means enduring. I have to get as strong as quickly as possible, so..."

Yes, Yes." Kakashi watched them from the side of the room with his arms crossed as he nodded. "But making yourself vomit is different."

Once dinner was through and the mess had been cleaned, Tsunami washed dishes as everyone quietly sipped tea. Sakura stood and examined a photograph that hung on the wall for some time before she spoke up.

"Excuse me, but... why is there a torn picture hanging here?" She glanced back over her shoulder at Tazuna and Tsunami. "Inari was looking at this all through dinner. This torn part looks like someone who was in the picture was deliberately removed."

Inari stared down at his lap and Tsunami froze in place momentarily. Kakashi glanced at their hosts, who had all fallen silent.

"It's my husband..." Tsunami answered finally in a soft voice.

Tazuna eyes fell to the table as he held the cup of tea in his hand. "He's a man who was once called a hero of this town..."

Inari turned from the table and got up from his chair to slowly leave the room. His mother turned as he began to walk.

"Inari? Where are you going?"

Without a word, Inari left and closed the door hard behind him. She went to follow him, opening the door as she shot her father a look. "Dad! I'm always telling you not to talk about him in front of Inari!" Tsunami turned and quickly followed her son away as a heavy silence fell over the room.

Tazuna let out a small sigh.

"What're you saying happened with Inari?" Sakura asked quietly and glanced at the picture once more.

"It appears there's some kind of good reason." Kakashi watched Tazuna as his expression became serious.

"Inari had a father not related by blood... but they were like a real father and son who got along really well... back then, Inari was a child who laughed all the time."

Naruto glanced up and looked at the old man, then at the picture on the wall.

"However..." Tazuna trembled and slow tears fell down his cheeks. "Inari has changed, ever since that incident with his father." He paused and took in a breath. "The word bravery was eternally taken from the people of this island and from Inari... With that day, that incident, as the trigger."

"That incident?" Kakashi asked. "What happened to Inari?"

"To explain the incident, I must first tell you about the man who was called the hero of this land." Tazuna removed his glasses to wipe his eyes."

"Hero?" Naruto asked, rested his head on his arms.

"It was around three years ago when Inari met that man..." Tazuna replaced his glasses and looked at them.

* * *

_"Potchi! Potchi!" Inari was held in place by two older boys who smirked._

_Another boy stood on the docks, holding a puppy in his hand with a smirk and glared at Inari. "Wrong! His name's Shooting Star. As of today, he's mine!"_

_"He's not Shooting Star!" Inari protested. "He's my Potchi! Give him back! Potchi's my friend! Why would I give him to the likes of you?!"_

_"Shut up!" The bully clenched his fist and looked down at the pup, smirked, and then tossed the dog into the sea._

_"Potchi!" Inari screamed and struggled against the boy's grip._

_The dog yipped and struggled to stay above the water, splashing frantically._

_"That's because you wouldn't hand him over quietly." The bully laughed. "Now, I could care less about that dog!" He looked at his friends with a short nod. "Hey, let him go."_

_They released Inari finally, who narrowed his eyes and stepped towards the oldest boy. "What have you done?! Are you trying to kill my Potchi?"_

_"Heh. He's your special mutt, right?" The boy crossed his arms. "Then save him, quick."_

_Inari trembled and he clenched his fists._

_"What's the matter?" The boy scowled. "It's okay with you if he dies?"_

_Inari slowly turned and walked to the edge of the dock and watched the dog yapping and struggling. _"Of course I'm not okay with him dying..." _He bit his lip. _"He's my only friend! But..."

_"Look! He can't even dog paddle, even though he's a dog!" The boy chuckled and stepped closer to Inari. _

_Inari closed his eyes tightly and held back tears. _"Sorry, Potchi... but... I can't swim..."

_"Hey! If you're his owner, dive in after him!" The older boy smirked and kicked Inari off of the dock and into the water._

_Inari kicked and gasped for air desperately as he struggled._

_"This is bad, Akane." One of the other boys approached the edge of the dock and glanced at the leader. "What if he can't swim?"_

_"S-Save me!" Inari pleaded as he kicked in the water and cried._

_"Leave him be." Akane put his hands on his hips._

_"But..."_

_The older boy scowled and gripped his friend's collar tightly. "Then why don't you go save him if you like?"_

"I don't want to die!"_ Inari flailed gasped. _"Somebody save me!"

_The small dog swam by his owner, yapping as he headed to the shore and completely ignored Inari._

_"Potchi!" Inari coughed as he watched the dog get farther away and eventually reach the shore, where he shook the water from his fur and walked away._

* * *

"I digress, but..." Tazuna sighed briefly and clasped his hands together as he spoke. "Potchi learned how to dog paddle then."

The Ninja stared at him blankly, blinking slightly.

* * *

_"Shooting Star escaped!" Akane pointed to the shore. "Get him!"_

_The three boys ran down the dock to the shore to follow the dog as Inari slipped below the water._

"I can't breathe..."_ Inari watched the sunlight through the surface above as he sunk down._

_Inari awoke next on dry ground with the sun blazing down on him._

_"Are you awake, boy?"_

_Inari sat up quickly to see a man sitting beside a fire cooking fish. He turned to Inari with a smile. "I gave those kids a good scolding." He held up one of the skewered fish. "Here, eat!"_

_Inari blinked slowly at him in stunned silence. _"Is this... God?"_ He leaned forward and his eyes widened slightly. "Did you save me?"_

_"Just eat. Start with that." The man chuckled and held out the fish to Inari._

_Inari nodded and took the fish gratefully, tearing into it once he realized how hungry he was. After some time, he explained everything to the stranger._

_"I see. You were betrayed by your dog, too..." The man sat cross-legged and watched the boy eat ravenously. "In my country, dogs are creatures that have a keen sense of loyalty..." He paused and scratched his cheek. "Well, you did betray your dog's trust first, so there's nothing you can do about that."_

_Inari stopped chewing and his smile fell and his eyes rested down at the fish. "I was so scared and I couldn't move... I wanted to save him... But I have no guts, so..." Inari sniffed and began to cry._

_The man smiled gently and rubbed Inari's head gently. "That's right. Of course a kid your age would be scared. But, you know... Just remember this."_

_"Huh?" Inari wiped his face and looked up at him._

_"If you're a man, choose a lifestyle you won't regret." He lowered his arm to rest it on his knee. "For things I truly hold dear to myself, I'll protect them until the very end with both these arms. Even if it's tough, or sad, I'll stick it out. Even if it looks like I might lose my life!"_

_Inari stared up at him in admiration, smiling at the man as he flexed his arm and patted his muscles._

* * *

_"His name was Kaiza and he was a fisherman who'd come to this land from another country in search of his dreams." Tazuna continued, replaying old memories in his mind. "After that, Inari really took to Kaiza. It may have been because Inari lost his real father when he was too young to remember anything. But, he was very attached to Kaiza. They were like father and son... It didn't take Kaiza long to become a member of the family."_

Naruto smiled as he listened with his head rested on his arms.

"And," Tazuna went on. "He was a man this town needed."

* * *

_"W-We've got trouble, Kaiza!" A man burst through the front door as the rain pelted down outside. "The river dam has broken from this rain! At this rate, District D will be consumed!"_

_Kaiza quickly got up from the table where he sat with Inari. "What?!"_

_"Dad!" Inari clenched his fists and stared up at Kaiza._

_"Inari, go out back and get some rope!"_

_"Okay!"_

_Inari fetched the rope, and the three of them rushed to the dam as the wide-open gate allowed the flood through. A crowd had gathered nearby to watch the broken dam and monitor the water levels._

_"It's no good!" One man shouted above the storm._

_"The only thing we can do is attach a rope and pull!" Another watched the rushing river in horror._

_"Don't talk nonsense!" An older man scolded. "How are we going to attach a rope?! We'd die if we went into such a furious current!"_

_"But if we drag our feet and do nothing, District D will be annihilated!" The first man argued. "What should we do?!"_

_"I'll do it!" Kaiza stepped through the crowd and all eyes turned to him._

_"Kaiza!"_

_"Don't be foolish! Even you wouldn't be able to do it!"_

_"Dad!" Inari bit his lip and watched Kaiza carefully._

_"Don't worry." Kaiza patted Inari's head and bent to look him in the eye. "Your dad's unmatched. Your dad loves the town you're from, so..."_

_Kaiza tied a rope tightly around his waist and stood at the edge of the railing, looking down into the rushing river below. _"For things I truly hold dear to myself..." _He leapt into the water, swept away by the current but swam with all his might to the other side. _"Even if I lose my life... I'll protect them to the end, with both these arms!"

_Inari stood at the railing to look down at Kaiza. "Dad! Hang in there!"_

_Kaiza reached the gate and pulled himself onto the top, pausing only to catch his breath before he attached the rope to the barrier._

_"He did it!" One man cheered._

_"The rope's attached!"_

_"Okay, everyone pull!"_

_Everyone in the crowd each grabbed a section of rope and pulled until the dam was finally sealed and they celebrated with a round of whooping cheers._

* * *

_"From then on, the people of this land called Kaiza a hero, and he became a father that Inari could be proud of." Tazuna smiled faintly, then he frowned and the creases in his forehead deepened. "It was around that time when Gato set his sights on this land. And then... one night..."_

* * *

_Inside of a warehouse, Kaiza had tied to a bamboo post as a man beat him repeatedly with another bamboo staff._

_"I heard that you're going to protect this town with those arms..." Gato chuckled to himself as he watched the assault with a smirk. "I dare you to!"_

_Two large brutes stepped forward with wooden hammers and grinned, then brought them down on Kaiza's arms as he cried out in pain._

* * *

__A crowd gathered on the opposite side of a chain-length fence as Gato's men tied Kaiza to a large crucifix with smug expressions.__

_"Listen up!" Gato addressed the crowd. "This man resisted through force, the policies of the Gato corporation and has disturbed the order of this nation. Therefore, he'll now be executed!"_

_The crowd held their breaths and only watched in silence, many turning to look away from the businessman._

_"I just hope that such trivial matter will never occur again." Gato stared out at the crowd with his brows furrowed in a warning._

_"Dad!" Inari clutched the fencing with tears streaming down his face. _

_"Stop, Inari!" One man scolded the boy in a hushed voice._

_Kaiza cracked open one swollen, bruised eye and managed to smile faintly at Inari and meet his eyes._

_"Do it." Gato ordered one of his men, who drew his sword._

_"Dad!" Inari cried harder, his voice barely above a whisper._

_The mercenary smirked and brought the sword up, pointing its tip at Kaiza before striking his target and killing him in a single blow._

_"Dad!" Inari screamed as his eyes widened at the blood, sobbing harder. _"Didn't you tell me... that... you'd protect... me and all the people of this land... with both your arms? Dad... you liar..."

* * *

"Ever since then... Inari has changed." Tazuna concluded and let out a slow breath. "As well as Tsunami and the townspeople."

Naruto scowled into his arms, nearly trembling in anger at the story as he stared at the torn photograph on the wall. The, he stood suddenly, but tripped and fell onto his face.

"What're you doing, Naruto?" Sakura looked at the blond as he lay on the floor.

"You've had enough training for today." Kakashi glanced over at him. "You've built up too much Chakra. You'll die if you move much more than that."

Naruto struggling to push himself off of the ground with his body shaking from exhaustion. "...I'll prove it."

"Hm?" Tazuna raised a brow at the blond.

"Prove what?" Sakura asked quietly.

Naruto forced himself to a stand and clenched his fists. "I'll prove that... there are still heroes... in this world!"


	37. Chapter 35: Zabuza Returns

Haku stood in front of the expansive window of the room and looked out at the forest beyond. Beautiful morning daylight shone through the trees and the songs of various birds could be heard as they flitted around to begin their day.

He reached up to let down his hair and it fell nearly to his waist in a black cascade. After changing clothes, he stepped out into the woods to look for herbs and ingredients, working quietly in the warmth of the sun. a bird perched on his shoulder and he smiled faintly at it.

Haku reached up to let down his hair and it fell nearly to his waist in a black cascade. After changing clothes, he stepped out into the woods to look for herbs and ingredients, working quietly in the warmth of the sun. a bird perched on his shoulder and he smiled faintly at it.

The bird tilted its head at the boy curiously before flying off. Haku watched it fly away, over to an unconscious boy in the grass. It landed on his forehead and tapped his face with its beak.

The blond boy moved slightly at the bird's harassment and Haku's eyes widened in recognition. Standing slowly, he stepped closer to the blond. Standing over Naruto, Haku clenched his hands into fists and reached down toward Naruto, frightening the birds away.

* * *

Sakura rubbed her eyes with a yawn as she sat down at the table for breakfast. "Good morning."

"Here." Tsunami placed a bowl in front of her with a smile.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled up at her gratefully and began to eat.

Kakashi sat cross-legged, fiddling with the protective metal plating on his gloves as he looked to an empty spot at the table.

"Naruto didn't come back last night, either?" Tazuna's eyes rested on the empty space and his brow rose slightly.

"He's such a fool." Sakura rubbed her eyes again and held up a hand. "He's been out every night, climbing trees. He might be dead already from using too much Chakra."

"I wonder if he's okay." Tsunami held a tray with a bowl as she frowned slightly. "To think a child's out in the middle of the night."

"Well, you don't need to worry." Kakashi spoke up, leaving his glove alone as his hand became still. "although he may not seem to be, he's a full-fledged Ninja."

"I wonder..." Sasuke thought aloud with his hands clasped together. "That idiot's probably all pooped out right about now."

He stood abruptly and walked towards the door.

"Sasuke?" Sakura looked at him as he stopped for a moment.

"I'm going for a walk."

"But... we're about to eat." Sakura was interrupted by the door's opening and closing, then she looked at Sasuke's plate, which was already empty. Her eye twitched slightly. "That was fast."

Inari sat silently in his seat with his food untouched as his hands rested in his lap.

* * *

Haku sat beside Naruto and reached out to his neck, his hand hovering over it as he thought.

He changed his mind and instead placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder to shake him awake. "You'll catch a cold if you keep sleeping here."

Naruto's eyes opened finally and he blinked as the person came into view. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked back at the stranger. "Who're you?"

Haku smiled, closing his eyes and giggled.

Naruto blushed at the *girl's* smile. "U-Uh... did you wake me up, Neechan? I mean..." He scratched his cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm gathering medicinal herbs." Haku answered and glanced towards his basket.

"Herbs?"

"Yes." Haku smiled again. "For healing injuries, sickness, and the like."

A while later, Naruto squatted and helped pick sprouts and place them into the basket, then sat cross-legged. "You've got a lot to do early in the morning, Neechan..."

"You, too." Haku looked up at him. "What've you been doing in a place like this so early?"

Naruto grinned and chuckled. "Training!"

"Could it be... that you're a Ninja?" Haku played along so that the boy wouldn't realize who he was. "What with that headband..."

"Is that what I look like? Is it?" Naruto's blush deepened and he pointed a thumb at himself. "Yup! I'm a Ninja!"

"No kidding" Haku rested his hands on his lap. "You're great, aren't you?"

Naruto laughed and scratched his head.

"But... why are you training?" Haku's eyes fell down on the basket.

"As for me, I want to get stronger!" Naruto answered with a grin.

"But you already look strong enough." Haku looked back up at him.

"No, no!" Naruto rested his hand on his lap. "I want to get even stronger!"

"What for?" Haku watched the boy carefully.

Naruto clutched a fist smiled faintly. "To become the best Ninja in my village! I'm going to get everyone to recognize my strength! And I have to prove something to a certain person!"

"Is that for the sake of somebody? Or is that for your own sake?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and Haku giggled.

"What's so funny?" Naruto made a face and narrowed his eyes.

"Do you have somebody precious in your life?"

"Precious?" Naruto blinked again. "What is it you want to say, Neechan?"

Haku's eyes fell as memories resurfaced in his mind.

* * *

_Snow fell steadily from the sky and blanketed the ground. A small orphan boy sat huddled beside a dumpster. As people dropped trash inside and walked away, he scampered over and rummaged through to search for anything edible._

_A hungry street dog barked at the boy and snapped to defend its meal. The boy only stared coldly at the animal and kicked it hard, knocking it back with a yipe before he continued searching the trash. The dog got up, growling more aggressively as its pups joined it._

_The boy slowly walked away from the dumpster and wandered until he found himself on a bridge overlooking a wide river. He sat on its edge and pulled his knees close in an attempt to stay warm. __After some time, a man's footsteps approached and the boy glanced up to see the man that stared down at him as their eyes met._

* * *

Haku blinked slowly and the memory faded. Finally, he looked back up at Naruto, who had been watching her (him) quietly.

_"What is it?"_ Naruto saw her (his) expression shift from bittersweet to a faint smile again.

"When a person has something precious, they want to protect..." Haku began. "that's when they can become truly strong."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he remember what Tazuna had said about Kaiza before, then Kakashi's promise to protect his comrades, and Iruka acting as a shield to protect Naruto from Mizuki's Shuriken.

Naruto smiled broadly and nodded. "Yeah! I know that well, too! I've got lots of people I care about, and I want to get stronger so I can look after my sister, too. We've always got each other's backs, so I can't slack off and let her down."

"I see." Haku smiled faintly and reached to grab the handle of his basket as he stood. "You'll get strong, then."

Naruto nodded quickly. "Yup!"

"I hope we meet again somewhere." Haku turned and his expression shifted as he looked away from the boy, his eyes becoming colder as he walked away. After a few steps he stopped. "Oh, and... I'm a man!"

Naruto's mouth dropped and his face paled. _"T-That can't be! He's prettier than Sakura!"_

As Haku continued on his way he passed Sasuke, who had been looking for Naruto. Sasuke stopped and glanced back at the stranger before looking at Naruto, who sat cross-legged with his brows furrowed and his arms crossed, muttering to himself.

"Why? That's so strange... The world is full of mystery..."

Sasuke stopped in front of Naruto, then smacked the top of his head.

"Ouch!" Naruto rubbed his head and looked up at Sasuke. "Hey! What're you doing?!"

"Did you forget about breakfast, you idiot?"

Naruto blinked and laughed.

* * *

"Naruto?!" Sakura called out through the trees as Kakashi walked carefully beside her with a crutch. She looked around at their tree-climbing spot and frowned slightly. "What in the world is Naruto doing? And Sasuke hasn't come back from his walk either..."

A Kunai knife was thrown at them from above and stuck into the ground in front of them. Their eyes rose to a high branch near the top of the tree where Naruto rested on a branch with a goofy grin.

"No way!" Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "Naruto can climb that high now? Wow!"

Naruto waved at them. "How 'bout that?! How 'bout that?! As for me, I can climb this high now!"

He stood upright on the branch and put his hands on his hips boastfully, then his foot slipped and he began to fall backward. "Woah!"

"Oh, you idiot!" Sakura gaped at him as he slipped and Kakashi's eyes widened.

_"This is bad!"_

Sakura screamed as Naruto stuck to the underside of the branch with the bottoms of his feet and laughed.

"I gotcha!"

Sakura and Kakashi blinked up at him as he smirked.

"You felt for it! You fell for it!"

"Don't scare us like that!" Sakura yelled and clenched her fists. _"I'll kill him later for this! Cha!"_

Kakashi rested a hand on his hip and sighed to himself. _"He's grown a little, eh"_

Naruto's feet popped off from the branch as he lost focus and their eyes widened again.

"Naruto, you moron!" Sakura gaped. "It's because you went overboard!"

Naruto screamed as he plummeted to the ground and Sasuke quickly ran up the tree, clinging to the branch as he gripped Naruto's ankle.

"You fool." Sasuke scowled at Naruto as he dangled helplessly.

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto exhaled and looked at him.

"Nice job, Sasuke! You're so awesome!" Sakura squealed as her cheeks warmed.

Kakashi chuckled to himself and smiled. _"These kids are really growing."_

* * *

Inari sat atop his desk in silence as he held a picture in his hands. The sounds of the sea came through the open window and he let out a quiet sigh.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?"

* * *

Zabuza crushed an apple in his hand and gritted his teeth as he glared. Haku stood to the side and kept his eyes on him.

"You've recovered considerably."

"All right..." Zabuza turned his hand over and let the apple pieces fall to the floor. "Just a little more, Haku."

"Yes." Haku nodded obediently.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke stood at the very tops of their trees with the moon high above them, breathing heavily.

"Shall we go back?" Sasuke closed his eyes with a faint smirk as he crossed his arms.

"Okay!" Naruto grinned and nodded as he looked over at Sasuke.

* * *

Tsunami set plates down in front of Kakashi and Tazuna as Sakura let out a quiet sigh.

"They're late." Sakura looked over at the boys' empty seats. "And not just Naruto this time, but Sasuke, too."

The door opened and Sakura turned to see Sasuke and Naruto step inside, with Sasuke supporting Naruto as they walked.

"What happened to you guys?" Tazuna looked up from his plate to the boys. "You're really muddy and really wiped out."

Naruto glanced up at the old man and chuckled. "We both climbed up to the top."

Kakashi nodded at them in acknowledgment. "Good. Naruto, Sasuke... you'll also start guarding Tazuna with Sakura."

Sasuke smirked and Naruto raised his hand into the air with a cheer. "Got it!"

They wobbled and fell to the ground and Naruto rubbed his backside. "Ow!"

"You idiot." Sasuke looked at Naruto with a scowl as the others laughed at them.

After dinner, Naruto pushed his plate to the center and patted his stomach with a contented sigh.

"In just a little bit, the bridge will be complete." Tazuna announced as Tsunami began to clear the table. "It's all thanks to you guys."

"Even so, don't let your guard down..." Tsunami frowned slightly and held a stack of plates in her hands.

Tazuna rested his hands on the table and glanced to Kakashi. "I've really wanted to ask you for a long time now... why are you still here even though I lied about the mission?"

Kakashi closed his eyes momentarily and rested his elbows on the table. "To see what is right without doing it bespeaks an absence of courage. Like master, like man." He glanced back up at the old man. "It's a teaching of the late Hokage."

"Hmph." Inari scoffed quietly under his breath as he kept his head down and his eyes on the table. After a moment, he looked over at Naruto, whoresting his eyes and nearly asleep. Inari's eyes started to water as heremembered his father and his fate for his courage.

Inari began to cry softly with hot tears rolling down his face and fell onto the table. "Why...?"

Naruto glanced up at the boy and sat up. "What is it?"

Inari slammed his palms down and stood, meeting Naruto's eyes.

"Why do you desperately work so hard until you get like that?! There's no way you'd be a match for Gato's men even if you train!" Inari sniffed and clenched his jaw. "No matter what cool things you say or how much effort you make... the weak always lose out against the truly strong!"

All eyes fell on him as a heavy silence settled between them.

Naruto made a face and rested his head against his arms once more. "...Shut up. I'm not like you."

"Shut up!" Inari sobbed harder. "Looking at you makes me sick! Sticking your nose in even though you don't know anything about this land! I'm not like you who's always acting foolish, not knowing anything about pain!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and his expression darkened. "So... You're just gonna cry all day like the lead in a tragedy? An idiot like you can just cry forever!" Naruto lifted his head to eye the boy with his brows furrowed. "You crybaby!"

Inari's eyes widened and Sakura scowled at Naruto. "Naruto! That's a bit harsh!"

Naruto stood, sticking a hand into his pocket as he walked away without a word and Sakura's expression softened as he left the room.

"Naruto..."

Kakashi watched Naruto leave, then looked back at Inari, who cried harder and kept his hand clenched into fists as his side.

* * *

Inari sat at the edge of the deck, overlooking the sea with his legs drawn close to chest.

"Got a minute?" Kakashi asked and stepped towards him slowly. Inari turned to look at him over his shoulder and nodded shortly. Kakashi sat beside him with his legs dangling over the edge of the deck and looked out onto the serene sea where the nearly complete bridge stretched out before them on the horizon.

"Naruto didn't mean any harm with what he said..." Kakashi began. "He's just uncouth, so..." He paused. "We heard the story about your father from Tazuna. Like you, Naruto never had a father as a young child... Actually... he doesn't know either of his parents. Not only that... he didn't have a single friend. The only person he's had is his sister."

Inari blinked and looked up at the Jonin. "What?"

"However, I've never seen him sulk, be timid, or cry." He looked over at Inari, who was watching him. "He's always eager, wanting to be acknowledged by someone. If it's for the sake of his dream, he always risks his life." Kakashi paused again and his eyes fell onto the water below. "He's probably tired of crying."

Inari looked down and pulled his legs closer.

"So, he knows the true meaning of the word strong... Like your father did." Kakashi glanced over at the boy again, then back out to the sea. "Naruto might understand your feelings the most."

Inari looked back up at Kakashi, who smiled.

"What Naruto said earlier... There's no mistaking that he's told himself that same thing over and over again."

* * *

"Okay, then! I leave Naruto in your hands." Kakashi led Sakura and Sasuke out of the house, nodding at Tsunami as they stood with Tazuna, prepared to return to the bridge.

Naruto lay on his mat deep in sleep, snoring quietly and his chest slowly rose and fell.

"Because he's used his body to the limit... I don't think he'll be able to move today." Kakashi explained to Tsunami.

Tsunami nodded. "Mr. Kakashi... are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, somehow." Kakashi chuckled.

"We'll be going now!" Tazuna waved at his daughter and turned, beginning to walk away with the Ninja following him.

* * *

"What're you doing?" Gato sat on a plush sofa with one leg crossed over the other as he held a phone to his ear. "I didn't hire you guys for charity work..." He scowled, not getting a response. "Hey, are you listening, Zabuza?!"

Zabuza tossed the radio to the bottom of the boat and stomped on it, crushing it into pieces, then glanced up at his protégé. "Shall we go, Haku?"

The boy fixed his mask into place with a nod and glanced upward at the bridge as they drew closer and the sounds of construction rang in their ears.

* * *

Naruto's eyes opened slowly and he looked around the room groggily before sitting up quickly.

"I overslept!"

Naruto ran to the kitchen and found Tsunami, who was washing dishes. "Hey, hey! Where is everyone?"

Tsunami smiled and turned to see him. "Naruto, your sensei wanted you to rest and relax today."

Naruto growled in frustration and rushed back to the guest bedroom, dressing quickly.

"I knew it! They left me behind!" He zipped up his jacket and tied on his headband, then ran out of the house. "I'll be back!" Naruto called to the woman over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him.

Inari sat in his room quietly, listening as Naruto rushed around the house loudly and then left.

Naruto rushed to the bridge, leaping from tree-to-tree to cover more ground quickly to catch up.

"Darn it! They could've woken me up!" A dead animal caught his eye and he slowed to look at it from above, noticing its hide covered in wounds and blood.

* * *

"W-What the heck is this?!" Tazuna's eyes widened as he saw his friends and fellow builders unconscious on the bridge before him. One of the men tried to move, and Tazuna came closer to him. "What's going on? What happened?!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he looked over the area. _"It couldn't be..."_

* * *

"Inari!" Tsunami called upstairs. "Come give me a hand!" She paused and called again. "Inari!"

"I'll be right there!" Inari called down from his room.

Gato's assassins smirked as they stepped closer to the house and reached to draw their swords.

* * *

A thick fog rolled in and consumed the bridge and Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. _"This mist...!"_

He turned and took a defensive position with his arms out as a shield for his students.

"Sasuke! Sakura! They're coming."

The two Genin took their place and fell into defensive stances. Sasuke clenched his jaw as he looked around the mist and listened with his Kunai drawn.

"I knew he was still alive..." Kakashi muttered under his breath and formed a hand sign. "Making an appearance so soon, eh..."

"Say, Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura held up her own Kunai up. "This is the Hidden Mist Jutsu, right?"

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice echoed around them. "I see you've got those brats with you as always."

Sasuke's hand trembled as his heart pounded and his grip tightened on his Kunai, and Zabuza chuckled.

"He's still trembling. Poor thing."

Their eyes widened as Zabuza appeared before them with his sword drawn as he smirked, surrounding them entirely with his clones.

Their eyes widened as Zabuza appeared before them with his sword drawn as he smirked, surrounding them entirely with his clones.

Sasuke smirked slightly and chuckled. "I'm trembling... with excitement."

"Do it, Sasuke." Kakashi glanced toward his student with a smile, whose smirk grew.

Zabuza gritted his teeth and lunged, just as Sasuke rushed forward and slashed through the clones efficiently. Each of the seven clones splattered into a puddle on the ground.

_"I can see it!"_ Sasuke narrowed his eyes in the mist.

"Well, well. So, he could see the water clones, eh?" Zabuza stepped out from the mist with Haku beside him, stopping at a distance from them. "That brat's grown quite a bit." He glanced toward the boy beside him. "This means a rival has emerged, Haku."

"So it seems..." He agreed and his eyes rested on Sasuke from behind his mask.


	38. Chapter 36: Bonds and Brokenness

_Kiri held Yuuta's hand tightly and he smiled down at her as they walked and gave her hand a squeeze._

_"Nervous?" He asked with a chuckle as his slate blue eyes twinkled mischievously._

_She nodded slowly and pressed her lips together._

_"You don't have anything to worry about." Yayoi smiled reassuringly at Kiri as she walked behind them. "Your teacher is an excellent Shinobi who served in the ANBU during his adolescence, as well as being naturally gifted with children. I think you'll like him."_

_Kiri glanced over her shoulder Yayoi and Yuuta nodded. "He was in mom's class, so he's got a lot of experience as a Ninja. He was my teacher, too, ya know."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really." Yuuta nodded. "He was Yuuri's teacher, too." Noticing Kiri make a face at her name, Yuuta chuckled. "As difficult as she may be to get along with, no one can deny that she's an excellent Kunoichi. Iku-sensei was the one who gave us a solid foundation, so I know you'll be in good hands with him."_

_"I know Iku well." Yayoi stepped up to walk on Kiri's other side. "So, if there's a problem, just let him know and he'll take care of it."_

_They stopped walking and Yuuta pointed at the Academy door. "Do you want us to walk you in?"_

_Kiri shook her head. "No... that's okay."_

_Yayoi smiled and knelt to place a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're ready to start school already? You've only been here a week. There's no problem if you'd prefer to wait until you're more familiar with the Leaf."_

_"Hey, she'll be fine." Yuuta mussed Kiri's hair. "She passed the entry test easily, so you don't have to worry."_

_"I know." Yayoi sighed and gently took Kiri's hand. "Alright, go on in now. One of us will be here to pick you up after school."_

_Kiri nodded and turned from them and headed into the Academy. Once she reached the threshold, she took in a big breath and only released it once she was inside. A woman helped her to find her classroom and Kiri stepped inside slowly._

_The man at the desk in the front looked up from his book and smiled faintly. "You must be Yayoi's girl." He stood and held out his hand to Kiri. "I'm Iku. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you."_

_Kiri flinched slightly and he immediately pulled his hand back._

_"You can sit anywhere you like- as long as the seat is empty." He smiled again and gestured toward the desks. "Class will begin soon, so don't be nervous."_

_Kiri looked out at the seats, where there were only a few spaces available. "Am I... the last one?"_

_Iku chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, no." He looked up the clock on the wall. "Those two knuckleheads are usually the last ones in."_

_"Knuckleheads?" Kiri muttered under her breath as she took an empty seat in the front row. As soon as she had settled in, a pair of rowdy boys burst through the doorway, laughing loudly. Iku sighed and put a hand on his hips as he looked down at them._

_"Do you two always have to act like such clowns?"_

_The boys laughed and scratched their heads simultaneously._

_"Well," The spikey-headed boy glanced up at the clock. "at least we're not late today."_

_"Alright, take your seats." Iku crossed his arms and watched as they raced each other to the desk behind Kiri but stopped when they saw her._

_The bandana-wearing boy pointed at her and narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute... you're new."_

_Kiri clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at them._

_"That's right." Iku smiled and addressed the class, motioning to Kiri. "We have a new student joining us today. This is Kiri. She's just recently moved here from the Land of Lightning, so I expect you all to be welcoming and kind as she settles in."_

_Kiri's cheeks warmed as dozens of sets of eyes fell on her and she stared down at her desk._

_"The Land of Lightning, huh?" The spikey-haired boy crossed his arms and looked her over. "Why is your skin so dark? Didja get a sunburn or something?"_

_The two boys laughed and Kiri balled her hand into a fist._

_"Izumo! Kotetsu!" Iku barked at them, and then they turned to take their seats._

_"Talk to you later, Miss Burnt Toast." The bandana boy muttered and Kiri stood suddenly and landed a heavy punch to his stomach._

_His eyes opened wide as he clutched his gut and coughed, watching her as she sat back down calmly like nothing had happened._

_Kotetsu blinked and stared, gaping at the girl and helped his friend up. "Y-You hit him!"_

_"I'll do it again if you don't leave me alone." Kiri warned in a low voice._

_"Boys, take your seats." Iku kept his eyes on them._

_"B-But! Did you see what she did?!" Izumo gritted his teeth._

_"Hm?" Iku scratched his cheek. "Sorry, I must have blinked." He shrugged. "Still, take your seats. I'm about to begin the lesson."_

_The boys exchanged a look and bitterly took their seats, glaring at the back of the girl's head as Iku began to teach._

* * *

_"So, you punched someone on your first day?" Yuuta walked with his arm crossed behind his head and glanced over at Kiri, who walked beside him with her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket._

_He chuckled and lowered his arms, and stuck a hand in his pocket. "Ya know, you should have seen what Yuuri did on her first day." He laughed loudly at the memory._

_Kiri looked up at him from the corner of his eyes and he smirked faintly, then continued to talk._

_"You see, there was this boy in her class that was smitten with her. And, as little boys often do, he tried to show his affection for her... by teasing her" Yuuta snorted and held in a laugh. "He went up to her at recess and said she was 'ugly like a turtle,' and then promptly started to pull her hair as hard as he could. Yuuri turned around so fast, grabbed his arm, and threw him across the playground so quickly that the kid pissed himself and hit the fence on the other side before he even saw it coming."_

_Yuuta laughed louder at the memory. "And, after that, she never wore her hair down to school again. She always pulled it back into a bun. Not that she really had to; she made quite the reputation for herself. No boy ever approached her again."_

_"Weren't your parents mad?" Kiri asked quietly and kept her eyes focused on the street._

_"Mad?" Yuuta snorted. "What for? That boy deserved it, and Yuuri proved how strong she was. They were thrilled." He titled his head down at her. "So, if you're worried about getting in trouble, don't worry about it. As long as you're not the one starting the fight, and as long as you end it, they'll never be mad at you for decking someone."_

_Kiri's mouth twitched slightly in a smile. "So... did you get in trouble on your first day, too?"_

_Yuuta shook his head. "Of course not! I was a perfect angel in school." He paused, then snorted. "...For the first year." He winked. "By then, I'd become so advanced in all my classes where I finished the work so quickly and it became so tedious for me. I ended up as the class clown and a prankster as a way to pass the time. I still got the second-highest marks in class, but the work they were giving me was just too easy."_

_Yuuta shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head once again. "Mom suggested that they give me more advanced work, but I blew through all that, too. I ended up graduating three years ahead of my class at age ten and then was placed in a three-man-squad. Once I hit fourteen, though, dad requested that I get transferred to the ANBU so my 'talents weren't wasted on mundane assignments,' as he put it."_

_"You don't seem like a pranker." Kiri smile steadily grew and he chuckled._

_"Well, I grew out of that years ago. I'd pulled pretty much every prank in the books by then anyway, and it wasn't as fun anymore. That, and joining the ANBU really put things into perspective for me. I found more meaningful uses of my free time." Yuuta shrugged. "Although I do miss my old team just a little bit. I got transferred right after we all got promoted to Chunin, so sometimes I feel like I let them down by leaving the way I did."_

_Kiri yawned quietly and he smiled. "Tired? Your first day is always exhausting."_

_She nodded._

_"Want to ride on my shoulders?" He wiggled his eyebrows and bent down beside her. "It'll be more fun than walking."_

_After a moment of hesitation, she climbed onto his shoulders and he held her ankles to keep her steady before he stood again. He cleared his throat and covered his mouth to alter his voice so that he sounded like he was talking through a radio._

_"This is Yuuta's bird bus, preparing for take-off. Please hold on tightly and enjoy the flight." He lowered his hand, then looked up at her from the corner of his eyes. "Hold on tightly now, okay?"_

_"O-Okay." Kiri giggled quietly and Yuuta stretched out his arms and cawed. Flapping his arms, he started to jog forward._

_"NYOOOOOOM! NYOOOOM! NYOOOOM!" Yuuta turned in a circle, then continued down the street as Kiri laughed and held on._

_"Birds don't say 'nyoom!'"_

_"Sure they do!" He laughed. "I'm sure there's a species of undiscovered Nyoom Birds in some jungle out there right now, proving you wrong."_

_"Yeah?" Kiri giggled._

_"You bet!" Yuuta grinned and held his arms out again, clearing his throat. "Where was I? Oh yeah... NYOOOOOM!"_

_Kiri squealed with laughter as he ran home, and both were out of breath from laughing by the time they stepped through the front door and removed their shoes._

_Yayoi smiled and peered down the hall from the kitchen and looked at the two. "It seems like someone had a good first day."_

_"It was awesome." Yuuta laughed and they padded into the kitchen. "Kiri here decked a kid for teasing her."_

_Yayoi blinked momentarily and then laughed. "She's definitely my daughter."_

_Kiri's eyes widened slightly and Yayoi bent down to meet her eyes._

_"So, a boy was teasing you, was he?" She laughed quietly under her breath. "Glad you taught him some manners. No one treats my daughter that way."_

_The front door opened and Zenzo stepped inside, removed his shoes, and smiled at Kiri._

_"Well, well, if it isn't our Kiri already back from school. How'd it go?"_

_"She punched someone." Yayoi smiled at her husband and he laughed, the booming sound echoing through the house._

_"That's my girl!" He strode over and patted Kiri's head. "I bet whoever it was won't be doing whatever he did again."_

_"At least if he's smart." Yuuta chuckled._

_"Dinner will be done soon, so go ahead and wash up." Yayoi looked between Yuuta and Kiri. "And then come set the table"_

_"Come on then, little sis." Yuuta scooped Kiri under his arm with a laugh and carried her to the bathroom, setting her on the edge of the sink as he began to wash his hands._

_"I could have walked." Kiri giggled and smiled faintly and Yuuta winked._

_"Yeah... but that's not the fun way, is it?" He wiggled his eyebrows and splashed a handful of water at the girl, who shrieked and laughed._

_"Hey!" Kiri collected water in her hand and splashed him back. He laughed loudly and Yayoi called from the kitchen._

_"Play later! Come help me in here!"_

_Yuuta chuckled and dried his hands, then plopped the handtowel onto Kiri's head. "I'll get the table done. You go tell Yuuri that dinner is almost ready."_

_Kiri's expression fell and she crossed her arms. "But..."_

_"Go on. She won't bite." Yuuta chuckled. "She's not that bad, anyway."_

_Kiri sighed, washed her hands, and then slowly went upstairs. She sighed again and raised her hand to knock on Yuuri's door._

_"What?" Her sharp reply made Kiri flinch._

_"U-Um..." Kiri clutched the hem of her shirt tightly. "Dinner is ready..."_

_The door cracked open and Yuuri scowled down at her. "It's you."_

_Kiri narrowed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, then blinked slowly and stared at Yuuri._

_"What?" The teenager snapped and put her hand on her hip._

_"Your hair..." Kiri pointed at her. "I-I've never seen it down like that before."_

_"So?" Yuuri narrowed her eyes and Kiri looked away._

_"...I was just going to say that it looks nice."_

_"Hmph." Yuuri stood in the doorway for a moment in silence. "You said dinner's ready?"_

_Kiri nodded and glanced back up at her, and Yuuri scoffed again._

_"Fine." She stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her with a quiet click, then slowly walked toward the stairs._

_Kiri followed her after a moment and stayed several steps behind the teen._

_"I punched someone at school." Kiri blurted and Yuuri stopped to turn and look at her._

_"Yeah?"_

_Kiri nodded again and the corner of Yuuri's mouth lifted in a smirk before she continued downstairs._

_"Hm. Maybe you do have potential after all."_

* * *

_"Alright, everyone settle down." Iku kept a hand on his hip as he looked over his class. "You're going to be breaking off into pairs and sparring. I want to see how much you've improved."_

_Several of the kids whispered to each other and Kotetsu nudged Izumo and laughed under his breath, muttering something as he pointed to Kiri. Iku turned to the boys and pointed._

_"Kotetsu. Thank you for volunteering to go first."_

_The class laughed and the boy's cheeks warmed slightly as his friend pushed him forward._

_"And you'll be up against..." Iku crossed his arms and scanned the group, then smiled. "Kiri."_

_Kotetsu's eyes widened. "B-But...!"_

_Kiri stepped forward and kept her eyes on him, as the corners of her mouth tugged upward in a smirk. "Scared?"_

_His eyes narrowed and he made a face. "Of you?" He laughed. "Nope." Holding up hist fists, he bounced up and down in front of her. "I don't wanna hit a girl... so I'll go easy on you."_

_Kiri exhaled slowly and took a stance. Iku chuckled to himself in recognition and held up a hand._

_"Begin!"_

_Kotetsu lunged at Kiri with a flurry of punches and she easily dodged them all. As he recovered from lunging too far forward and losing his balance, she brought her leg up and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying away._

_"Excellent form." Iku nodded at Kiri, then look at Kotetsu. "Try again. Don't over-extend yourself this time and try to watch your opponent more to look for an opening."_

_Kotetsu shot Kiri a look as he got up. "I know, I know..."_

_"He's telling you because you don't seem to get it." Kiri laughed quietly and he glared at her._

_"I'll show you!" He rushed at her again, swinging._

_Kiri dodged and parried, pulling him off-balance with a tug of his arm and landed a punch to his side. She released his arm and he fell forward on his hands and knees, holding his side._

_"You... cheated!" He pursed his lips. "Somehow..."_

_"No, you're just bad at this." Kiri laughed and watched him stand again and rush at her. Again, she dodged his blow and kicked him across the yard. "You said you'd go easy on me, right?" She crossed her arms. "Maybe you should start actually trying now."_

_His eyes widened slightly and he rushed at her once more, only for her to leap into the air above him, land behind him, and be thrown in the opposite direction with a well-placed kick to his back._

_Kiri crossed her arms and laughed to herself. "Just do yourself a favor and stay down, will you?"_

_Kotetsu gritted his teeth and Izumo clenched his fists as he watched, then ran towards the girl with a shout._

_"Hey, two against one is against the rules!" A girl called out from the group and Iku shook his head, holding his arm out to block them from the fight._

_"Let's just see what happens, okay?" He smiled at his student, then turned back to watch Kiri._

_Kiri's eyes widened as Izumo came at her, then her eyes narrowed again. She ran from him as he approached with his fist raised, ran up the trunk of the nearby tree, then launched herself off to elbow him hard in the gut._

_Izumo staggered and clutched his stomach with wide eyes. "W-What...?! H-How did you...?"_

_Iku clapped slowly. "Excellent, Kiri. I see you've been keeping up with your training at home."_

_Kiri giggled and nodded and waved at several of her classmates who praised her._

_"W-Why you...!" Kotetsu glared and watched Izumo pick himself up from the ground. "No one hits my friend!"_

_Izumo looked up and met his eyes and both ran at Kiri simultaneously. Kiri stood in place, watching them carefully. Once they were close, she jumped up so that they punched each other in the face._

_Kiri landed gracefully down and laughed loudly at them, bending over as she did._

_"I can't believe you fell for that!"_

_Iku chuckled to himself. "Alright, I think it's time for another pair to have a go. Nicely done, Kiri."_

_Kiri nodded and stepped toward towards the teacher and suddenly collapsed to her knees._

_Kotetsu chuckled and held up his fist, grinning ear-to-ear. "A-ha! Let your guard down! See! I told you I'd win!"_

_"Kotetsu!" Iku pointed at the boy. "I called the match over!"_

_"O-Oh..." The boy lowered his fist and glanced at Kiri. "S-Sorry... I didn't hear it..."_

_Kiri clutched the back of her head where the blow had hit with her eyes wide, unblinking and unmoving._

_"K-Kiri?" Kotetsu reached out to touch her shoulder with a frown forming. "Are you... okay?"_

_Kiri's eyes snapped wider at his touch and her expression shifted to primal hatred. She turned on him and the color drained from his face._

_"Crap!" Turning as fast as he could, he ran from her as she chased him, knocking him to the ground and sitting overtop him as she pummeled him._

_"Gaah! Help! Make her stop!"_

_Kiri gripped his collar with her right hand and pulled back her left to wind up a heavy punch. Static crackled around her fist, sparking with electricity._

_"Kiri! Stop!" Iku called and ran toward the girl._

_In the blink of an eye, a man appeared and gripped Kiri's wrist to redirect her strike. A flash of lightning erupted and a bolt shot from her fist and charred the ground._

_Iku stopped with his eyes wide and the man gently lifted Kiri off of Kotetsu and placed his hands on her shoulders._

_"Kiri... breathe deeply. Calm down."_

_Kiri's ragged breathing leveled as she blinked and recognized the face before her. "Y-Yuuta?"_

_Iku let out a deep sigh and he shook his head slowly as he chuckled. "Yuuta, you're timing is impeccable as it ever was."_

_Yuuta chuckled and scratched his head, looking up at the man. "Hey, Iku-sensei. Been a while."_

_Kiri trembled and stared down at her hands, then at the blackened dirt. "D-Did I... do that?"_

_Yuuta pressed their foreheads together. "It's okay. You didn't mean to."_

_Kotetsu blinked and gulped, turning slowly to look at the burned ground, gulping again. "I... I'm not dead!"_

_Iku helped Kotetsu to his feet and frowned slightly at Kiri. "Is she alright?"_

_Yuuta nodded. "She will be. But I should probably get her home." He looked at Kotetsu and the corners of his mouth tugged upward in a smirk. "Ya hit her on the head, didn't you?"_

_Kotetsu blushed slightly and he shifted uncomfortably. "W-Well... I..."_

_Yuuta laughed. "Rule number one when fighting Kiri... never, ever hit her in the face or on the back of the head." He smiled broadly, almost too pleasantly. "It unleashes her killer instinct."_

_Kotetsu gulped and eyed Kiri, who continued to stare at her hands in silence._

_Yuuta laughed and patted the boy's head. "Honest first mistake. No harm done." He rested his head on his knee. "You should see the nasty bruises she's giving me in our training sessions at home. She's amazing."_

_Iku chuckled and put a hand on his hip. "I thought I recognized some of her moves. She's just as talented as you were at her age. You're an excellent teacher."_

_Yuuta scratched his cheek. "Actually, I think she's even better than I was at that age. You should come by one day and see for yourself."_

_Yuuta turned back to Kiri, poking her nose with a smile. "Alright... let's go home, shall we? I think that's enough for one day."_

_Kiri nodded slowly and Yuuya stood, holding her hand as he started to walk away. He raised a hand to wave at Iku. "See ya later, sensei!"_

_Iku knelt beside his student and crossed his arms. "The match was over, Kotetsu."_

_The boy chuckled uncomfortably. "S-Sorry, sensei..."_

_Iku sighed again. "You're lucky Yuuta happened to be around, or you'd be fried to a crisp."_

_Kotetsu's eyes widened and he glanced toward the charred ground again, then shuddered._

_His peers burst into laughter and he blushed deeply, covering the front of his pants as they were soaked._

_Iku patted Kotetsu's shoulder. "Go inside and get cleaned up. We'll finish up out here in a bit."_

* * *

_Yuuta gave Kiri's hand a squeeze as they walked and she stayed unusually quiet._

_"You know, having such a natural affinity for lightning is impressive... but to manifest it like that on a whim... doubly impressive. Even the best Ninja struggle with mastering Lightning style."_

_Kiri bit her lip. "...I lost control again. I've never done that at school before."_

_Yuuta smiled and shrugged. "Was his fault anyway. The match was over, he was being cocky, and he underestimated you."_

_"I could have killed him."_

_"He could have done the same to you." Yuuta lifted her onto his shoulders and looked up at her. "Human beings are both incredibly strong... and incredibly fragile. Had he hit the right spot on your head, you'd be in the hospital. You're lucky he's just a puny little guy."_

_Kiri smiled faintly. "...He is pretty puny, isn't he? I'm already taller than him." She leaned forward to rest her chin on the top of his head. "What were you doing at the Academy anyway? And why are you wearing that cloak?"_

_Yuuta glanced down at the black ANBU cloak. "Well, I've actually been assigned a mission and I was supposed to meet up with my team already. But I couldn't leave without telling my favorite little sister goodbye first."_

_Kiri's expression fell. "A mission? Will you be gone a long time?"_

_Yuuta sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. About two weeks, I think."_

_Kiri pressed her lips together and her eyes rested on the ground. "Oh."_

_"But, don't worry." He bounced slightly as he walked so that she wobbled back and forth. "I promise I'll come back just fine, and I'll bring you back a souvenir, too."_

_Kiri blinked and made a face. "Your job is to hunt down and assassinate people. I don't think I want a souvenir."_

_Yuuta laughed out loud. "Not a gross souvenir!" He reached a hand up to prod the tip of her nose and smiled mischievously. "How about this instead... When I get back... I'll tell you one of my secrets."_

_"A secret?"_

_He nodded. "You bet."_

_"What kind of secret?" Kiri crossed her arms. "It better be worth it."_

_"Oh, it is." Yuuta winked. "It's something that no one else knows— not mom, or dad, or even Yuuri. I'd be trusting you with top secret information. Are you up for it?"_

_Kiri nodded quickly. "Yes! I wanna know! Tell me! Tell me now!"_

_"Not until I get back." He chuckled and shook his head. "And I want you to keep up with your training while I'm gone, okay? I want you to learn to control that lightning better. There aren't a lot of people in the Leaf even able to use Lightning style, so you may have to visit Oto-sama for reference."_

_"Oto-sama?" Kiri tilted her head slightly._

_"Yup. She's the one you go to when you need information. I swear the woman's omniscient. Just ask mom about her and she'll take you to meet her." Yuuta lifted her off of his shoulders and knelt in front of her, glancing toward the house. "And... we're home."_

_Kiri bit her lip, looking at the house, then back at him. "I don't want you to go for that long. I'll miss you."_

_"I'll miss you too, Kiri." He touched his forehead to hers. "You're seven now, so you have to start adjusting to this now. Sooner or later, you'll graduate and have to do your own missions. I know it's not easy, but I know you can handle it."_

_"I know." She crossed her arms and made a face. "But I still wish you didn't have to go."_

_"It's all for the good of the Leaf." Yuuta nodded toward the house. "Go on inside. I've got to head out now. Tell mom and dad I said bye, 'kay?"_

_Kiri bit her lip and stared at the ground._

_"What's wrong?" Yuuta touched her shoulder._

_"Do you think they're mad at me?"_

_"Mad?" Yuuta tilted his head. "For what?"_

_"I know they probably... would like it if I called them that, too. But... I just..." She sighed. "I feel like... if I start calling Yayoi 'mom,' that... I might forget my own."_

_Yuuta smiled faintly and tilted her chin up. "Of course they're not mad at you for not calling them mom or dad. They understand how you feel about them without it."_

_"Really?"_

_He nodded. "Even if you were to call her 'mom,' it wouldn't make your mother any less important, either. She'll always be here." He poked her forehead. "In your memories." He poked her chest. "And here, in your heart. She's not really gone, after all. She's watching over you."_

_"You think so?" Kiri put a hand over her heart._

_"I know so." Yuuta held his hand up to whisper. "I even heard mom once talking about how she thinks it was your mother's spirit that led her to you."_

_Kiri's eyes widened. "What?"_

_"Yep." He nodded again. "She said that they were all set to travel back home a different path... but that there was a voice in her head that said to go a different way. They did, and then they found you. I think your mom's been watching over you this whole time, helping you to find a home and a family to love you and keep you safe."_

_Kiri smiled faintly and Yuuta placed his hand over hers. "That warmth you feel inside? That's your mom giving you a big hug from the other side. So, don't ever feel sad. A part of her lives inside you, ya know."_

_He wiped a tear from Kiri's cheek and smiled at her own smile. "And, I promise that I'll do my very best to honor her by taking good care of her precious little girl. We're family, so I'll always, always be here for you... even if I have to go away for a mission."_

_"You're the best." Kiri wrapped him in a tight hug and he returned her embrace. "I'll miss you so much."_

_"Not as much as I'll miss you." Yuuta releasedher from the hug, kissing __the top of her head and stood. "Keep doing well at school and keep training like you have been. And, if that boy messes with you again, give him hell."_

_Kiri giggled and nodded. "He's a real pain."_

_"Boys are." Yuuta lifted his hand in a wave as he left. "Love ya, little sis."_

* * *

_"Thank you for meeting with me." The Hokage let out a puff of smoke as he moved the pipe from his lips and looked at the two Jonin._

_"Kiri's not in trouble, is she?" Yayoi glanced toward the window, where Kiri was waiting outside and practicing throwing Shuriken._

_"Trouble?" Hiruzen chuckled. "Not at all. We've been monitoring her progress and, unsurprisingly, she's extremely advanced for her age. Of course, with you two training her at home after school, it's to be expected."_

_He cleared his throat and continued. "What I've called you here for was to seek your permission to administer the Graduation test."_

_"Already?" Zenzo chuckled. "She's only eight."_

_"Considering you and your children have graduated early yourselves, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Kiri be any different."_

_Yayoi nodded. "Of course she can take the exam, if you believe she's ready."_

_"Excellent. We'll proceed with the exam tomorrow, then." Hiruzen nodded and returned the pipe to his mouth. "I look forward to seeing her results."_

* * *

_"Hey, what's going on?" Kotetsu pushed through the crowd of children until he found Izumo._

_"Did you hear?" Izumo pointed toward a side door of the Academy, where Kiri stood with her parents as they spoke to the Hokage. "Kiri took the Graduation test this morning!"_

_"What?" Kotetsu blinked and his eyes widened as he saw the headband she wore. "N-No way! How did she already graduate? She's our age!"_

_Izumo shook his head and shrugged. "I guess she's been holding back around all of us. She must be really amazing for them to let her graduate early."_

_Kotetsu made a face and crossed his arms. "We're amazing, too, you know."_

_"I heard she almost beat Lord Third in a spar!" One of their classmates whispered to Izumo._

_"What?!" Izumo blinked. "Impossible!"_

_"I heard it, too." A girl shook her head. "She cast a Genjustu on him and almost won, but he broke through it. I wish I could have seen it."_

_"So..." Kotetsu blinked and scratched his cheek. "Does this mean... she won't be in our class anymore?"_

_"Well, duh." The girl laughed. "She's going to get assigned to a team now and get to do real Ninja missions."_

_"Hmph." Kotetsu made a face and away. "I could pass the exam, too, if they let me take it. She's not that special."_

_"Kiri!" The group shifted and moved to surround Kiri as the adults walked away._

_"Kiri, I can't believe it!"_

_"You're so cool!"_

_Kiri put her hands on her hips and laughed quietly. "Thanks, guys."_

_"We'll miss you in class."_

_Kiri nodded. "I'll miss you guys, too." She turned toward Kotetsu and Izumo and narrowed her eyes. "Well, I'll miss most of you, anyway."_

_"Kiri!" Zenzo called out and motioned to her. "Time to go!"_

_"Don't forget about us, okay?" Several girls hugged Kiri._

_"You're still going to come to my birthday party, right?"_

_"Of course!" Kiri smiled and nodded, looking over them all. "See you guys later!"_

_She turned and joined her parents, and Zenzo mussed her hair. "That's my girl. I'm proud of you."_

_"I knew you could do it, Kiri." Yayoi smiled down at her. "Tonight, we'll have a special dinner to celebrate your graduation. How does that sound?"_

_Kiri smiled and reached out to take Yayoi's hand as she nodded. "You're the best, mom!"_

_Yayoi blinked and her eyes began to water. "Mom?" She smiled broadly and wiped her eyes as she looked at Zenzo, who smiled as she mouthed "she called me mom!"_

* * *

_Kiri's eyes opened slowly and she looked toward the window. Her eyes opened wide and she opened it quickly and Yuuta slipped inside._

_"Yuuta! You're... You're here!"_

_"Kiri, I don't have much time." He smiled at her though a large cut on his forehead had coated his face in blood. "They're after me."_

_Kiri's eyes narrowed. "Who are?" She glared toward the window. "What happened? Your head..."_

_"No time." He shook his head. "Listen to me very carefully, okay? I discovered something, working under Danzo. His secrets. He—"_

_Yuuta cried out in pain and clutched his head._

_"Yuuta!'_

_"Damn!" He cursed and scowled. "Danzo—"_

_He screamed out again and Kiri opened her door. "MOM! DAD!"_

_"Yuuta, what's wrong?"_

_He opened his mouth and pointed to his tongue, where a seal was glowing brightly. "Damn... that man."_

_Yuuta stumbled over to Kiri's desk, grabbing a paper and pen and started to write, only to bend over in pain once more._

_"MOM!" Kiri screamed again and touched Yuuta's arm. "It'll be okay..."_

_"Can't say a damn thing with this thing..." He retrieved a Kunai and stared at its blade, then looked at Kiri. "Kiri... I just want you to know... I love you. You'll always be my sister, and you've grown up well, into a strong Kunoichi, and I have been honored to be your brother."_

_"Yuuta—" Kiri covered her mouth in horror as she watched him cut out his tongue, then stuffed a cloth into his mouth to soak up the blood._

_He picked up the pencil again, scribbling down several sentences. Kiri's eyes widened as she read as he wrote._

_"Yuuta... this... is this true?!"_

_He nodded and started to write something else, then turned quickly towards the window as a pair of masked Shinobi filled the pane. Balling up the paper behind his back with one hand, he drew his Ninjato and stood in front of Kiri._

_"Kill them both." One of the masked figures drew their sword and stepped into the room. "She's a liability."_

_Yuuta gripped his sword tighter and stood a strong stance as he glared._

_"MOM!" Kiri yelled louder and reached for her own sword on the wall._

_"Kiri?!" Two sets of heavy footsteps hurried down the hall, but as the door creaked open, a Ninjato stuck through Yuuta's chest and he staggered._

_"YUUTA!"_

_The assassin stepped back, removing the blade of Yuuta's sword from his torso with a grunt as he removed his own blade from his target. The door burst open and Zenzo glared at the assassins._

_"Retreat!"_

_The assassins disappeared quickly and Yayoi caught Yuuta as he collapsed. "Yuuta!"_

_"Damn!" Zenzo ran to the window, looking for the attackers. "Danzo's pets! When I find them—!"_

_"Zenzo!" Yayoi choked and her voice trembled. "I-It's... too late."_

_Kiri fell to her knees and placed her hand over Yuuta's wound, tears welling in her eyes and spilling over. "No..."_

_Zenzo knelt beside his son, his expression shifting. "Yuuta... you'll be fine. Hang in there."_

_Yuuta shook his head slowly, removing the blood-soaked cloth from his mouth, and smiled faintly. He touched Zenzo's shoulder, then patted it._

_"My boy..." Yayoi cried, stroking his hair. "Five years you've been gone... and t-this... this wasn't the reunion I wanted."_

_He reached up to stroke his mother's cheek, smiling again, and she cried harder._

_Kiri trembled and shook her head. "No. No no no no no. Yuuta... y-you can't... y-you can't leave me."_

_He coughed and smiled at her, reaching up with a shaky hand to place the balled paper into her hands._

_"Yuuta..." She sniffed and held the page tightly. "I..."_

_He shook his head, then placed his hand on the back of her neck, and drew her close until her forehead touched his. Then, he placed his hand over his heart, then placed his on over hers._

_Kiri choked and her tears fell faster. "I love you, too, Yuuta. You are... the best brother anyone could have asked for. I... I don't know what I'll do when... when..." She sobbed, and held his hand tightly. "You can't..."_

_Kiri wiped her face, then looked at her brother, freezing. "...Yuuta?"_

_The light gone from his eyes, a final breath escaped his lips and his body was limp._

_"YUUTA!" Kiri screamed, burying her face into his stomach. "NO!"_

* * *

Kiri sobbed into her hands, her hot tears stinging her face as she drew her legs closer.

_"Mom... Yuuta... It's always like this... I'm always ending up alone. I can't... I can't be alone again. I can't."_


	39. Chapter 37: Crystal Ice Mirrors

Naruto ran through the forests as birds chirped loudly overhead, his feet splashing in puddles from the light rain that had fallen the previous night.

"Damn it!" He leapt up to a high branch above, running and leaping between the trees for a shorter route. "I'm totally late!"

* * *

"Well, well... It seems my prediction was right on the money." Kakashi said casually as he kept a careful eye on the assassin.

"Prediction?" Zabuza narrowed his eyes and maintained eye contact with the Jonin.

"That little mask..."

Sakura's eyes widened and she stared at their opponents. "H-Huh?!"

"I knew it! Hmph." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Haku, who met his gaze.

"So, the Elite Shinobi of the Hidden Mist thing was a bold-faced lie." Tazuna scowled at the masked boy.

"No matter how you look at him, he's obviously a comrade of Zabuza's." Kakashi shrugged slightly. "Standing beside him and all..."

Sakura put a hand on her hip and frowned slightly as she furrowed her brows. "How dare he show up like that after what he did!"

"I hate brats who think they're so cool." Kakashi added.

"He's better than you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura glanced at her teacher.

"O-Oh... really?" Kakashi chuckled sheepishly and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"I'll do it." Sasuke spoke up and scowled. "With his bad acting... I hate brats who think they're so cool."

"Sasuke, you're so cool!" Sakura blushed faintly and held her hands close to her face as she stared at him.

Kakashi let out a sigh and pocketed his hands. _"That Sakura doesn't take stabs at Sasuke..."_

"He's an impressive youth." Haku turned his head slightly to Zabuza. "Even though those Water Clones have only one-tenth the strength of their original... to think he took care of them so easily."

"Hmph." Zabuza smirked. "However, you made the preemptive move... Go!"

"Right." Haku nodded shortly and rushed forward, spinning as a small tornado formed around him.

"What?!"Sasuke gripped his Kunai tightly and prepared for the attack with a smirk.

* * *

Gato's assassins smirked and sliced a large opening into the side of the home

Tsunami turned toward the intruders and her eyes went wide.

"Aren't you Tazuna's daughter?" The smaller man said and gripped the hilt of his sword. "Sorry, but you're coming with us."

Upstairs, Inari heard clattering and his mother scream. Tsunami held her arms over her head as she trembled on the floor, as far from the two assassins as she was able to make it.

"Mom!" Inari rushed downstairs and stood in the doorway of the kitchen, freezing as he saw the two men.

"Don't come closer!" Tsunami looked at her son, waving her hand. "Get out of here, now!"

The tattooed man glanced over his shoulder at the boy with a chuckle. "What's with you, little brat?" He looked back at his partner. "Should we take him, too?"

"One hostage is fine."

Inari trembled and shrunk back, unable to look away. _"Hostage?!"_

The tattooed assassin turned back to the boy with a dark chuckle, beginning to draw his sword once again. "Then... shall I kill him?"

"Wait!" Tsunami narrowed her eyes, her lip quivering. "If you lay a hand on that child... I'll bite off my tongue and kill myself!" Her expression darkened. "You need a hostage, right?"

"Heh." The man chuckled and sheathed his blade and returned his arms to his side.

"Thank your mom, kid." The smaller man turned to the boy, who was crying silently.

Inari slowly sunk down the wall, crying harder and without a sound as tears poured from his eyes and fell on his hands.

"Oh, man... it's not enough..." The bigger man muttered under his breath.

"Knock it off. You just got to use your sword earlier. Forget it already and let's take the woman." The second man reached down to grab Tsunami's wrist and pull her to a stand roughly, then tied her hands together behind her back.

"Mom, I'm sorry..." Inari muttered under his breath, crying harder and wiping his face with the back of his hands. "I'm so sorry..."

He listened to the sound of their footsteps as they led the woman away and drew his legs in close.

"I'm weak, so I can't protect you..."

Inari hung his head and cried harder. "I don't want to die... I'm scared!"

_"You crybaby!"_ Inari's eyes widened as he heard Naruto's words in his head. _"So, you're just gonna cry all day like the lead in a tragedy? An idiot like you can just cry forever! You crybaby!"_

_"He's probably tired of crying. So, he knows the true meaning of the word strong." _Inari sniffed as Kakashi's voice came to him. _"Like your father."_

Inari lowered his hands from his face and stared at them, quiet as his father came to mind.

_"For the things I truly hold dear to myself... I protect them until the end with both of these arms."_

Inari wiped wiped face with his forearm and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Can I... can I also become strong?"

He sniffed a final time and stood, clenching his fists with his eyes now dry. "Dad!"

Tsunami walked with her head hung as the men led her away from the house and the tattooed man smirked as he touched his chin and looked the woman over.

"Looking at that beautiful skin of yours makes me want to cut you."

Tsunami shot him a glare and the other man tugged on her rope. "Hey, walk faster."

"Wait!" Inari screamed and stood on the pier with his fists clenched as he stared at the assassins.

"Inari!" Tsunami's eyes widened and she turned to see her son.

"What's this?" The tattooed man chuckled. "It's that kid from before."

"Get... Get away from my mom!" Inari glared and ran toward the men, screaming out a war cry.

"Man, this kid is hopeless." The man furrowed his brows and his mouth twitched.

"Let's do it." The shorter man sighed and began to draw his sword, his partner doing the same.

"No!" Tsunami pleaded. "If you do that, I'll—"

The first assassin smirked and struck the back of her neck, and her eyes fluttered shut as she collapsed to the ground.

"Shut up. Go to sleep."

The men smirked as Inari continued to run at them, screaming louder. Then, they fully drew their swords and sliced.

* * *

_Sasuke blocked Haku's Senbon with his Kunai, both maintaining resistance as their blades clashed. _

"Well, well... He can even see that speed, eh...?" Zabuza muttered, impressed.

"Yes." Kakashi agreed, keeping his eye on the rogue Ninja, then addressed his student. "Sakura, surround Tazuna and don't move away from me. Let Sasuke handle that guy."

Sakura nodded and obeyed, immediately jumping in front of Tazuna with her Kunai prepared. "Okay!"

Sasuke and Haku spun, aiming their Kunai for a strike, only for the blades to clash between them.

"I don't want to have to kill you..." Haku said flatly. "I'd prefer if you backed down."

Sasuke grinned faintly and narrowed his eyes. _"Nonsense..."_

"...I knew that would be your answer. But you won't be able to keep up with my speed." Haku continued. "Also, I've already made two preemptive moves."

"Two preemptive moves?" Sasuke muttered.

"The first is the scattered water." Haku explained, glancing around hem at the surface of the bridge. "The second was blocking one of your hands... Therefore, you'll just be able to defend my attack..."

Haku held up his left hand in front of him with two index extended upward, as Sasuke's eyes widened in surprised.

_"What?! With one hand, he's...?!"_

Haku completed a series of hand signs, with his free hand and Kakashi's eyes widened as he looked at the boy.

_"A one-handed hand sign? I've never seen such a thing before."_

Haku finished his last sign and kept his gaze steady on the Uchiha. "Thousand Needles of Death!" Stomping a foot down in the puddle beneath his feet, water lifted from the bridge's surface around them.

"So, he doesn't want to kill him, eh?" Zabuza chuckled to himself. "I wonder if that's how he really feels..."

"Sasuke!" Sakura narrowed her eyes, remaining in place as she guarded Tazuna anxiously.

The water in the air reformed into Senbon and Kakashi's eyes grew wider at the technique.

Sasuke held up one hand and closed h is eyes, managing to hold back Haku's Senbon from drawing nearer, and he exhaled slowly. _"Remember that training... build up Chakra at one burst..."_ He opened his eyes, as Haku's water Senbon rained down on him.

* * *

Inari's hat flew from his head as the assassin's sliced through the boy, and then he vanished, leaving behind only a small, sliced log in his place.

One man blinked and looked at the log. "The Substitution Jutsu?"

"The woman?" The larger man looked around, grunting in confusion. "Hm?"

"Sorry I was late." Naruto apologized to Inari as he lay Tsunami down carefully on the pier, a safe distance from the assassins, and held the boy over his shoulder. "Heroes do usually appear late on the scene, so..."

Inari's eyes opened and he smiled at Naruto. "Naruto-niichan!"

Naruto grinned and set Inari down, meeting his eyes. "Inari, you did well!"

Naruto nodded. "Thanks to you distracting them, I was able to save your mom." He glanced down at the woman, who still remained unconscious.

Inari's eyes watered as he looked at his mother, then looked up at Naruto.

"Naruto-niichan... how did you know that those samurai were here?"

"Oh, well." Naruto scratched his cheek. "When I was in the forest, there was a boar that had been cut up with a sword. Other than that, there were trees with lots of cuts. They all headed in the direction of your house, so I got worried."

"I see." Inari stared up at him.

"Well, well..." The taller man scowled and eyed Naruto. "If it isn't that no-good Ninja that Tazuna hired..."

"Let's do it." The second gripped his sword as he smirked.

"Yeah!"

"Here they come!" Inari's eyes widened as the men began to run at them.

Naruto retrieved a pair of Shuriken from his pouch and threw them at the samurai, who easily knocked them away with their swords.

"Ha! Something like that won't work!"

Naruto stood and faced the men with a smile. "Fools."

"Prepare yourself!"

The Shuriken transformed and revealed Shadow Clones that each landed a hard kick to the men's faces. Their noses bled from the impact and they both fell onto the pier in shock. The Clones vanished in puffs of smoke and Inari gaped at Naruto.

"W-Wow!"

Naruto chuckled and held out his fist towards the boy. "It's done!"

"Naruto-niichan, you really are a Ninja!" Inari laughed loudly in relief.

"You fool!" Naruto laughed. "I was a Ninja to start with!"

They started to laugh louder as they met each other's eyes, until their eyes watered and their stomachs hurt.

* * *

The liquid Senbon needles rained down on Sasuke as his eyes burst open from his focus.

_"Build up Chakra... to the feet!"_

Haku leapt away as his weapons impacted and he blinked as the large splash of water from the attack cleared. "He vanished..."

His eyes wandered above, where Sasuke had jumped, then dodged a series of Shuriken the Uchiha threw at him. He landed, steady on his feet, and Sasuke appeared behind him with a smirk.

"You're surprisingly stupid." Sasuke's gaze narrowed at the back of the boy's head. "From here on... you'll only defend my attack!"

Sasuke held up a Kunai and Haku spun away from him, nearly fast enough to escapes his sight, and then Sasuke lunged at Haku with his Kunai knife, as Haku blocked his strike firmly with his forearm. Sasuke flicked his wrist, throwing the Kunai, and Haku easily dodged and squatted out of the way. Once low to the ground, Sasuke brought his left foot up for a sudden kick, knocking the boy back.

Haku flew backward toward where Zabuza stood patiently, skidding through the puddles until he came to a stop.

Zabuza glanced down at Haku and furrowed his brow. _"To think that Haku would lose in speed..." _He looked up at the Uchiha boy and carefully looked him over.

"It seems that I'm faster than you." Sasuke tilted his chin up as he looked over at Haku where he lay.

"I can't have you mocking our team, calling them brats..." Kakashi spoke up, looking at Sasuke briefly out of the corner of his eye. "He may not look it, but Sasuke is the number one rookie of Konoha. And Sakura is our sharpest."

Sakura's cheeks warmed at the praise and she giggled to herself. _"Cha! Serves you right!"_

"And the other one," Kakashi continued. "is the number one hyperactive, knucklehead Ninja Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

Naruto suddenly sneezed, and he rubbed his nose with his index finger grumpily.

"Do you have a cold?" Inari looked up at him, and he shook his head.

"I'm okay." Naruto looked out to the sea, with the bright blue sky above filled with fluffy clouds. The two samurai started to wake, wide-eyed as they realized they had tape over their mouths and were bound together by thick rope.

"Anyway... Sorry about yesterday, Inari." Naruto smiled at him and scratched his head. "Calling you a crybaby... forget I ever said that." He reached out and rubbed Inari's head. "You're strong!"

Inari sniffed and his eyes welled with tears, and Naruto blinked and drew his hand back. "Huh?"

Tears flowed slowly down Inari's cheeks as he gritted his teeth. "Dang it!" He wiped his face irritably. "I decided never to cry again, b-but..."

Naruto smiled faintly and turned his attention back to the sparkling of the sea. "What're you saying?"

Inari lowered his hands and looked up at him, sniffing again.

"Crying is okay... when you're happy." He turned back to the boy and broke into a large grin, crossing his arms behind his head as he chuckled. "You hear me? It's okay to cry when you're happy!"

"Naruto-niichan..." Inari smiled at him in admiration, crying harder as the emotion overwhelmed him.

Naruto chuckled again and lowered his arms and turned away, resting his hands on his hips.

"Now then... I can leave the rest to you, right?"

"Yeah!" Inari wiped his face again, nodding confidently.

"Aright! I'm gong to hop over to the bridge for a bit." He ran off, smiling as he left Inari behind on the pier. "Man, it's tough being a hero sometimes, that's for sure!"

* * *

Haku sat up slowly as Zabuza chuckled under his breath. "Haku, do you know what this means? At this rate, you'll be defeated by your intended victim..."

"Yeah..." Haku brought himself to a stand and Chakra started to emanate from his body.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and gripped his Kunai as he watched. "What's this...?"

"It's unfortunate..." Haku let out a quiet sigh.

"The air... it's getting cold." Sasuke scowled and Haku formed a strange hand sign, with this indexes and middle fingers crossing as he brought his hands together.

"Hidden Jutsu!" Haku muttered under his breath. "Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

A wall of ice formed behind Sasuke, creating a smooth, polished surface. Ice formed all around him, creating a dome of crystallized mirrors. Sasuke's mouth hung open as he watched the ice surround him, then he scowled once more and eyed them carefully.

Haku lowered his arms to rest at his sides and the mirrored surfaced glowed brightly.

Kakashi furrowed his brows. "What is that? What's that Jutsu?"

Haku stepped toward the mirror nearest him, leaning forward until his body became one with it as their eyes widened. Haku's image displayed on each of the mirrors, looking down at Sasuke in silence.

"_Are these... mirrors?!"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth and watched as Haku appeared all around him. _"What... in the world?!"_

"Damn it!" Kakashi rushed at the mirrors and was blocked immediately by Zabuza, who smirked.

"I'm your opponent... aren't I?" Zabuza chuckled. "Since that Jutsu has been cast... he's done for."

"Now then..." Haku's voice echoed from every side. "I'll start. I'll shall show you my true speed."

Each of Haku's images held Senbon between their fingers and began to throw them down at his opponent, slicing at Sasuke's clothes and breaking the skin beneath.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out to his student, anger burning in his chest.

Sasuke held up his arms in an attempt to protect himself, but was volleyed from every angle as he cleaned his jaw and screamed in pain. HisKunai was knocked out of his hand, flying out of the dome to land on the groundin front of Sakura.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's eyes were wide at his cries, but remained fixed in place as Tazuna's guard.

"If you make a move..." Zabuza threatened. "I'll kill those two!"

"I'm sorry, Tazuna." Sakura bit her lip and clenched her fists. "I'm stepping away from here for a bit."

"Sure. Go." Tazuna nodded shortly.

Sakura reached down and picked up Sasuke's Kunai, and ran forward.

"Sakura!" Kakashi watched as she ran past him.

"Sasuke!" Sakura stopped running and jumped into the air, throwing the Kunai as hard as she could past the mirrors. "Take this!"

Sakura cracked open an eye and saw Sakura throw his Kunai, just as Haku reached a hand out of the nearest mirror and grabbed it out of the air. He held it up to look at it, then looked back at his rival.

"Tch!" Sasuke glared at the masked boy as he bled, his body trembling until he fell forward and collapsed.

Haku adjusted his grip on the knife and Sakura landed lightly on the bridge, her eyes wide as her face paled.

"H-He caught it?!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and tried to lift himself from the ground, unable to move.

Suddenly, a Shuriken flew and struck Haku, grazing him enough to knock him out of the mirror as he leaned partially out. He fell to the ground and Sakura blinked slowly. "What?!"

Haku sat up and looked around for his attacker.

A small burst of smoke appeared on the bridge and Sakura turned her attention to it. "Who is it?!"

_"That idiot..." _Sasuke turned his head slightly, wincing in pain as he saw the smoke beginning to clear. _"what a showoff..."_

Haku stood and his eyes rested on the latecomer. "The number one hyperactive, knucklehead Ninja..."

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto completed the title with a smirk as the last of the smoke cleared. "Is finally here!"


	40. Chapter 38: The One That Almost Got Away

_"Natsumi?" A woman's voice softly called out her name from the blinding brightness. "Is that really you?"_

_Natsumi blinked hard and turned to see who the voice belonged to, but the woman's image was faint, though she stood right in front of her._

_"W-Who are you?" Natsumi pressed her lips together and focused her eyes on the figure, nearly transparent like a specter._

_"It really is you, isn't it?" Her mouth formed a hard line, then turned downward at the corners. "Oh, Natsumi... what are you doing here?"_

_The figure stepped closer and Natsumi strained harder to look the woman over. Her form slowly became more solid and Natsumi's eyes widened as she recognized the same shade of deep violet in the woman's eyes and the same flaming red hair._

_"A-Are you...?"_

_The woman's frowned curved slightly up and she tilted her head to the side mischievously. "Am I?"_

_Natsumi swallowed and took a step toward her, with her eyes growing wider as a hard lump formed in her throat._

_"...Mom?"_

_The woman's smile grew larger and she reached a hand out to cup Natsumi's cheek._

_"My sweet little girl... look at how much you've grown." Her smiled faltered and she gently stroked Natsumi's cheek with her thumb. "I'm so happy to see you again... but... you shouldn't be here. It's too soon."_

_Natsumi's eyes watered at the warmth of the woman's hand and stared up into her eyes._

_"Am I... dead?"_

_The woman looked away momentarily and Natsumi's heart sunk._

_"...I am, aren't I?"_

_Suddenly, Natsumi was pulled into a tight hug and her mother bent to nuzzle her face into her hair. Natsumi stood in surprise for only a moment before she threw her arms around her mother and her eyes spilled over._

_"Mom..."_

_"The last time I saw you, you were only a tiny newborn. But look at you now." The woman muttered into her hair, nuzzling closer and hugging tighter. "You're so grown-up and so beautiful."_

_Natsumi choked and sobbed, her hair being stroked gently. "I-I've always wanted to meet you. I've always wondered what you would be like..."_

_The woman pulled back and loosened her embrace, then kissed Natsumi's forehead. "You look so much like me... Your father always hoped you would."_

_"D-Dad?" Natsumi bit her lip and looked around. "Where is he? Is he here?"_

_Her mother shook her head. "No, he's not."_

_Natsumi's breath caught in her throat. "Then... is he alive?"_

_Her mother sighed, glancing away as she shook her head again. "No. He's just in a different place right now. But one day we'll be reunited."_

_Natsumi bit her lip harder and stared down. "Oh..."_

_"But that just means you and I have time for girl talk, right?" The woman laughed quietly and winked, and Natsumi smiled faintly as she squatted so they were eye-to-eye. "I want to know everything. How is Naruto? How did you do in the Academy? What kind of friends do you have? What's your favorite food?"_

_Natsumi swallowed again and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Naruto is... Naruto." She giggled to herself. "He likes to show off and play pranks, and he's a total goofball most of the time, but he's the best brother. He always is there for me, even when I was being bullied."_

_The woman raised her brow. "Bullied?" After a pause, the corner of her mouth twitched. "Let me guess... the red hair?"_

_Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she nodded quickly. "Yeah! How did you...?"_

_"Dumb boys used to tease me over my hair, too." Her mother smiled, and ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "So, I started to hate it."_

_Natsumi smiled. "It made me like my hair even more... even if it's different, and people think it looks tacky... I love it because it's unique. I haven't met anyone else with hair like mine."_

_"Good." The woman's smile grew. "You should love your hair; your father used to call my red hair the red thread of destiny... since you've inherited it, you should always remember how special it is."_

_"Red thread of destiny?" Natsumi touched her hair._

_She nodded. "It's what brought your father and I together, after all."_

_Natsumi ran her fingers through her hair and smiled at the thought._

_"Tell me more." The woman's eyes lit up eagerly. "How did you do in the Academy?"_

_Natsumi looked back up at her. "Really well. I qualified to Graduate early and everything. I studied really hard, and was top of my class."_

_"Is that so?" Her mother laughed. "It seems you've inherited your father's smarts. He was a prodigy, too." She stroked Natsumi's head. "And Naruto?"_

_Natsumi giggled. "Well... He failed the Graduation test three times before he finally passed. He had trouble making clones, but he worked really hard and blew Iruka-sensei away." She paused. "He's slower to learn something, but I just know he's got more potential than most anyone else. He's going to be a great Ninja someday."_

_"I believe it." The woman winked again. "Especially if he's anything like his father." She put her arm around Natsumi. "And, what about after you Graduated? What have you two been up to?"_

_Natsumi frowned slightly, then managed a smile._

_"Well, Naruto got put into a three-man squad with two people I really can't stand, and neither of them like Naruto at all. They seem like they'd make a horrible team, but Lord Hokage's judgment is usually right..."_

_"What about you? What's your team like?"_

_Natsumi opened her mouth to reply, then glanced over at her sleeve that covered her tattoo. "Well..."_

_The woman followed her gaze, then lifted up the sleeve to stare at the red marking. "The ANBU?"_

_Natsumi nodded slowly. "Lord Hokage said I was impressive, and there wasn't anywhere else for me to go, so..."_

_Her mother frowned slightly. "What kind of fool would put my precious girl in such a dangerous position? You're so young."_

_"I-It's okay!" Natsumi held up her hands, laughing to herself. I actually like it, for the most part. Most of the people on my team I really like, and it's kind of fun to see how the village operates behind the scenes." Her smile faded and her eyes fell to her feet. "At least, I did like it."_

_Her mother's expression fell. "That's... why you're here, isn't it?"_

_Natsumi closed her eyes tightly, clenching her fists as she muttered under her breath. "...It's all my fault."_

_"Natsumi?"_

_Slow tears rolled down Natsumi's face. "I-it's all my fault. If I hadn't convinced them to take a different route... if I hadn't chased after him... Sena wouldn't have..."_

_Her eyes shut tighter and her tears flowed faster, her chest burning and aching. "S-She would have been okay. Everything would have been fine... why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut and just followed the route Kiri picked? I-If I hadn't been so blinded with anger... if I hadn't chased after that guy... We could have gotten Sena help sooner. If..."_

_Natsumi was pulled into another firm hug and she cried harder as she allowed herself to sink into the warmth of the embrace, sobbing as she let out a mournful cry._

_"I-It's my fault... it's all my fault..." Natsumi sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "A-And now... I never even got a chance to tell them I was sorry. I made us fail the mission... and... I'll never see Naruto again...He'll be all alone now... all because of me."_

_Natsumi suddenly gasped for air and a sharp pain filled her body. She clutched at her chest and cracked open her eyes._

_"Why does it hurt so much? I thought death... was supposed to be peaceful?"_

_The woman stroked Natsumi's cheek softly. "...It takes a little while for you to process everything- all of your regrets- and to learn to accept it. In time, it gets easier. My only regret... was not being able to watch you two grow up. It's something that sometimes I still have a hard time accepting."_

_Natsumi bit her lip as another sharp pain spread through her chest and her vision blurred slightly._

_"What's going on?" Another pain made her bite her lip hard and look up at the woman. "Mom?"_

_The woman's eyes brightened and a small smile returned to her face. "It seems like your time isn't up yet, after all."_

_Natsumi looked down at herself quickly as her body began to faintly glow with a warm golden light. "What is this?"_

_The woman leaned forward and kissed Natsumi's forehead. "We'll be reunited again someday, Natsumi, I promise. Don't waste your precious time holding onto regrets... always live facing the light of a new day."_

_Natsumi's body slowly dissolved into golden light and she stared wide-eyed at her mother._

_"But... I only just got to meet you! I can't go yet!"_

_"This isn't goodbye, ya know!" The woman's smile grew. "It's just 'see you later.'"_

_Natsumi's waist and torso disappeared and her eyes spilled over once more. "Mom..."_

_"Remember how much I love you, Natsumi. Remember how much we love you both."_

_Natsumi reached out to her mother as her arms and face started to fade away._

_"No! Mom!"_

_"Live, Natsumi. Live without regrets."_

* * *

Natsumi's eyes slowly opened and it took several minutes for them to adjust to her surroundings. It took longer for her to regain control over her body and she looked around the room in confusion for a while.

_I'm in... the hospital?_

She shifted in bed, then winced and looked down at her hands to see the IV taped in place and frowned. Then, she looked around the room at the vases of flowers on the nightstand and windowsill and noticed a sleeping figure curled up on the plush chair in the corner.

_Kiri? _She frowned slightly and then sighed. She opened her mouth to say something, then sighed again. _No... I'd better let her sleep._

Natsumi rubbed her throat, which she was suddenly, painfully aware of how dry it was. Her eyes wandered until they fell on the unopened bottle of water sitting on a tray near the hospital bed— but just out of reach.

Natsumi's frowned deepened and she leaned over the rail, stretching her arm out as much as the IV would allow.

_Not... enough. It's still too far._

Natsumi bit her lip, stretching further and the tips of her fingers brushed the edge of the tray.

_Yes! Now, if I can just slide it this way..._

Natsumi's fingers slipped and the tray tipped over instead, the bottle, silverware, and empty Styrofoam cafeteria trays crashing to the floor.

Kiri's eyes burst open and she looked around, her eyes widening even further as they landed on her friend.

"Natsumi! You're awake!" She scrambled over to the bed, ignoring the mess on the floor to throw her arms around the girl. "I've been so worried I thought I would have a heart attack!"

She pulled away and looked over Natsumi with a grin. "How do you feel? Are you okay?"

Natsumi opened her mouth to answer but the dryness of her mouth burned and she clutched at her throat, only able to respond in rasping wheezes.

"Thirs...ty."

Kiri nodded quickly in understanding and retrieved the bottle from where it had rolled, then opened it and handed it over, watching patiently as Natsumi took one long gulp after the other until the bottle was nearly empty and she pulled the bottle from her lips and let out a contented sigh.

"Better?"

Natsumi nodded. "Yeah..." She cleared her throat, then coughed, her throat still aching and her voice still rasping. "A little."

Kiri let out a large breath and sunk onto the edge of the bed, staring at Natsumi for a moment before breaking out into laughter. She wiped her eyes and forced her laughter to fade.

"Are _you_ okay?" Natsumi smiled faintly, almost joining in until her throat burned as a reminder.

Kiri nodded and chuckled. "I'm just... you scared the _hell _out of me earlier, you know?"

Natsumi pressed her lips together. "...I did?"

Kiri ran a hand through her hair and her expression became serious. "...About five hours ago, you... you flatlined." She paused and her eyes fell to the floor. "Four minutes... four of the longest damn minutes I've ever lived through..." Her eyes watered and she looked back up at Natsumi. "It took four minutes of resuscitation and shocking you until you finally came back. I was about to find a way into whatever is on the other side, find you, slap you, and then bring you back."

She let out a breath and let her hands rest in her lap. "And then... you finally came back. I'd never been so happy to hear that annoying, infernal beeping. But... it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard, because it meant that you were still holding on."

Natsumi swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

_The other side._

Natsumi swallowed again, and stared down at her hands, whispering softly. "...I saw my mom."

Kiri's eyes widened and she looked up. "Y-You... what?!"

"My mom." Natsumi's eyes rose and she bit her lip. "I saw her. I was with her for a little bit."

Kiri covered her gaping mouth, then took a moment to take in a deep breath. "What was she like?"

Natsumi opened her mouth, then frowned, and slowly shook her head. "I can't... I can't remember, really. I can almost picture her face in my mind... but it slips away." She lifted her hand to brush her cheek. "I remember the sound of her voice... and the feel of her hand on my cheek, but everything else is so fuzzy... like it was all a dream."

Kiri smiled faintly and gently touched Natsumi's arm. "It's okay. You just had a brush with death... I wouldn't expect you to remember every little detail."

Natsumi sighed heavily and her eyes fell to her lap. "...But... I want to. The first time I see my mom... and I can't even remember it."

Kiri's smile grew slightly and she leaned forward to press her forehead to Natsumi's gently. "It seems like you remember exactly what you should." Pulling away, she poked the girl's chest. "The feeling of being in her presence... the safety and joy of being with someone who loves you that deeply... that's what sticks around because that's what's most important, isn't it?"

Natsumi's eyes slowly rose.

"Appearances aren't so important." Kiri shrugged. "But what you remember is that feeling of love. That's what really matters. It's that feeling that helps you hold on when things are tough— not the images."

Kiri smiled faintly and looked over at the flowers and cards. "Everyone's been so worried about you, you know. Aito, Ahmya, Hana, and all the others have been visiting and leaving gifts. Even Rie and Satoshi."

Natsumi looked back at the flowers and frowned slightly. "You say that as if... we didn't just get back."

Kiri grimaced and scratched her head, laughing sheepishly. "That's because... we didn't. It's been almost a month since we came back."

Natsumi's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. "A... month?" She closed her mouth tightly, then stared down at the backs of her hands. "...How has it already been a month?"

"Trust me..." Kiri let out a breath. "It's been a _long_ month, for those who haven't been sleeping through it."

Natsumi looked up at her. "So... then... Sena? How is she doing?"

Kiri let out a long sigh. "She's doing... okay. She's stable, at least."

Natsumi bit her lip. "That doesn't sound good."

"It's better than the alternative." Kiri forced a smile, though it faded. "The blade was coated in poison. She would be fine now if they only knew what kind it was so they could give her the antidote. Damn incompetent morons." Kiri shook her head slowly. "They've got the poison isolated to one area, but they're pissing me off after all this time, not being able to help her already."

Natsumi bit down on her lip harder.

_She's not better..._

"Well..." Natsumi spoke slowly. "Has... Naruto come back from his mission yet?"

Kiri frowned as if guilty and shook her head. "Sorry, no. I'm not sure how long it will take." She patted Natsumi's head. "But, don't worry. Their mission was an easy one, so they'll be back soon. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah..." Natsumi swallowed and lay back down against the pillow as the paper cover crinkled beneath her head.

"Are you hungry?" Kiri smiled. "I'm sure you're starving. Why don't I grab you something to eat?"

Natsumi nodded slowly and Kiri stood, moving toward the door.

"Kiri, wait."

She stopped and turned. "Yeah?"

"Go home and take a shower, too." Natsumi's mouth cracked in a smile. "You kind of stink."

Kiri laughed loudly. "Is it that bad?" She sniffed her armpit and gagged. "Well, I kind of haven't left the hospital in about a week..." She scratched her head again. "Alright, I'll shower really quickly and then come back with a feast, okay? Try to rest a little more until I get back."

Natsumi laughed under her breath as Kiri disappeared and shut the door behind her, then she sighed and turned to stare at the monitors beside her bed.

_A month already? I hope Naruto's okay..._


	41. Chapter 39: Naruto Joins the Fight

A small burst of smoke appeared on the bridge and Sakura turned her attention to it. "Who is it?!"

_"That idiot..." _Sasuke turned his head slightly, wincing in pain as he saw the smoke beginning to clear. _"what a showoff..."_

Haku stood and his eyes rested on the latecomer. "The number one hyperactive, knucklehead Ninja..."

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto completed the title with a smirk as the last of the smoke cleared. "Is finally here!"

"Heh." Naruto lowered his arms and glanced at his teammates. "Now that I've come, you're all right!"

"Oh!" Sakura's eyes widened at the blond. "Naruto!"

"The hero of a story generally appears in this kind of situation and takes out the enemy in no time!" He struck a pose, pointing toward where Zabuza stood.

The assassin glanced over his shoulder and chuckled under his breath. "That brat again, eh?"

_"He just won't stop talking..."_ Sasuke huffed as he lay on the ground where Haku had wounded him.

_"Man, that idiot."_ Kakashi sighed and furrowed his brows. _"Making such a conspicuous entrance... there's no point if you don't catch the enemy off guard!"_

Haku looked up at Naruto from behind his mask, unmoving for a moment. _"That boy..."_

"All right, here I go! Shadow Clone Jutsu—" Naruto formed a hand sign and was interrupted by a volley of Shuriken thrown by Zabuza.

"Oh no!" Kakashi's eyes widened and Naruto looked up at the approaching needles. "Get out of the way, Naruto!"

"Huh?" Naruto yelled in surprise and raised his arms to block his face, just as Haku threw a series of Senbon at the Shuriken to stop the attack.

"Whoa!" Team Seven's eyes widened and stared dumbfoundedly at Haku's interference.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. _"What?!"_

The weapons clattered to the ground and Naruto's eyes fell on them in shock.

"He's saved..." Sakura let out a short breath of relief and looked at Haku strangely.

"To think the enemy attacks would cancel each other out like that..." Tazuna blinked and adjusted his glasses. "That was super lucky..."

"What're you doing, Naruto?!" Sakura clenched her fist and furrowed her brows suddenly.

"Hey! What kind of idiot would attempt to cast a Jutsu directly in front of an opponent?!" Kakashi scolded.

"W-What?!" Naruto blinked and took a step back, looking between his teammates.

"The essence of a Ninja is deception. How you deceive your opponent. Even when casting a Jutsu, you avoid the eyes of your opponents, catch them off balance, and outsmart them..." Kakashi kept his eye on Naruto as he lectured. "The way you made your entrance, that's just you coming to be a target..."

"No way!" Naruto reeled with his face paling slightly, then he clutched his head in frustration. "Nooo! But,I went to the trouble of coming to the rescue!"

_"What concerns me more than that is..."_ Kakashi glanced toward Haku, who was watching Naruto in silence.

_"That guy..."_ Sasuke glared at Haku, still unable to move.

"Haku... what are you doing?" Zabuza narrowed his eyes at his protégé.

Haku stood slowly, without looking at the assassin. "Zabuza, please leave this boy to me. Please, allow me to fight this battle my own way."

Naruto turned his attention to Haku, clenching his fists. "What did you say...?"

Haku took a step toward Naruto as Zabuza kept his eye on the boy.

"Hmph. You mean no interfering?" Zabuza finally responded. "You're naive as usual..."

Haku bowed his head slightly without turning around. "I'm sorry."

_"Naïve, huh?" _Sasuke lifted himself to his knees, still pained with every small movement. _"True enough..."_ He looked down at himself. _"Based on these wounds, there's no mistaking that I was attacked with a Senbon, but no vital areas have been targeted so far."_ He lifted his gaze back to the masked boy and clenched his jaw. _"Does he mean to half-kill me?"_

"If so!" Naruto watched Haku and furrowed his brows as he pointed at the older boy. "As for me, I'll take you out first!"

_"It's impossible..."_ Kakashi stood rigid with the tension heavy around them. _"It's too much for Naruto..."_ He narrowed his gaze. _"I should be the one to..."_

"Hey, don't get any ideas..." Zabuza stepped into Kakashi's line of sight. "If you move, you know what'll happen to that old man, right?"

Kakashi's widened slightly and he met Zabuza's gaze with a glare. _"True..."_ He looked at Tazuna from the corner of his eye. _"If I move away from here and go towards Naruto, Zabuza will surely kill Tazuna. There's no way that Sakura could protect him by herself."_

"How about it?" Zabuza spoke up, keeping his eyes trained on his opponent. "Let's just see how those youngsters fight against each other."

"That mask..." Naruto looked at Haku, still remaining in place. "You were Zabuza's comrade after all, weren't you? You've got nerve to deceive us!"

Haku bowed his head once more slightly. "I'm sorry."

Naruto blinked at the sudden apology. "H-Huh?"

"But your teacher also said it, didn't he? Things like deceiving and catching one off-guard is a Shinobi's duty. So please don't take it personally."

Sasuke gripped his Kunai firmly and kept his eyes on Haku. _"You don't have that luxury, either!"_

Throwing the Kunai expertly at the boy, Sasuke's eyes widened when Haku easily dodged simply by moving his head back.

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked toward the dome of ice mirrors where Sasuke was wounded and crouching. "Sasuke?"

"I haven't forgotten about you." Haku addressed the Uchiha without turning toward him.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared, and Naruto watched Sasuke momentarily.

_"Here I thought he had disappeared... but there he was."_

Haku glanced toward Sasuke. "I would rather you had just gone down quietly... but it looks as if it won't work that way." He paused hesitantly. "Fine. I'll put an end to it quickly."

As Haku stepped back toward the closest mirror, Naruto blinked in surprise.

"H-Hey!"

"Naruto, I'll get to you later." Haku paused momentarily just before entering the mirror as he looked at the blond. Then, he stepped into his crystal creation and Naruto's eyes went wide as he watched the boy disappear.

_"What with him?"_ Naruto furrowed his brows.

_"This is it!"_ Sasuke narrowed his eyes and watched as Haku appeared on the mirrored surface before him. _"So, the real body is right there..."_ He reached for the sheath on his thigh to retrieve another Kunai and Haku spoke from behind him.

"I'm over here."

Sasuke's eyes went wide and Haku held up his hand, holding three Senbon in preparation for an attack. Sasuke looked back up at the mirror before him and saw that it was empty, and began to tremble slightly.

_"He moved already...? How?!"_ Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at the masked boy.

The mirrors filled with Haku's image and each of the doppelgangers prepared to strike. All at once, Senbon rained down at him once again from every angle. He screamed out in pain and fell back.

"Sasuke!"Sakura and Naruto called out simultaneously.

Naruto's body trembled as he stared unblinking at his teammate. _"What was that just now?! Sasuke suddenly got battered... How is he doing it?!_

"Tch..." Sasuke clutched his shoulder, which was bleeding, and glared as he looked all around at the mirrors. _"What kind of Jutsu is he using...? It's possible that he has clones hide in the mirrors and gets them all to throw Senbons simultaneously..."_ He paused and looked at the mirror directly in front of him. _"No, they're too fast considering... What does it mean... not even being able to see the trajectory of the weapons?"_

The Haku in each mirror raised its right hand again, preparing another volley.

_"Also, if it's a mere Clone Jutsu... I don't see the reason for these ice mirrors... In any case... there's no way to question that these mirrors are pivotal for his attacks." _Sasuke let out a quiet breath in pain as his shoulder twinged.

_"What I can do is to launch attacks... from both the outside and inside."_ Kakashi watched Sasuke amidst the mirror carfully with a hard look.

_"The thing to do is to figure out the meaning of the mirrors!"_ Sakura kept her mouth in a hard line as she remained silent and watched.

_"I'll take care of him!"_ Naruto clenched his fists.

_"All there is to do is... for me to attack the inside and have Naruto try attacking the mirrors from the outside..."_ A plan started to form in the Uchiha's mind.

"Yo! I came to save you!" Naruto squatted in front of Sasuke with his hand up as he whispered with a grin.

Sasuke paled and his eyes widened. "W-What?!"

"You okay, Sasuke?" Naruto lowered his arm, still grinning.

Sasuke's eye twitched and he clenched his hand into a fist.

Sakura's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. "H-Huh?!"

_"Oh..."_ Kakashi sighed quietly and closed his eyes as he muttered under his breath. "What good will it do you to catch your ally off-guard...?"

"You idiot!" Sasuke finally blinked and yelled at the blond. "If you're really a Shinobi, you have to move more cautiously!"

"What's with you?!" Naruto scowled. "I came to your rescue, ya know!"

"Idiot! If you also come inside the mirrors..." Sasuke scowled and let out a hot breath. "Damn it! I had it, you fool!"

"Fool?! What do you mean by 'fool'?!" Naruto raised a clenched fist.

Kakashi let out a slow sigh. _"As to be expected of the number one unpredictable ninja... He's doing nothing but making the situation worse and worse by coming to aid."_

"Fine!" Sasuke stood and looked at the mirrors. "Since it's come to this, all that's left is to smash them!"

He formed a series of quick hand signs, then narrowed his eyes. "Fire Style!"

Naruto blinked. "H-Hey! What're you going to do?!"

"These mirrors are made with frozen water... If so..."Sasuke took in a deep breath, then formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger, exhaling out a blast of fire. _"Fireball Jutsu!"_

The flames licked the mirrors, filling the area with searing heat. As the fire waned, Sasuke's eyes widened.

Naruto leapt to his feet. "That didn't work at all!"

"They won't melt with that level of firepower." Haku's voice echoed around them.

"Tch!" Sasuke shot him a glare and Haku held up another set of Senbon.

The mirrors glowed brightly, blinding them. Their arms lifted to sheidl their eyes as the light intensified and both were thrown back with an onslaught of the needles.

"Darn!" Naruto looked all around and clenched his fists. "Where'd he attack from? Are they clones?!" Hestood and looked between the mirrors. "Where's the real body?!"

"It's useless for you to even attempt following me with your eyes." Haku watched the boys from above. "You absolutely will not catch me."

"Hmph! We'll see!" Naruto narrowed his eyes and formed a hand sign. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Don't!" Sasuke turned his head quickly to Naruto, warning him too late.

Out of a large cloud of smoke leapt out clones, one each heading directly towards one of the mirrors.

"I'll find out which is the real body by hitting them all!" As the clones came close, Haku quickly jumped from mirror to mirror, faster than Naruto could see. As he moved, he struck each clone with Senbon. Inthe blink of an eye, the clones seemed to disappear simultaneously in smallpoofs.

Naruto let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground from the highest mirror and landed beside Sasuke.

"This is a teleportation Jutsu that uses mirrors that can only reflect my image." Haku explained calmly.

Naruto slowly lifted himself from the ground and looked at Haku, who stood in the mirror before them.

"Watching you from the speed I move, it seems as if you aren't even moving at all." Haku finished explaining.

_"I knew it!"_ Kakashi's eyes widened, then he glanced toward Zabuza. "Is that Jutsu... a Kekkei Genkai?"

Zabuza chuckled deeply with a faint smirk beneath his bandaged face.

Sakura turned to looked at her teacher. "Kekkei Genkai?"

"It's the same type as my Sharingan..." Kakashi's eyes narrowed seriously. "Deep blood ties and a lineage of paranormal individuals... A Kekkei Genkai is a type of Jutsu that is passed on only through those traits..."

"Then...!" Sakura's eyes widened.

"That's right." Kakashi nodded slightly. "It's impossible even for me to copy that Jutsu. And there isn't a way to destroy that Jutsu, either!"

"Darn it..." Naruto hung his head as he clenched his jaw tightly and trembled. "So what?! I can't die here yet! 'Cause I have a dream that I have to make a reality..." He looked back up at Haku to glare at him through his mask. "The dream to have my strength acknowledged by everyone in the village and become Hokage!"

"Dream..." Haku muttered to himself, suddenly reminded of the past.

* * *

_A young Haku sat with his back against the railing of a _bridge overlooking a wide river. He sat on its edge and pulled his knees close in an attempt to stay warm. After some time, a man's footsteps approached and the boy glanced up to see the man that stared down at him as their eyes met.__

_The man chuckled as he looked down at the orphan in disdain. "Pathetic brat." He stepped closer to the child, and then knelt in front of him, resting his arm against his knee. "Brats like you aren't needed by anyone and then they die without ever knowing any freedom or dreams..."_

_Haku smiled broadly with his eyes crinkling shut, and Zabuza's eyes widened slightly._

_"Hm?"_

_"You have the same eyes as I do, Niisan.." Haku giggled to himself as he smiled, and Zabuza stared at the boy with wide eyes._

* * *

Haku stared down at Sasuke and Naruto quietly for a moment, and then spoke.

"For me, becoming a Shinobi completely is difficult. If I can, I'd prefer not to kill you guys... And I also don't want to be killed by you guys... However, if you guys are going to come at me... I'll kill my feelingswith a sword and completely become a Shinobi. This bridge is the battlegroundthat connects each of us to our dreams."

Haku paused. "I, for the sake of my dream. And you, for the sake of your dreams... Please, don't hold it against me... I want to protect the person dear to me. I work for the sake of that person. I fight for that person. And, I want to make that person's dream a reality. That's what my dream is. For the sake of that dream, I will completely become a Shinobi... and kill you guys!"

Haku held up a Senbon, preparing for another strike, as Naruto smirked and the corners of Sasuke's mouth twitched in a smirk.


	42. Chapter 40: Unspoken

_"You don't eat ladylike at all."_

_Kiri turned her attention from her bento lunch with a large bite still in her mouth and her cheeks stuffed. Recognizing the owner of the voice, her eyes narrowed at him. She swallowed, then turned her face away with her nose in the air._

_"Kotetsu."_

_The boy frowned and put a fist on his hips. "Kiri."_

_Kiri shoveled another large bite into her mouth with her chopsticks and kept herself turned away from him._

_"What are you doing here?"_

_Kotetsu took another step forward, and then sat beside her. "I heard you were injured on a mission, so I came to see for myself."_

_"Hmph." Kiri swallowed the bite. "What, so you could rub it in my face?" She glanced down at her left leg, which was in a heavy cast. "I don't need you to add insult to injury, you know."_

_He made a face and crossed his arms. "You're just as ungrateful as ever."_

_She scoffed. "Ungrateful?"_

_"You know, it's been five years since you left our class and no one's really seen you at all since." His cheeks warmed slightly and he looked away from her. "Maybe I was just curious to see what you looked like now."_

_"Hmph!" Kiri stuffed her mouth with another bite. "My hair's longer now, I'm a few inches taller than you, and I'm still dark like 'burnt toast.' Nothing's really different."_

_Kotetsu flushed at the phrase and he glanced toward her from the corner of his eye, noticing the way her dark hair slipped from its place behind her ear and quickly looked away again._

_"Yeah, you're right. Still as plain as ever."_

_Kiri's brows furrowed and she whipped her head towards him, elbowing him hard in the side. "Ass!"_

_"Ow!" He rubbed his side with a scowl. "You got even meaner."_

_Kiri rolled her eyes. "No, you're just a bigger baby than you were before."_

_"I am not!" He clenched his fist and leapt to his feet. "I'll prove it! Let's fight; right here, right now!"_

_Kiri's eyes darted back toward her leg, then she returned to eating once again, muttering under her breath._

_"Ass."_

_He blushed slightly, relaxing as he scratched the back of his head. "R-Right... we're on the hospital roof... and your leg is..."_

_Kiri glanced up at him with her eyes narrowed. "Even with my leg like this, I could still take you out! In less than a second!"_

_They scowled at each other, and after a while, he sat back down beside her. After another pause, he looked at her chewing aggressively and spoke._

_"So... what happened to your leg? When I went to your room to see you but you weren't there, your dad said I could find you up here, having lunch. But he wouldn't say what happened to your leg."_

_Kiri's chewing slowed, and then she gulped. "It kind of... got smashed."_

_Kotestu raised a brow. "Smashed? How?"_

_Kiri chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment. "...A sledgehammer."_

_His eyes widened. "W-What...?!"_

_Kiri rested her hand on her lap and fell quiet. Kotetsu's expression softened and he stared at the cast._

_"How did...?"_

_Kiri sighed. "We were supposed to capture this criminal, and dad sent me as a scout ahead. I ended up being captured instead, but to stop me from fighting him or running to get dad, he swung the sledgehammer he had. I dodged it, for the most part, but it got my leg."_

_"That was the most pain I've ever felt..." She bit her lip. "Dad got the guy no problem, but the bone was splintered and my leg was heavily mangled." She shuddered. "It was _not_ the right shape it should have been in..."_

_"That's horrible." Kotetsu gulped._

_She nodded. "And then, when we get back here, they threw me into surgery. It took almost a whole day, and now I've got screws and pins and everything in my leg to try to keep the bone together."_

_"I'm sorry." He glanced downward._

_"The doctor said that he's not even sure if I'll ever be able to walk on it again." Kiri whispered quietly and pressed her lips together as her eyes moistened. "They want to see how it heals the next week or two and decide then if it will even be a waste of time to send me to rehabilitation."_

_Kotetsu's eyes widened and he stared at her. "W-What? But... that..." He closed his mouth and shut it tightly. "...I'm sorry."_

_Kiri sighed heavily and stared out across the rooftop to the village beyond the chain-length fence around the roof's edge._

_"It is what it is, I guess. Being a Ninja comes with a lot of risks."_

_"Yeah..." He went quiet and looked down at his feet. "I... I should go."_

_Kiri stayed quiet, remaining still as he stood and took a few steps away._

_"Kotetsu."_

_He stopped and turned to look at her. "Huh?"_

_Her cheeks warmed and she kept her face turned away from him. "...I'm not hungry anymore and I don't want mom's cooking to go to waste- especially not when she took the time to make me a nice lunch while I'm in the hospital."_ _She held up her Bento lunch, holding it out to him. "You should eat it."_

_He blinked quickly and studied her expression, then blushed slightly himself. He opened his mouth to refuse, but his stomach growled loudly._

_"O-Okay..." He sat again, taking the lunch from her and scooping a small bite into his mouth. "Mm!" He swallowed it quickly and looked at her. "This is great! Are you sure you don't want it?"_

_Keeping her face turned away, she quickly shook her head. "It's fine. Just eat it."_

_He eagerly took a second, much larger bite, and continued to shovel bite after bite into his mouth until he was finished. He patted his stomach and leaned back with a contented sigh._

_"Oh, that really hit the spot." Kotetsu watched Kiri as she sat quietly, only looking into the distance. He sighed and looked out over the village with her._

_"You know... the Graduation ceremony for us is tomorrow... after that, I'll have more free time. I could..." He scratched his cheek. "Well, maybe I'll come sit on the sidelines during your rehab. So that you're reminded to heal fast so that we can have a real rematch. We never got to settle things after you almost lightning'd my face."_

_Kiri's eyes widened and her cheeks reddened._

_"Hmph. As if fighting you would ever be much of a challenge anyway." The corner of her mouth twitched in a smile and she stole a quick glance from him from the corner of her eye. "But... it'll still be fun to make you piss yourself again."_

"Uh... excuse me?" The vendor cleared his throat.

Kiri blinked and her eyes refocused, and she laughed and looked at the man. "Oh, sorry. Zoned out there." She dug out her wallet, then passed over the money. Once it was counted and stored in the register, the man passed her over the bag of takeout.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Kiri waved and turned to begin walking back toward the hospital as her eyes wandered up to its roof momentarily. As she approached the entrance, she let out a small sigh. "I always did hate the hospital..."

She took the stairs up and quietly walked into Sena's room. She stepped closer to smile faintly at Sena's deeply sleeping form as the monitors beeped and the IV dripped.

"Hey there." Kiri placed a hand on Sena's gently. "How are you feeling today?" After a moment, she frowned slightly. "You need to get better already, okay? Everyone's worried."

She reached into one of the bags she carried and held up a small stuffed earthworm, then waved it with a smile.

"Look at what I found, Sena!" Kiri laughed to herself and looked at it. "I thought it was so cute with its tiny little mustache and eyebrows. And, since you love gardening so much, it seemed really fitting."

Kiri glanced down at Sena again and placed the stuffed animal in her arms.

"I've named him Sir Doro for now, since he's a worm and they live in the ground. But you can rename him if you want to, once you wake up." Kiri's smile faltered as the machine's beeping was the only response. She sighed softly and looked away.

"Please wake up soon." She whispered. "I feel like I've aged ten years from worrying. So, get better, dammit."

Kiri bit her lip, then stood quickly and walked out, glancing back at the hospital bed briefly before she closed the door behind her.

"And now, to Red's room." She muttered under her breath and started down the hall, bumping into someone.

Kotetstu blinked at first and then laughed. "Hey."

Kiri made a face and put her hand on her hip. "Oh. It's just you."

Kotetsu frowned momentarily and then glanced toward the closest door. "How is she?"

Kiri pressed her lips together, her eyes darting back toward the door. "No change."

Kotetsu's expression shifted slightly. "...And Natsumi?"

Kiri shrugged and her eyes wandered down the hall before moving back to him. "She's awake now."

"Really?" He let out a small breath. "That's a relief. After seeing her in that condition, it's great to have good news."

Kiri nodded. "Yeah. She's a fighter, though."

"Just like I said." Kotetsu grinned, and Kiri shot him a look. He shrugged. "What? I did."

Kiri rolled her eyes and looked at the steaming cups of steaming drinks in his hands. "So... why're you here?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What? A guy can't just come to find out if there's been any improvement?"

"Oh, sure. Just not you." Kiri laughed to herself and he scoffed.

"Hey! I am a nice guy who does nice things!" Kotestsu furrowed his brows. "You just seem to be blind to that fact."

Kiri laughed again. "If you say so."

Kotetsu looked at the bags in her hand. "Get yourself some lunch?"

Kiri glanced down at the takeout. "Huh?" She shook her head. "Nah, this is for Natsumi. I promised that I'd bring her something good."

He looked down the hall and pointed carefully at Natsumi's door. "Looks like someone beat you to it."

Kiri turned and a broad smile formed as she recognized the noisy group that carried steaming boxes of pizza with them. "Damn. Looks like they did beat me to it." Raising a hand to wave, she called out to them. "Hey! Ahmya!"

The woman grinned at her Kiri and waved back before following the others into the room, and Kiri sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I guess this is gonna go to waste now." She frowned slightly and looked down at her own bag.

"You eat it." Kotetsu suggested. "You've lost weight, you know. You should eat it."

Kiri looked between him and the food before nodding. "Oh, fine. I'm starving anyway. I can't turn down a hot meal."

Kotetsu smiled sheepishly and averted his eyes as he held out one of the cups. "I... uh... I actually brought this one for you."

"O-Oh?" She glanced away before quickly taking the cup. "Thanks, I guess." She eyed it skeptically. "...You didn't spit in it, did you?"

Kotetsu let out a heavy breath. "I would never."

"_Right."_ Kiri took a cautious sip, and then let out a contented sigh. "_Oh..._ That hits the spot."

"You're so weird." He chuckled to himself. "You're the only one I've met who drinks hot chocolate outside of winter."

Kiri scoffed and turned to begin walking up the stairs. "That's because everyone else is uncivilized. Hot chocolate warms you up on the inside and makes you feel happy and warm. Why should that be limited to one season?"

"Weirdo." He muttered again, following her up the stairs.

She glanced at him sideways. "And just _how_ exactly is it any different than anyone else drinking hot coffee daily?"

He opened his mouth and looked down at his own cup, then shut his mouth and scratched the back of his head. "Well that's... uh..." He narrowed his eyes and glanced away. "It's just different."

_"Sure it is." _Kiri opened the door to the roof and took in a deep breath of air as she looked around at the familiar surroundings before sitting in a familiar spot. She took out the box of food and opened it, releasing tendrils of steam and cracking the chopsticks apart to pick up a piece of barbeque and stuff it into her mouth. "Mm..."

"You still don't eat very ladylike." Kotetsu laughed to himself and sat beside her, leaning back with his palms supporting his weight.

"And you're still an ass." Kiri shrugged with a short laugh and took another bite as she looked out over the rooftops as a silence fell between them.

"Been a long time since I was last up here." Kotetsu looked around. "It doesn't even feel much different."

Kiri nodded slowly to herself. "In some ways." She shrugged and took another bite. "In other ways, it was better back then."

He watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Mom was still around to make me lunches..." Kiri muttered. "Dad was still here to put me through grueling drills before I could eat breakfast..." She swallowed and let out a soft sigh. "...And Yuuta was still alive."

Kotetsu looked away as she went quiet. After a moment, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "Well, at least your leg isn't broken this time."

Kiri blinked and then laughed. "Yeah... There is that." She took another bite. "A lot of good things have happened since then, though. Meeting Sena and Natsumi, for one." She glanced down at herself and laughed again. "Getting my boobs was pretty great, too."

Kotetsu sputtered as he drank his coffee as his face reddened. "Y-You really don't have a filter, do you?!"

She smirked and looked at him. "Nope. If you don't like it or can't handle it, maybe you should have considered it before coming here."

Her expression faded and she turned away.

"You know... I couldn't even bring myself to go to their funerals." She admitted under her breath. "How pathetic is that?" She shook her head. "I've never once even been to their graves, either. They must be so disappointed in me, wherever they are..."

Kotetsu sipped from his cup quietly as she talked.

"...Sometimes I still sneak into Yuuta's old room and lay on his bed when I can't sleep. The blankets still hold on to his scent, and it makes me forget that he's gone for just a little while."

"You always were really close to him." He finally spoke up.

"Yeah..." Kiri chewed and nodded. "He was the first one here who really made me feel _wanted _instead of like a waste of space. He never turned his back on me and he always understood me. I was such a pain in the ass, and he never once held it against me."

"Well, you're still a pain." Kotetsu smirked faintly and shrugged. "That hasn't changed."

Kiri elbowed him in the side. "Big talk coming from someone who got the short end of the stick from puberty."

His mouth gaped at her. "W-What?! How can you even say that? I went from a scrawny kid with messy hair to this incredibly handsome guy! You're the one who still looks almost the same."

"You're still pretty scrawny." Kiri looked him up and down from the corner of her eye. "And your hair is even more of a mess than before."

Kotetsu frowned and patted his spiky hair. "...Alright, that last part's fair." He looked back at her. "You know, this is why you're single. Guys don't like to be ridiculed for their appearance."

Kiri laughed. "Says the guy who hasn't had a girlfriend since he was _twelve!_ You have no room to talk there." She shook her head and pointed the chopsticks at him. "And, the reason I'm still single is because men are intimidated to be seen with a woman taller than them or equal in height. It hurts your fragile little egos."

"It's not about pride." He crossed his arms, then scratched his cheek. "Although... it does feel a little awkward to have to look up to a woman."

Kiri scoffed under her breath and took a long gulp of hot chocolate. "Like I said. Fragile little egos." She rolled her eyes. "And, I'm only six centimeters taller than you, the average height guy. It's not that big of a difference."

"Typical of you to blame men." He chuckled. "You're just as picky, if not more— especially about height."

Kiri made a face. "Fine. It is nicer to actually look up to someone." She shoveled a bite into her mouth and chewed. "But that's human nature. Woman naturally look for men who seem better suited to protect them. It's not my fault if most men are puny."

"Of course it's not." He rolled his eyes and sipped his drink. After a pause, he looked at her. "So, Natsumi's awake now?"

Kiri nodded.

"How is she doing?"

Kiri shrugged. "In decent spirts, although I think she's having some trouble processing everything that's happened and how much time has passed."

He nodded slowly. "I know whatever happened, you can't talk about... but it must have been pretty bad."

Kiri bit her lip and swallowed. "Honestly, I think we were damn lucky just to get out of there alive. I keep replaying it over and over again in my mind and I still can't believe that we didn't all die there. I'm sure Natsumi is doing the same." She let out a sigh and looked out beyond the fence. "I remember the first time I had a near-death encounter when I was her age... it's not easy. Kids that age don't usually have to face anything so bad, but when they do..." She shook her head slowly. "I've been trying to not leave her alone for long so that she doesn't have a lot of time for her mind to wander. I remember how I was, and I don't want her to get that way."

"How you were?" He raised a brow and looked at her.

Kiri forced a faint smile and shrugged. "Doesn't matter." She shrugged again. "Having my family there was what helped me, but Natsumi only has Naruto."

"And he's not supposed to get back for another few weeks..." Kotetsu nodded and scratched his cheek. "I understand."

Kiri let out a deep sigh and set the remainder of the food aside. "I just feel... helpless. And I hate that feeling. This whole situation is out of my control."

Kotetsu put a hand on her shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright, you know. I have a good feeling."

"Thanks."

She leaned closer to rest her head on his shoulder, and his face flushed a deep red. He cleared his throat quietly, awkwardly resting his arm just behind him.

"You know, I feel a little bad in hindsight being such an ass to you as a kid."

Still red, Kotetsu glanced away for a moment. "Are you... apologizing? For all those pranks and the times you teased me?"

Kiri laughed quietly under her breath and shook her head as she leaned against him. "Oh, hell no. You guys were dicks to me. You know you deserved every ass beating."

Kotetsu chuckled and scratched his head. "I-I guess we did."

"Still, I think I'm the one who took it too far a few times." Kiri let out a breath and closed her eyes. "No matter what, you've always been a great friend and you've been there when everything was shit."

He blinked and looked down at her. "Y-You consider me a friend?"

She glanced up at him. "Yeah, of course. What else would you be?"

He looked away and rubbed the back of his head. "R-Right."

"Besides, it's normal for friends to give each other shit. If we weren't friends, that'd just make us assholes." Kiri laughed to herself and laid her head back down on his shoulder as an awkward quietness settled between them.

"Thanks, Kotetsu." Kiri muttered. "For listening to my ranting and putting up with me for all these years."

"Anytime." He smiled faintly and blushed more deeply. "Kiri... I... uh..."

The roof's door burst open and Kiri sat upright quietly.

"Aito?"

Aito held onto the doorframe with his face pale. "Kiri! Come quickly! Something's wrong with Natsumi!"

Kiri's eyes widened and she leapt to her feet. "What?! What's happening?!"

"I don't know, but you should see for yourself."

He rushed back down the stairs with Kiri following closely behind as Kotetsu exhaled slowly, left behind, and ran his fingers through his hair.


	43. Chapter 41: The Sharingan Shatters

"Sasuke! Naruto! Don't lost to a guy like that!" Sakura called out through the thick mist.

"Stop it, Sakura!" Kakashi glanced at her and scolded quietly. "Don't goad him."

"W-What?" She turned to her teacher and blinked.

"Even if there was a chance that we could break that technique, they won't be able to defeat that boy." Kakashi explained only loud enough for her to hear with a serious expression.

Sakura's paled slightly. "W-What do you mean?"

Zabuza began to chuckle, first to himself, and then louder as his shoulders moved with his laughter.

"They don't have the mentality to suppress or kill their feelings... and kill another person." Kakashi glared at Zabuza, who said nothing except chuckled to himself.

Sakura's eyes grew wide.

"That boy really knows the agony of being a Shinobi. He's different than Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi glanced over to the mirrors.

"Exactly." Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages and his eyes rose to look at his rival. "No real Shinobi will come out of a peace-addicted village like yours. Because they're not able to learn the most important experience of killing!"

"Then..." Sakura gulped. "What are we going to do, Sensei?!"

_"If I go over to Naruto and Sasuke, Tazuna will be in danger. _Kakashi looked around the bridge in thought. _"Even if I try Shadow Clones, he'll come to stop me with his Water Clones. I'd just be wasting Chakra. That just leaves..."_ His hand rose slowly to his headband and he gripped it.

"I'm sorry, but..." Kakashi spoke aloud and met Zabuza's eyes. "I'm going to have to finish this quickly."

_"Sharingan?!"_ Sakura stared at her teacher.

"The Sharingan again?" Zabuza chuckled. "You're such an unimaginative guy."

Zabuza reached behind to grab a Kunaiand rushed at Kakashi, whose eyes widened slightly as the weapon was thrust at him.

"Sensei!" Sakura yelled as the Kunai made contact.

"You might call me an unimaginative guy..." Kakashi glared as his right hand dripped blood onto the ground as the Kunai was stuck in his palm, having blocked the strike from injuring his eye. "But even you are afraid of the Sharingan after all, Zabuza!"

Zabuza chuckled and smirked. "The secret technique of a Shinobi isn't something you should show your opponent so many times."

"Be appreciative." Kakashi kept his eyes on the assassin. "You're the only one who has had the chance to see it twice... and there will be no third time."

Zabuza laughed under his breath. "Even if you were able to defeat me, you still can't defeat Haku."

"What?" Sakura shuddered slightly and looked at the ice mirrors. _"Even Kakashi-sensei wouldn't win? Is that boy really that strong?"_

"Since he was a kid, I've been painstakingly teaching him the battle techniques of Ninja..." Zabuza smirked and met Kakashi's eye. "All of my techniques. On top of that... he has been polishing his own skills as well. As a result, he has— no matter how unbelievably difficult the situation— been extremely successful."

Zabuza glanced toward Haku's mirrors momentarily. "He has no heart and has abandoned the notion of life. He is purely a fighting machine known as a Shinobi. Not only that, but his Jutsu surpasses mine! The terrifying ability of his Kekkei Genkai... in other words... I acquired a sophisticated tool; unlike that scrap you're carrying around."

Zabuza pulled the knife from Kakashi's hand and another spurt of blood splattered onto the ground.

* * *

Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "I'm not one to be afraid just because I failed once! I'll do it as many times as it takes!" He formed a hand sign and narrowed his eyes. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "Stop it!"

Again, clones emerged from a puff of smoke and launched themselves at the masked figure in each of the mirrors. And again, Haku leapt from mirror-to-mirror in an instant and struck the clones, dissipating them. Haku threw another barrage of Senbon at Sasuke from all angles, who screamed out once again in pain.

Naruto fell to the ground as the attack ended and Sasuke knelt and huffed as he caught his breath.

Naruto sat up with a groan and furrowed his brows. "W-What the heck is it?!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and stared at the mirror directly in front of him. _"It was just slight, but..."_ He stood slowly and looked around. _"I could see the trails of his movements..."_

"One more try..." Naruto stood up beside Sasuke and glanced at his teammate before forming the hand sign once more. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As the clones leapt at the mirrors, Sasuke kicked a puddle into the air.

"Don't you understand that it's useless?" Haku's voice echoed as he watched Naruto coming at him again.

Haku attacked once again in the blink of an eye and Naruto and Sasuke fell to the ground again, crying out in pain as they lay on their backs.

_"Just because I can see the trail..."_ Sasuke sat upright slowly and gritted his teeth through the pain. _"Doesn't mean that I can keep up with his speed."_ He looked upwards in thought. _"The water... is being repelled."_ He eyed the nearest image of the masked boy suspiciously. _"But... what if that wasn't water?"_

Sasuke let out a slow breath, closing his eyes for a moment and then opened them. _"All right... this next one is going to be my one shot!"_

* * *

"Just because a bunch of scrap got together doesn't mean that they can defeat Haku." Zabuza chuckled. "He is... the best tool!"

There's nothing more boring than a stranger bragging." Kakashi said dully. "It's about time now... I make my move."

Kakashi uncovered his left eye with a hard glare to reveal his Sharingan.

"Now wait..." Zabuza remained in place. "As long as we're talking..." He returned his Kunai to his pouch and his arm rested at his side. "Let me brag about another thing..."

"Hm?" Kakashi watched him carefully.

"In the battle before, I didn't just let you defeat me like a fool." Zabuza explained. "Haku was hiding in the corner and was observing the battle. Haku is quite smart. With his ability to analyze, he is able to plan a counterattack after observing a technique only once." He paused. "I've been anxious to copy your line. 'I'll tell you now, but the same Jutsu won't work on me twice.'"

"Hidden Mist Jutsu..." Zabuza formed the hand sign and the mist thickened around them. It engulfed Zabuza entirely until he vanished from sight.

_"This is..."_ Kakashi looked around the mist, unable to see the others.

"What is this...?" Tazuna muttered and turned his head to only see the heavy white fog. "This really thick fog? Visibility is close to zero..."

"Sensei..." Sakura muttered under her breath into the fog.

"Sakura! Stay with Tazuna!" Kakashi ordered into the mist.

_"That's right..."_ Sakura furrowed her brows and clenched her fist. _"I just have to trust Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei right now... while I do whatever I can!"_

Sakura moved closer to Tazuna and he squinted through the fog as she drew nearer.

"Oh! Sakura!" The old man nodded as she stood in front of him with a Kunai prepared.

"Mr. Tazuna, no matter what, don't move away from me."

"Yeah... I so know it!" He let out a short breath as he looked around anxiously.

* * *

_"I know... Zabuza..."_ Haku stared down at the two boys. _"I'll finish them off soon enough..."_

Naruto ran at the nearest mirror with a shout and his fist raised. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"You just don't learn, do you?!" Haku gripped another set of Senbon and moved to attack the horde of clones.

Sasuke quickly formed a series of hand signs and blew a large fireball directly into the path of Haku, whose eyes widened slightly beneath the mask as he turned to look at the approaching flames.

_"What?! That Fire-Style Jutsu?!"_ Haku dodged the fire and leapt into a mirror for safety, then continued to teleport around the dome to dispel the clones. _"It takes... too long!"_

Sasuke clenched his jaw and watched as each of the clones vanished in smoke, then pressed his thumb and forefinger together to form an "O" and release a large breath through its center. A larger burst of fire shot out, singing Haku's robes as he dodged it.

Naruto collapsed hard on the ground, rolling several meters until he came to a stop. Sasuke breathed heavily and furrowed his brows as Naruto lifted himself off the ground with fresh cuts and blood oozing.

Sasuke smirked slightly as he caught his breath. _"This is good. Bit by bit... I'm figuring out his timing."_ His eyes fell on the mirror before him and his smirk grew as he saw the charred fabric of Haku's robes.

* * *

Kakashi looked directly above him with his eyes wide. _"I know it's called Hidden Mist, but the fog is way too thick... even Zabuza himself shouldn't be able to see anything..."_ He turned suddenly to look over his shoulder and retrieve a Kunai as the sound of Shuriken approached. He knocked each one away easily and kept a careful watch of the mist.

"Good job on dodging them... It's just what I would expect of Kakashi of the Sharingan..."

Kakashi's eyes widened as Zabuza's voice came from behind him. Kakashiturned to see the Assassin there with a hand sign already formed and his eyesshut. _"He's... closing his eyes!"_

"The next time you see me, that'll be the end of it all..." Zabuza paused with his eyes still closed in concentration. "You overrate the Sharingan too much."

_"What...?"_ Kakashi watched as Zabuza disappeared from view again.

"You spoke as if you saw through everything, but... your foresight was wrong after all... Kakashi." Zabuza chuckled from the fog. "You can't read my mind or my future... The Sharingan is merely a diversion that makes you falsely believe that! Those who have the Sharingan... they possess both perceptive and hypnotic eyes... using these two powers and bringing out Jutsu one after the other... you were only acting as if you can read the future!"

"First, with the perceptive eyes, you copied my movement right away." Zabuza continued. "This is the image reflection method. You first got me in a ruffle with it... and once you made you that I'm flustered, you nail the 'heart's voice.' It's just an imitation after all." He paused. "You judged the right timing when my frustration was reaching its height. You set a clever trap. You used the Genjutsu with your hypnotic eye and made me weave the signs first... this is the Jutsu imitation method... Then that makes it easier."

First, vanish into thick fog to make your preceptive eyes useless..." Zabuza's voice seemed to to come from different directions all around the silver-haired Jonin.

"H-Huh?" Kakashi raised his Kunai to block an unseen attack, only to be knocked back several meters. He slid to a stop and glared into the fog. "_Ðamn! The guard is falling back!"_

"I will close my eyes as well!" Zabuza chuckled. "Thus shutting off your ability to use your hypnotic eye in a close-combat fight."

"Why?" Kakashi tightened his grip on his Kunai and straightened. "That also means you lose your ability to see."

"Did you forget...?" Zabuza paused and his voice trailed off eerily. "That I am a master of Silent Killing, a technique to find a target just by sound."

Kakashi's eyes widened.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto stood side-by-side as they glared at the image of Haku in front of them, clenching their jaws in frustration.

_"He read my movement..."_ Haku glanced down at his clothes. "_No way could he do that."_

"Darn!" Naruto clenched his fist. "We were so close!"

"Naruto, can you still move?" Sasuke looked at his teammate.

"Of course!" Naruto clenched both fists and looked back at him. "I'm totally fine!"

_"He's pretty much spent..."_ Sasuke stared at the blond in silence and looked over his injuries. _"And it's no surprise. The Shadow Clone Jutsu uses a lot of Chakra. But, thanks to him... I found our way out." _Sasuke turned his attention back to the mirrors and smirked. _"And a way to break through!"_

_"Hah! Impossible..."_ Haku thought to himself and his eyes fell back to the Genin. _"It was just a coincidence."_

The ice mirrors glowed brightly and blinded them. Sasuke quickly formed hand signs and glanced at Naruto. "Naruto, run!"

"What?" Naruto looked at him and blinked.

"Run out and attack from the outside!" Sasuke commanded.

Naruto broke into a grin. "All right!" He started to run beyond the mirrors and Haku turned his head to look at him.

"I won't let you!"

The mirrors illuminated once more and Naruto was thrown back by an invisible force. He stood and again ran. "I'm not going to lose!"

Haku leapt from the mirror toward Naruto as Sasuke followed his movement.

_"There!"_ Sasuke formed the "O" again and raised it to his lips. _"Fire Style! Fire Ball Jutsu!"_

The ball of fire rushed at Haku mid-air, aimed at the spot Sasuke knew the boy would be. Haku moved slightly to avoid the blast, turning to look at the Uchiha now in surprise. He recovered quickly and threw a Senbon at his rival.

Haku landed in front of Naruto as he reached the edge of the dome, bringing his foot up to strike Naruto hard in the gut and send him flying back into the center. He returned to his mirror as Sasuke cried out in pain and clutched his shoulder where the Senbon had lodged itself and Naruto crashed onto the ground.

Naruto took large gasps as air as he tried to recover, standing slowly as he cursed under his breath. "Darn!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and pulled the Senbon free of his flesh, blood dripping the wound. "T-That was good just now!"

"What?" Naruto turned to him.

Sasuke stood and dropped the needle to the ground. "We're doing it one more time!"

Naruto blinked and then nodded, furrowing his brows. "All right!"

_"It's likely that there is a limit to that guy's Chakra, too!"_ Sasuke stared at Haku and furrowed his brows. _"To prove that, he's little by little..."_

Naruto shouted and ran again to lure Haku as Sasuke ran in the opposite direction.

"This won't go as you've planned." Haku said and leapt from his mirror and looked at Sasuke, throwing Senbon. "First, I'll get you!"

The needles stuck into Sasuke, sticking out of his torso and limbs. He screamed and fell to his knees.

"Sasuke!" Naruto stopped running and turned to look at him. A volley of Senbon pierced Naruto from behind. His screamed echoed through the mist, reaching the ears of Kakashi and Sakura, who looked in the direction of his cry.

_"Damn!" _Kakashi craned his head in the direction of the screaming and then looked back around him. _"It's been a while since I've fought in such bad conditions. And then there's Naruto and Sasuke to worry about..." _He glared into the fog and then closed his eyes, taking in controlled breaths. _"Be calm... think... What will he do next?"_

His eyes burst open and he turned behind him. _"Oh no!"_

Sakura stood in front of Tazuna with her Kunai readied as she listened and looked around carefully. Zabuza emerged silently from the mist behind them.

Their eyes widened and they turned to look behind to see Zabuza rush at the old man with bloodlust in his eyes as he reached for his sword. Kakashi appeared between the assassin and his prey with his arms out protectively.

"Too late!" Zabuza raised the blade over his head and swung down with all his might. Blood splattered all around, and Sakura screamed in horror.


	44. Chapter 42: The Broken Seal

Sakura stood in front of Tazuna with her Kunai readied as she listened and looked around carefully. Zabuza emerged silently from the mist behind them.

Their eyes widened and they turned to look behind to see Zabuza rush at the old man with bloodlust in his eyes as he reached for his sword. Kakashi appeared between the assassin and his prey with his arms out protectively.

"Too late!" Zabuza raised the blade over his head and swung down with all his might. Blood splattered all around, and Sakura screamed in horror.

_"That was Sakura!"_ Sasuke huffed as he looked beyond the mirrors and into the fog. _"Did something happen?! What's Kakashi doing?"_

Naruto struggled to get up but was unable to move. "Sa...kura..."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. _"Damn... I have to do something..."_

"I-I've... gotta do something..."Naruto forced himself up with a grunt of pain as the Senbon stuck out of his back.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched Naruto slowly get up. _"T-This guy..."_

"Here I go..." Naruto winced in pain and brought himself to a stand, then clenched his fists and stared at Haku with his brows furrowed.

"It's pointless to struggle." Haku said simply as he watched the boy.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment to clap his hands together as he concentrated. When he opened his eyes, he stood with a wide stance and growled as Chakra surged around him. He ran to escape the dome, only for Haku to appear in his way, and he quickly jumped backward and ran in the opposite direction, with Haku easily keeping up with his pace.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Haku's image in the mirror and he turned toward the blond. "Naruto! Behind you!"

Naruto turned too late and a volley of Senbon struck him and he fell to the ground with a grunt as Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.

"Naruto!"

"As I said, it's impossible for you to get out of here." Haku looked down at Naruto coldly. "I mean it."

Sasuke ran over to Naruto and knelt by his side as he looked him over, his lips forming a hard line as he examined the Senbon sticking out all over.

"Can you stand, Naruto?"

"Y-Yeah..." Naruto muttered weakly after a moment, groaning loudly in pain as he was unable to move.

"From now on, don't waste your Chakra!" Sasuke scolded. "You're playing right into his hands!"

Naruto pushed himself up, ignoring the pain as he breathed heavily and his body trembled. "I know." His eyes fluttered shut and his arms gave out and he collapsed once more.

Sasuke let out a slow breath as he looked at Naruto. _"Damn it... If things continue like this, it's going to be really bad." _He glared and turned to Haku. _"I... I have to do something."_

He stood and narrowed his eyes as he looked around. _"Strangely, my eyes have adjusted..."_

Haku appeared in the mirror in front of him with Senbon readied in his grasp. "It's about time I put an end to this for you..."

Haku appeared in a different mirror and, in the blink of an eye, launched the needles at the Uchiha. Sasuke quickly retrieved one of the fallen Senbon on the ground and used it to knock away the incoming needles, one after the other.

_"What?!"_ Haku leaned closer to stare at Sasuke in surprise.

Sasuke dropped to one knee in pain, glaring at his opponent as he gripped the Senbon tightly. He looked at Naruto. "Stand up, you idiot!"

Naruto clenched his teeth and tried to shift his weight, sucking in air as pain coursed through his body and he trembled.

_"I'm aiming for his vital spots... but he parried all of them."_ Haku observed quietly.

Naruto slowly pulled several Senbon from him and managed to sit up, still wincing. "I know, I say... You're so persistent!"

Haku's image filled every mirror and threw Senbon at the pair. Sasuke leapt to his feet and knocked the needles away quickly.

_"A coincidence...? No, that's not it..." _Haku continued to attack as he watched his Senbon knocked away. _"On the contrary, he's fighting while covering for his friend."_ Haku directed a cluster of Senbon at Naruto, who had just managed to get to his feet, and Sasuke quickly knocked him out of the way, both of them avoiding the attack.

Sasuke winced and glanced down at his leg, having not dodged the last volley entirely. A pair of Senbon had lodged into his thigh and restricted his movements.

_"Surely, my movements..."_ Haku pursed his lips in thought. _"That boy... he can see them. What in the world?"_ He raised another set of Senbon in preparation. _"Alright, in that case..."_

Haku vanished entirely from every mirror, leaving Sasuke to scowl and look around.

_"He disappeared..." _Sasuke glanced and checked each of the icy panels. _"Where... Where did he disappear to?!"_

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto, who's eyes were half-open as he wobbled where he sat upright.

"Naruto! Don't faint! I can't take care of you any more than I am now!"

"Who asked you... to take care of me...?" Naruto panted and blinked slowly as he muttered. His eyes fluttered shut again and he fell backward, losing consciousness.

Sasuke turned to him and his mouth gaped slightly.

"It seems that kid has finally reached his limits." Haku's voice echoed around them, though he still remained unseen.

"Tch!" Sasuke glared and looked around for the masked boy, finally spotting him on the highest mirror directly above their heads.

Haku laughed to himself under his breath and Sasuke threw the Senbon at him in frustration, only for it to bounce off of the surface.

Sasuke tightened his fist into a ball as he stared at the boy.

"Amazing... that's an amazing move."

Sasuke turned to look at Haku as he appeared in a different location.

"You move well..." Haku threw a set of needles at the boy, who dodged them all. "However... I'll stop you with the next one." Haku appeared in a different mirror as he continued and Sasuke followed his movements with his eyes. "Motor function... Reflexes... Ability to judge a situation... all of those skills of yours... should be at their limits."

_"He's coming!"_ Sasuke let out a slow breath and narrowed his eyes. _"Calm down... focus... and... see everything!"_

As Haku raised his arms to throw another wave of Senbon, time seemed to slow as Sasuke knelt to grab Naruto and leap out of the way. The needles instead landed where they had been and Haku returned to his mirror.

_"He saw through... absolutely everything?! No way!"_

Sasuke gently set Naruto down, huffing as he caught his breath, and then his eyes rose to his rival. Instead of dark, they were a background of crimson with the Sharingan's signature Tomoe encircling his pupils.

Haku blinked and stiffened. _"Those eyes... it can't be... the Sharingan?!"_

"You are..." Haku muttered to himself.

_"Only a little bit, but... I was able to see!"_ Sasuke's mouth twitched in a faint smirk.

"So, you also have the power of a Kekkei Genkai..."Haku acknowleged. _"What a kid... __It's not perfect yet... but to think that in the middle of a battle he was able to rouse this power..."_ Haku held up another trio of Senbon. _"If that's the case, I can't fight him for too long... This Jutsu uses a lot of Chakra and there are limits to retaining the teleportation speed. Besides, the longer the fight continues, the more my movements will begin to enter into the range of his 'reading.' In fact, his eyes have already captured me. It would be foolish to aim straight at him. In that case..."_

Haku held up another set of Senbon in his other hand and shifted his gaze to Naruto. _"I'll use this kid to lure him in!"_

Haku launched forward out of the mirror, toward Naruto and Sasuke gathered Chakra to his feet to increase his speed.

_"I have to make it in time!"_

* * *

_Blood splattered all around, dripping and oozing from the new, angry wound in Kakashi's left side. He gasped in pain with his breaths shuddering and shallow and he clutched the wound as blood poured over his hand._

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura trembled and covered her mouth at the sight of the blood.

"You were late entering to guard, Kakashi." Zabuza chuckled. "Your whole-hearted intent to help those kids has gone to your head and it seems to have clouded your Sharingan with an even heavier fog than the one I created."

"Even though you have those impressive eyes, your ability to read your enemy's movements is getting cloudy." Zabuza laughed under his breath and his eyes fell on the Jonin's wound. "Amuse me more, Kakashi. I want to repay my debt in an amusing way."

Kakashi's gaze wandered behind the assassin to the mirrors and Zabuza followed his gaze.

"Don't worry. Anytime now, Haku is going to finish off those kids." Zabuza shifted his stance and griiped the sword with both hands. "You'd better apologize to them in tears when you're all in the next world for being weak."

Kakashi glared as Zabuza laughed and was entirely hidden by the fog. The laughter echoed around them and Kakashi clenched his jaw as he applied pressure to his wound.

The mist shifted and cleared enough for Sakura to only just make out the dome of mirrors.

_"Sasuke will be killed...?" _Her eyes watered and she shook her head quickly. _"That's not true! Sasuke is... he can't! not by that guy!" _She clenched her fists and shut her eyes tightly. "He won't be defeated! Naruto won't be, either!"

"That's right." Kakashi nodded slightly and looked over his shoulder at her.

Sakura blinked and looked at her teacher. "H-Huh?"

"I... I believe in their strength." He reassured her, his breathing shallow and rasping. "Naruto is the Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja... and Sasuke is a member of the most excellent clan."

Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. "No... that can't be..."

Kakashi turned to looked in Zabuza's direction. "Yes... His name is Sasuke Uchiha... and he holds within his body the famous Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan. He's a Ninja genius."

Zabuza stared at Kakashi wide-eyed in disbelief. "He's the remaining survivor of that clan?!" He let out a short huff as the mist hiding his position shifted. "No wonder he grows so quickly. "But... that's the same as Haku."

The assassin reached for to grasp the hilt of his blade once more and Kakashi gripped his Kunai as he narrowed his eyes.

"Nobody has ever beaten that secret Jutsu of Haku's... not a single person..." Zabuza vanished in the fog again with a slight chuckle. "Well then... that's enough conversation. It's about time I finished this, too."

Kakashi shifted into a wider stance, leaning forward slightly. "Sakura, don't move from here.

"Okay!" Sakura positioned herself in front of Tazuna with her Kunai drawn as Kakashi ran off into the fog and was swallowed by it.

_"I'm going to put an end to this!"_ Kakashi ran with anger burning in his eyes.

* * *

Naruto's eyes cracked open as his consciousness returned and he struggled to lift himself off of the ground as he looked around.

"F-For God's sake, you..." Sasuke muttered weakly as he stood protectively in front of Naruto, as Haku lay on the ground. "Just won't quit... dragging my feet, will you?"

Naruto blinked and looked up as Sasuke and then broke into a large grin.

"You did it, Sasuke!" He stopped himself and his eyes widened.

Sasuke coughed and saliva and blood spurted out from his lips and dripped down his chin. Senbon lodged through his limbs and torso with their ends piercing through the other side. Blood poured from each of the wounds to form a small puddle beneath him.

He looked over his shoulder at Naruto as he coughed again. "W-What kind of expression is that... you... idiot..."

Naruto sat up quickly and gulped. "W-Why?!" He trembled at the puddle of blood. "Y-You protected me...?!"

H-How the hell... should I know?" Sasuke's body shook and he struggled to remain standing, thinking about his rivalry with Naruto and their fighting. He chukled weakly under his breath. "Hmph... You... I hated you."

Naruto stood and clenched his fists. "Then why?! Why?! Why me?! I... I didn't ask for your help!"

"I don't know..." Sasuke's eyelids grew heavy and started to close. "My body moved... of its own accord... you fool."

He fell backward and Naruto caught him before he hit the ground.

"Sasuke!"

"That man..." Sasuke muttered quickly and coughed. "Until I defeated... my brother... I refused to die... that's what I decided, but..." His hands trembled and his eyes watered as he looked to Naruto. "You... don't die..."

His arm dropped limp and his eyes shut. Naruto's eyes widened further and slow tears rolled down his face. His heart skipped and the color drained from his face. Naruto pulled Sasuke close and Haku stood slowly and gazed down at the Genin.

"He..." Haku muttered slowly. "To protect someone dear to him... he went in knowing it was a trap... Such is a Shinobi worthy of respect." Haku turned to face away from Naruto, his mask hiding his solemn expression. "Is this the first time you've faced a friend's death?" Haku paused and turned back to the blond. "This is the way of the Shinobi..."

Haku reentered the mirror and Naruto gritted his teeth, refusing to meet the older boy's eyes.

"Shut up!" Naruto gently set Sasuke down, his own voice trembling as hot tears flowed. "Even though I... I hated you, too..."

Steam accumulated around Naruto in a circle and he clenched his fist tighter until his knuckles turned white. "I won't forgive you for this..."

Orange Chakra burst out of Naruto and swirled around him in a hot column that rose into the air. It cracked the ground and small pieces of debris and rock swirled amidst the Chakra. His eyes became blood red with slitted pupils and the whisker-like lines darkened, giving him a feral appearance.

Naruto looked up at Haku with a wild hatred in his eyes. "I'm going to kill you!"

Haku moved back and his eyes widened beneath his mask. "What is this Chakra?!" The Chakra surged to swirl in an enormous ball around Naruto. _"For Chakra to be tangible like this... and what a ghastly Chakra that is..."_

The Chakra formed the image of a giant fox's face, grinning devilishly above the Uzumaki. The Senbon stuck in his body were ejected and each of the wounds healed instantly, steaming coming from the holes as they closed. His nailed curved and elongated to a point and a low growl came from his throat.

"His wounds... they're healing instantly... this boy... " Haku's eyes lowered from the image of the fox down to the boy himself. "Who in the hell is he...?!"

Naruto turned to shoot a murderous glare over his shoulder at the boy.

* * *

Kakashi stared upward at the column of swirling orange Chakra as it permeated through the thick fog.

_"This... is this Zabuza?"_ Kakashi stopped running as the enormous Chakra overwhelmed his senses. His eyes widened suddenly in recognition. _"No... this sinister Chakra... it can't be!"_

Zabuza glanced around as the new surge of Chakra electrified the air. "What is this Chakra?" Zabuza muttered under his breath. "It feels foul..." He paused and looked around. "Kakashi? No... it's too huge to be Kakashi's..." His eyes narrow. "So... who is it?"

Kakashi gulped as he looked at the glow of orange through the mist. _"Naruto! Oh no... At a time like this... the Seal has broken?! I have to hurry!"_

* * *

The Chakra faded from view and Naruto growled low, crouched on all fours. He looked up suddenly at Haku, who quickly held up Senbon as the boy rushed at him.

_"He's coming!"_

* * *

**_/Heyo. Thanks for reading. Just wanted to add a quick note._**

**_All of the comments, questions, criticisms, and concerns will be addressed later on in the story. Even the things that seem inconsistent or mary sue right now. There will be more backstory and explanation added later as well, I promise. I have it all outlined out. They will be addressed._**

**_And, of course, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this story._**


	45. Chapter 43: Corrosion and Connection

Natsumi opened her eyes slowly, unable to fall back to sleep. She stared in irritation at the IV and bit her dry lip.

_It's too quiet..._ She looked around the empty room, and then out of the window where only the top of a tree and the sky could be seen. _I hate it..._

She stared down at her hands and then flexed the fingers gently. _I really don't like hospitals... They're so claustrophobic._

Natsumi shifted her weight to swing her legs over the side of the bed, holding the hand rail with one hand and the IV's pole. Taking in a deep breath, she slid off of the bed to stand and her legs wobbled and nearly collapsed under her weight.

_Crap... they're just like jelly!_ She scowled and looked down at her lower half. _Work, dammit!_

She finally steadied herself and took a cautious step forward, managing to stay upright. A few more steps and she picked up one of the cards on the nightstand. It was brightly colored and beautifully hand-drawn, depicting Natsumi as a phoenix with blazing wings spread out. Her eyes widened at the quality and then opened it carefully, seeing signatures written all over.

_Get well soon! We need our Red Flash!_

Natsumi smiled faintly and read each name. "Everyone signed it..." She muttered. "Aito, Hana, Benjiro, Rie..." She lowered the card and placed it back down, then leaned over to smell all of the bouquets in their vases.

_Everyone is really worried about me._

Closing her eyes, she drew in another deep, sweet, floral breath.

_I'm not used to it... but I like it._

Her smile faded slightly and she frowned. She looked away and shuffled over to the mirror on the wall, looking herself over; She was thinner, her skin sallow, and her hair a dull red instead of vibrant crimson.

_Oh..._ She bit her lip. _So... I really do look as terrible as I feel._

Her eyes rose to meet her own and her frown deepened.

_Mom..._ She bit her lip harder. _What happened when we met? I can't remember... what did you look like? What did you say to me?_

Natsumi ran her fingers through her hair and dropped her arm to rest at her side.

_Were you proud of me? Or disappointed? I really can't remember..._ She shook her head slowly and prodded her pale cheeks. _Just look at me... would you even want to claim me like this?_

"Oh!"

Natsumi turned to look at the nurse who stood in the doorway.

"Miss Uzumaki, you're not supposed to be out of bed yet." The woman sighed and crossed her arms. "You should be in bed. It will take some time for your legs to regain their strength."

"If I don't use them, how are they supposed to get stronger?"

The woman opened her mouth, then shut it again with a sigh. "Well... please be careful. If you had fallen, you could have been seriously hurt. Your body is still in a fragile state."

Natsumi's lips formed a hard line. "When can I go home?"

The nurse's expression shifted and she forced a small smile. "Oh, we still want to observe you for a while to be sure that you're recovering nicely. Now that you're awake, you can regain the muscle and weight you've lost. I'm sure you'll be released soon, especially since you're able to stand already."

_Liar._ Natsumi sighed and glanced back at her reflection.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" The woman took a step closer. "Are you hungry? Do you need to use the bathroom?"

Natsumi shook her head slowly and turned to look at the door.

"Where is Sena's room?"

The woman blinked. "Oh... Miss Itou?" She smiled. "Your friend is in the ICU, in room 113."

"I want to see her." Natsumi took a step toward the door, her legs trembling slightly as she clutched the IV pole.

"Of course; I understand... but I don't think you should wait to visit until you've recovered more."

Natsumi furrowed her brows. "_No,_ I want to visit her now."

The nurse paused, and then sighed. "Well... I suppose I could escort you there for a short visit. However, you'll need to go immediately get back in bed and rest once we're finished."

Natsumi broke into a grin and the woman hesitantly retrieved a robe from the wardrobe, helped Natsumi into it, and then led her out of the room and down the halls, watching her carefully the entire time. Finally, they stopped outside of a door.

"Here we are." The woman smiled and gestured toward the door. "Go on in. I'll let you have a few minutes, but that's all. You're welcome to come back when you're steadier on your feet, but I still insist that you have someone escort you."

Natsumi reached out immediately for the doorknob and then froze in place.

_Sena..._

Her lip quivered and a lump formed in her throat as a memory surfaced.

_"Why didn't you just listen to me?!"_

Her hand trembled and her breath caught in her throat.

_"We could have left sooner! This didn't have to happen!"_

Natsumi's hand shook noticeably and she shut her eyes tightly.

_No..._

_"This didn't have to happen!"_

Natsumi shut her eyes tighter and a slow tear rolled down her cheek.

_No..._

_"Why didn't you just listen to me?!"_

Natsumi loosened her grip on the knob and she swallowed.

_This is... this is all my fault._

Another tear fell, and then another and another as she trembled in silence.

_All of this... it's my fault. I screwed everything up. If... If I hadn't changed our direction... If I hadn't gotten carried away... If..._

Natsumi's shoulders shook as she cried quietly and slowly lowered her hand from the doorknob.

_Sena... She's like this because of me. She's going to die... because of me._

"Miss... Uzumaki?" The Nurse gently tried to reach out to touch the girl's shoulder. "Are you alright? Are you in pain?"

_This is all my fault... I have no right to visit her like this. Not... Not after what I've done._

The nurse called out to her again, and Natsumi turned without a word away from the door and shuffled numbly down the hall.

_It should have been me._

Natsumi returned to her own hospital room with the nurse quietly following her. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at her feet instead of her reflection, with her palm pressed against its cold surface.

"Miss Uzumaki..." The nurse cleared her throat. "Are you alright? Is there anything I can get you?"

Natsumi shook her head slowly and droplets fell from her lashes and hit the top of her feet.

"...No. I'm fine."

"How about something nice to eat?" The woman forced a small smile and clapped her hands together. "Why don't I go get you something? I'm sure you're hungry!"

"I'm not hungry."

Natsumi bit her lip and the nurse's expression fell gradually until she sighed.

"Well... alright. If you change your mind, just call me back in and I'll be happy to get you anything you'd like."

Natsumi glanced up slightly to watch the nurse disappear and close the door behind her. Her eyes turned to the mirror finally and she began to tremble again.

_My fault... This is all my fault._

"It should have been me..." She muttered under her breath and scowled at herself. "It... should have been me!"

Raising her fist, she slammed it against the mirror and shattered it. Glass burst everywhere and Natsumi stared down at the blood that dripped from her knuckles as pain seared through her. Her eyes widened and she hiccuped and burst into tears, sinking down to her knees into the glass pieces with her face buried in her hands.

_I'm so sorry, Sena. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean for anything of this to happen. I didn't want this..._

* * *

The door opened and their laughing almost stopped immediately. Aito's eyes widened and he blinked as he stared down at the girl amidst the glass.

"Natsumi?!"

She looked up quickly and wiped away her tears as she blinked. "G-Guys?" She sniffed and looked away, trying to hide her bloodied hand behind her back. "W-What are you doing here?"

Aito let out a heavy sigh and Ahmya's expression fell slightly. Hana stepped forward and carefully sat in a squat beside Natsumi with a faint smile on her face.

"Did that chick there give you a funny look?" Hana winked as Natsumi's face flushed and she shook her head.

"I... I... tripped."

Aito shook his head and opened his mouth, and Hana shot him a look before she looked back at Natsumi with a smile.

"Yeah. Your legs are bound to be a little weak for a while. It's no wonder you tripped." She held out a hand to Natsumi and helped her to stand slowly. "Lucky for you, the best place is to be clumsy is in a hospital. Especially if you're friends with Medical Ninja."

Hana winked and turned back to the group, snapping her fingers. "Aito. Broom."

"Wha-?" He blinked and set down the stack of pizza boxes onto the bed with a sigh. "Why do I have to be the janitor?"

Hana rolled her eyes and Ahmya helped to dust Natsumi off gently and looked over her hand with a wince.

"That looks like it hurts." Ahmya met Natsumi's eye. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Natsumi shook her head and Ahmya nodded. "Good. It'll be a nice and easy fix."

Hana retrieved a spare robe from the wardrobe with a wink as Ahmya carefully slipped off the blood splattered robe and they recovered Natsumi.

"You know, you're lucky you have friends with strings they can pull." Hana winked. "This is one of the nicest rooms here, fully accommodated. It's practically a hotel room."

Ahmya led Natsumi over to the armchair, where she gently cleaned the wound with materials stored in the cabinets. Natsumi flinched as glass shards were cautiously pulled from her hand and the raw, open flesh was sanitized.

"So..." Natsumi kept her eyes away from the women as they treated her. "Why are you guys here?"

"To see you, of course!" Hana snorted and put a hand on her hip. "Kiri told us that you were awake, so we all decided to drop by."

Natsumi looked around at the familiar faces and her cheeks warmed as she looked away again, muttering. "I'm sorry for causing you guys so much trouble."

"Really, it's no trouble." Ahmya smiled and shook her head, dabbing gently at Natsumi's hand. "We came to give you some TLC. This qualifies."

Natsumi sighed and pressed her lips together. "Still... this wasn't supposed to happen. I ruined your plans."

_Like I ruin everything._

Natsumi's eyes started to water and Ahmya's widened.

"No! You didn't ruin anything! Really!" She tilted her head to the side as she smiled. "Really, Natsumi. I became a Medical Ninja because I liked to help people. Whether that means patching up wounds or cheering someone up. I enjoy all of it."

Natsumi sighed again, softly this time and Ahmya finished cleaning the wound quickly and then began to heal. After a few moments, the bleeding had fully stopped and the cuts had closed entirely.

"There. All better." Ahmya smiled again and turned Natsumi's hand over to show her. "There's still a little bit of a mark, but that will fade in a few days."

Natsumi opened and closed her hand, and then rested it on her lap. "Thanks."

Hana uncrossed her arms and tepped off from the wall. "Alright, let's eat! It's no good if we let it get cold."

"Finally!" Aito dumped the last of the glass from the dustpan into the trashcan and tossed the broom to the floor with a grin. "I'm starving!"

Ahmya laughed and pointed at him. "Don't even pretend that you didn't sneak a few pieces on the way here! I saw it myself!"

Aito blinked and rubbed his head sheepishly. "I... uh..." He cleared his throat and rubbed his stomach. "Maybe so, but cleaning always makes me hungry."

Hana rolled her eyes and walked over to open one of the boxes of pizza and took in a deep breath, picking up a piece for herself and took a large bite.

"Mm... so good..."

Ahmya turned to Natsumi and gingerly helped her to her feet, walking with her to help her sit on the bed.

"We didn't know what kind of pizza you liked, so we kind of went overboard and got a variety of toppings." Ahmya laughed and retrieved a paper plate and passed it to the girl. "I hope there's at least one you like."

Natsumi smiled faintly and took a deep breath, closing her eyes slightly. "It smells amazing."

"Tastes even better." Hana mumbled with a mouthful of food.

Natsumi looked over the open boxes and pressed her lips together in thought before she finally pointed. "That one looks good."

Ahmya set several slices on her plate and got some for herself, sitting down as she ate. Natsumi took a bite and slowly chewed, savoring it with a sigh.

_So much better than hospital food..._

"Good?" Aito grinned and watched Natsumi nod and take another ravenous bite.

"Great."

"Nothing like a nice, greasy pizza to perk you up." He took out another slice and ate a large bite. "It's good for the soul."

"Terrible for your hips, though." Ahmya laughed and prodded his waist. "You should really eat healthier."

Aito blinked and looked down at himself. "Are you implying that I'm _fat?"_

Hana laughed and poked his stomach. "I mean, we all change in the same room. Your defined abs are not so defined anymore."

He made a face and ate another bite, chewingly defensively.

"So what if I've put on a few pounds? My girlfriend doesn't mind." Aito turned his face away and chewed.

"Girlfriend?" Hana snorted. "You _don't_ have a girlfriend."

Aito swallowed and held up his pizza slice. "Her name is Pepperoni and Olives and I am shocked that you aren't supportive of us."

Natsumi covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, though Ahmya and Hana broke into loud laughter.

"Hmph." Aito stuck the last bite into his mouth, licked his fingers, and then crossed his arms. "You're one to talk." He looked Hana up and down. "This whole week you've been drinking booze like it's water and that's why you're wearing your exes shorts instead of your own pants, isn't it?"

Hana flushed and crossed her arms. "Woah! Maybe I'm just wearing these because they're comfortable?"

He rolled his eyes. "You _hate_ wearing red." He smirked slightly. "Admit it; you're only wearing them because none of your own pants fit."

Hana glared and Ahmya giggled.

"And _you_." Aito turned to Ahmya and narrowed his eyes, then, after a long pause, he shrugged. "Actually, I can't even find anything to criticize because you look the same as always."

Ahmya smiled and took a small, dainty bite. "Well, I attribute it to my fabulous skin care routine and drinking my smoothies every morning. Spinach, Kale, Celery, Matcha... you've got to try it sometime. It's even more delicious than pizza."

Aito made a face and shook his head. "I don't eat things that look like grass. I'm not a rabbit."

"And that's why you're gaining weight, and I'm not." Ahmya smirked faintly and took another bite.

"Ouch. That hurt." He made an exaggerated pout. "You guys are terrible. I don't know why we're even friends."

Natsumi snorted, and laughed loudly as she was unable to stifle it any longer. The adults turned to her, blinking at first, and then laughing loudly with her.

"Y-You guys... are so ridiculous." Natsumi laughed and wiped her eye as she laughed louder. "How are you even ANBU?"

The laughing faded after a while and Aito ruffled her hair.

"It's good to see you smiling again, Red. We were all so worried about you."

"Really?" She looked up at him. "But... I screwed up the mission and ended up here. I'm nothing but trouble."

"Pssh." Hana waved her hand. "I think it's safe to say that we're all trouble here."

"Actually, my middle name is Trouble." Aito winked.

"No it's not." Ahmya rolled her eyes.

Aito put a hand on his hip, holding up a finger. "Au contraire, my friend. I had my name legally changed when I was of age."

Natsumi blinked. "You... really made your middle name Trouble?"

"Damn right I did!" He smirked and nodded. "How cool is that? I get to actually use the 'Trouble is my middle name' line." He crossed his arms. "Although, it was torture trying to decide between Trouble and Danger, but I think I made the right call."

The girls shared a look and Hana shook her head with a sigh.

"Typical Aito, once again proving how tiny your pea brain really is." Hana shrugged. "Of all the stupid things you've done, I think that takes the cake."

"Oh!" Ahmya clapped her hands together suddenly and looked at Natsumi. "I just remembered! I brought you goodies!" She quickly held up another bag with a large smile as she pulled out each item. "I've brought you some clothes so that you can get out of that awful hospital gown, some sparkling juice, lip balm, some magazines, toothbrush and toothpaste, a mini bottle of my favorite perfume, a few candy bars, a pair of the fluffiest, warmest socks, and, of course, dry shampoo."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "Is this all for me?"

"Yup!" Ahmya nodded. "I figured since you're going to be here a little while longer that you should at least enjoy it as much as possible."

"Thank you." Natsumi smiled and took one of the juice cans and popped it open, taking a slow sip. "You guys are all awesome."

"We know." Hana winked.

"We couldn't just leave you hanging." Aito smiled. "Although, I did try to get you a stuffed bear, but Kiri wouldn't let me. She said it was too big." He shrugged and lowered his voice. "But that's okay; I bought it anyway and it's waiting for you at your house whenever you get discharged."

Natsumi smiled down at her drink. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll love it."

She brought the can back to her lips and her heart suddenly skipped a beat and she froze in place.

* * *

_Natsumi blinked and looked around._

Where... where am I?

_She stood at the end of a dimly lit hall with the floor covered in several centimeters of water._

What is this place? How did I get here?

_Natsumi turned to look down the hall where a bright light shone from the end._

I'm not... dead again... am I?

_She shook her head._

No... this is different.

_Taking a cautious step forward, she started down the hall. As she drew neater to the light, her skin prickled and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end._

What is this feeling?

_She bit her lip and stepped through the blinding light, raising her hand to shield her eyes until they adjusted. She blinked and her eyes widened as she discovered she was standing in front of an enormous cage._

W-What...?!

_Behind the bars, a low, dark chuckle echoed around the cavernous room and a red-orange glow illuminated the area._

T-That's... Chakra.

_Her eyes widened further and she swallowed the lump in her throat._

I... I don't understand.

_"What a stupid boy." A deep voice spoke from behind the bars. "How pathetic."_

B-Boy?!

_Natsumi looked around and spotted an unconscious figure laying in the center of the flooded room._

Naruto!

_Natsumi tried to run to his side, but her body remained fixed in place._

I can't move!

_Her eyes fell on Naruto, who didn't move._

What's wrong with him?! Why is he here?!

_"Naruto!" Natsumi called out to him, forcing her body to step towards him. "Naruto!"_

_The glowing pair of red eyes turned toward her and the mouthful of giant ivory fangs growled for a moment._

_"You...? No... that's impossible." The growl faded and Natsumi gulped. "No... you're not her. Though the resemblance is strong."_

_Natsumi froze and swallowed again. "H-Her?"_

_The entity laughed deeply once more._

_"I remember you now... you've grown up."_

_Natsumi shuddered and bit her lip._

This enormous Chakra... this dark feeling..._ She stared at the creature as it watched her, unblinkingly. _It's like nothing I've ever felt before... and yet..._ She let out a slow breath._

And yet... it's also... familiar.

_She stepped forward again and cleared her throat to keep her voice from trembling. "W-What are you?" She paused. "W-Who... are you?"_

_The dark chuckle echoed again and the creature came closer, nearly pressing its face against the bars as it grinned wickedly._

_Natsumi breath caught in her throat and she took a step back._

That's...!

_"Y-You're..." Natsumi swallowed again. "Y-You're the Nine-Tailed Fox."_

_"Very good. You're not as stupid as the boy."_

The boy.

_Natsumi turned quickly back to Naruto, and then ran to him. "Naruto! Naruto!" She dropped to her knees and lifted his head into her arms. "Naruto, wake up!"_

_"What a pathetic boy."_

_Natsumi glared at the giant beast. "What did you do to him?!"_

_"Tch!" The Fox flicked its tails in annoyance. "It isn't my doing that's gotten him nearly killed. And now I'll have to give him some of my Chakra if I don't want to die with him."_

_Natsumi's eyes widened and her lip quivered. "D... Die...?" She looked back down at her twin. "H-He's...?"_

_"Not yet."_

_Natsumi swallowed and the intensity of the Chakra increased, seeping from beyond the cage, moving across the water to cocoon around the blond._

_"Although I do regret that I can't sit and let the wretch die for his stupidity."_

_Natsumi clenched her fist as the Chakra bubbled around Naruto and was absorbed into his body._

_"You'd better save him!" She narrowed her eyes at the beast. "Or I'll kill you myself!"_

_The Demon Fox laughed and his large eyes fixed on her._

_"Bold of you to threaten me like that, little one. You've got guts."_

_"And I'll spill yours if you let my brother die!" Natsumi stared back at him._

_"Brother?" The creature laughed again. "I should have known..." _

_He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry; your fool of a brother won't die today. If he dies, I also die, and I don't want that."_

_The Chakra surged into the blond twin and Natsumi's heart pounded suddenly. She cried out in pain and everything disappeared._

* * *

**_**Heyo. I'm going to respond to some of your comments and reviews now. I won't give any spoilers away, but here goes._**

**_~Regarding Natsumi never training with Naruto and 'leaving him behind' even though "No Uzumaki left behind.": Natsumi actually has a very good reason for keeping him at a distance about her training. I can't go into detail, but it will be explained later on. Eventually in the story, it WILL be addressed in the plot. It's not 'bad writing'. It's intentionally written to show that there is an odd relationship there between the twins. It will all be explained later._**

**_~Regarding Natsumi 'being a prodigy even though she trains alone': She does not train alone. She trains in secret, and the methods and location of it is also secret. So, when she says that she trains only against a clone, she's lying._**

**_~Regarding some of the things Natsumi has found 'randomly': I assure you, she did not find them randomly. Again, it's a lie. She lies for good reason. There will be more elaboration later on all of this._**

_**Regarding**** her being 'mary sue' or being 'too advanced': The training she goes through is brutal, and she has been doing that training for the past 4 years. Just because I haven't done flashbacks yet to show her exact training regimen doesn't mean she's strong for no reason. Please be patient as it will show up later on in the story. But I will NOT be doing a cliche fanfic thing where Natsumi beats obscenely powerful people on her own (like Kaguya). That'd just be uncool. **_

_**~Regarding the fact that the overall plot and characters are largely the same as in the original series: This is intentional. I got sick of reading fanfiction where characters had completely different personalities and were doing things that they would not really do. Also, the major plot changes really bothered me. I wanted to fit in Natsumi into Naruto's story, not fit Naruto into Natsumi's story, out of respect for Kishimoto's original work. But this doesn't mean that Natsumi will be a nobody, either. It just means that she won't out-do Naruto.**_

_**~Regarding when I'm going to elaborate and do the flashbacks: For some of it, I will be adding it into the story. But, for the explanations and flashbacks and backstories that DON'T fit in the the arc, I'll be putting them into my EXTRAS fanfic. I know how much people always hate filler episodes of anime, so I don't want to fill my fanfic with filler chapters of backstory that detract from the flow of the actual story telling. So, if you want to catch all the behind the scenes stuff and the explanations, I highly recommend that you follow my EXTRAS story as well.**_

_**~Regarding the flip-flopping of perspectives: Even if a particular arc doesn't change much, (some arcs will) I still want to show both Naruto and Natsumi's arcs alongside each other because there are many parallels between them. I feel like these parallels are best noticed when the two sides are back to back. The parallels are important for the overall flow of the story, so please bear with them.**_

_**~Regarding my inspiration: Naruto is my husband's all time favorite anime. A while back, he started watching from the beginning again, and I started watching with him. I got hooked. Since then, we started playing a What If game and bouncing headcanons off of each other. Naruto having a twin was one of those headcanons, but we thought long and hard about how Naruto and the story itself would be impacted by either having a male or female twin. We eventually decided to go with Natsumi, because if Naruto had a male twin, we figured the most logical thing would that he (the twin) would have gone dark. And, we didn't want the overall tone of this story to be depressing or full of betrayal.**_

_**~Regarding future ships: There will be one, very slow burn romantic relationship by the end of this story. And several fluffy crushes along the way. It's not going to be a cliche harem, but Natsumi will have several people over time that she fancies for different reasons. Again, not a harem. It's ****just**** normal for adolescent girls to develop crushes easily.**_

_**~Regarding future arcs: I like the character of Natsumi because I'm using her to explore themes not shown much in Naruto (like how the ANBu is mysterious and not much is said about them). This includes Orochimaru and his origins, and even darker themes like depression. In Naruto, the overall tone is more cheerful, so Natsumi's story is going to explore depression, duty, loneliness, inner darkness, etc. Still, it's going to be hopeful (because if not, that'd ****just**** be super dull and depressing) but I want her to have more human emotions in regards to experiencing uncomfortable, dark things. As a result, the Natsumi arcs in the future will be exploring things of this nature, and I'm really looking forward to them.**_

_**~Regarding future fanfics: I do have basic outlines for a few more Naruto-centered fanfics. Some of them do break my 'characters' actions and personalities must remain the same, but there are slight changes, not major ones. One of them will be a Sasuke-centered romance fic called "Love Me, Hate Me" and there will be an Itachi romance called "My Akatsuki Prince." The last is a Modern Alternate Universe where the Tailed Beasts are humans, called "Your Light." I won't be working on those for a while, but they are outlined. **_

_**~Regarding how long this fanfiction will be: Eventually, it will be split into 4 or 5 books, going through the entire Naruto timeline from the OG series, through the Interlude, through Shippuden, through the Blank Period, and into Boruto.**_

**_Alright, that's everything I wanted to say for now. Thanks for reading. 3_**


	46. Chapter 44: White Past- Hidden Ambition

The Chakra faded from view and Naruto growled low, crouched on all fours. He looked up suddenly at Haku, who quickly held up Senbon as the boy rushed at him.

_"He's coming!"_

Haku narrowed his eyes behind his mask.__"He looks nothing like he used to!" __Haku threw the Senbon and leapt into another mirror. His eyes widened when the Senbon were knocked away by an invisible force.__"His Chakra repelled my attack!"__

Naruto stopped running and growled as each of the mirrors reflected Haku's image.

_"Then..."_

Each Haku launched Senbon at the boy and stuck into his body. He dropped to his knees for a moment and then let out a loud growl as another wave of red-orange Chakra burst from his body and ejected the needles. Haku's duplicates vanished and, before he could escape, Naruto rushed at the mirror and shattered it with a single strike.

_"This should do it!"_Haku emerged from a mirror shard with a single Senbon clenched in his hands and took aim at Naruto's vital spot. As he jumped down to drive the weapon into the boy, the blond leapt easily out of the way as Haku crashed to the ground.

Haku recovered and reeled back as Naruto's red eyes glared at him.__"Why?!" __He moved to enter another mirror quickly and was stopped as Naruto gripped his arm tightly.__"No! It can't be!"__

_Naruto's eyes narrowed and he let out another half-scream, half-growl as Chakra bubbled around him._

* * *

Kakashi's eyes widened as the intense pressure in the air increased. _"Could... Naruto's seal have been broken...?!"_ He narrowed his eyes and gazed into the mist. _"No... this feeling... It's true that the seal is weakened and the Chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox is escaping, but..."_ Kakashi reached into a pouch on the front of his flak jacket and retrieved a scroll. _"Fortunately, the seal is not completely broken! I still have some time!"_

He tossed the scroll into the air, pricking the tip of his thumb as he caught the scroll and opened it, smearing his blood over the seals.

"Do you hear me, Zabuza?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes and glanced around. "We're both busy people. I know it's against your style, but I think it's about time we stopped playing around."

Kakashi twirled the scroll with a flourish, to his sides and around himself. Then, he tossed the scroll into the air and it rolled closed. He caught it and formed a hand sign.

"Why don't we settle this once and for all with the next move?"

"Interesting." Zabuza's voice came from the mist. "What could you possibly do in this situation? Go ahead, Kakashi. Show me."

* * *

Naruto gripped Haku's arm tighter as the Chakra swelled and radiated from him, cracking the mirrors.

_"No good..."_ Haku held up a one-handed sign, unable to wrench his arm free from the boy's grasp. _"I can't hold his Chakra down!"_

Naruto clenched his fist with a growl, drawing it back. Then, he pulled Haku in closer as he punched his face hard, sending him flying and shattering through a mirror. He fell hard again the bridge, rolling for several meters until he came to a stop.

Naruto panted heavily, most of the Chakra emanating from him now dissipated. The mirrors continued to crack and fall to the ground around him.

Haku stood slowly to watch his mirrors break, his own mask cracking and beginning to fall in pieces at his feet.

Naruto let out another loud half-growl, half-scream, and rushed at the masked boy.

_"Zabuza..."_ Haku faced Naruto, unmoving from his path. _"I can't defeat this boy._ _Zabuza... I'm..."_

Naruto leapt up, preparing another strike as the last of the mask fell to the ground.

Naruto stopped, his fist only centimeters from his opponents' exposed face. The animal rage from before was gone and replaced with a wide-eyed surprise as he trembled slightly.

"You're..." Naruto started slowly as he blinked. "From that time..."

"Why stop?" Haku asked, and the blond's eyes widened further.

"Even though I killed your friend... you can't kill me?"

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke's body, littered with Senbon, and re-clenched his jaw and glared at the older boy. He continued to trembled as the anger mounted, and then landed a strike to Haku's jaw.

"Damn it!"

Haku fell to the ground from the strike, slowly lifting himself up to cough blood. Naruto panted and unclenched his fists with a mix of emotions flashing in his eyes.

"What happened to the strength from a moment ago?" Haku wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up at Naruto. "You can't defeat me with this level of strength." He glanced over to Sasuke. "Wasn't he important to you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and he remained quiet.

"Many people misunderstand." Haku stood and met Naruto's eyes. "They pity and don't finish off the enemy that they ought to kill. They instead let them survive. To me, that isn't compassion or anything else."

Haku paused. "Do you understand? How it feels to not be needed by anyone? To live day-to-day without a dream. The pain of it all..."

"What are you saying?" Naruto relaxed slightly and he lowered his arms to his sides.

"Zabuza has no use for a weak Shinobi." Haku smiled faintly with his eyes only hollow. "You took away my reason for existing."

"Why...?" Naruto furrowed his brows and balled his hands into fists. "Why do you have to serve a guy like that?! He gets money from thugs to do horrible things! Is that person the only person special to you?"

"A long time ago, I had other people who were important to me..." Haku spoke quietly. "They were... my parents."

"I was born in the Land of Water, in a small village heavy with snow. My parents worked on a small farm. We were very poor, but my parents seemed satisfied with it. I was happy then... they were loving parents. But..."

"When I was old enough to understand things..." Haku continued softly. "Something happened."

"Something...? What happened?"

Haku lifted his hand slowly to wipe his mouth again, staring at the blood here. "My blood..."

"Blood...?" Naruto blinked. "Go on, already! Tell me what happened!"

Haku's eyes rose to the boy's, still empty. "My father... he killed my mother. Then, he tried to kill me."

Naruto's eyes widened and his face paled slightly. "H-Huh?!"

"After the experience of the ceaseless civil war, people with Kekkei Genkai were hated and feared in the Land of Water." Haku explained quietly.

"Kekkei Genkai?"

"It's special powers or Jutsu passed on through certain clans, from parent to child, or from grandparent to grandchild. Because of their special powers, members of those clans were exploited for all sorts of battles. As a result, all Kekkei Genkai began to be feared as harbingers of disaster and death."

Haku paused. "After the war was over, they decided to hide their special powers. If anyone learned their secret, only death could be expected. I'm sure that boy went through suffering as well." He looked behind Naruto at Sasuke, and Naruto followed his gaze. "The greater your power, the more you are feared."

"My mother... she had the Kekkei Genkai."

Naruto turned back to Haku.

"She kept it secret from my father. She hoped that, for a while... No... she must have believed that they could have a simple life forever." Haku shook his head slowly and closed his eyes, remembering one of his final memories of his mother.

* * *

_A young child with long hair sat crouched in front of a puddle of melting snow with his hands out. An orb of water was suspended between them and shifted into various shapes as he grinned in wonder. His mother approached with a basket and dropped it, her own eyes widening._

_"Look, mom! Look what I can do!" The boy beamed and stood, holding the water carefully in the space between his open hands. "Isn't it beautiful?! Isn't it fantastic?!"_

_His mother grabbed his arm suddenly and wrenched him away from the puddle, the water orb falling onto the layer of frost on the ground._

_"No! Not you, too!" She shook the boy roughly by his arms and her eyes spilled over, shaking him more violently as she cried harder. "Why?! Why him, too?!"_

_"Mommy, that hurts!" He cried, and she slapped him hard against the face. Within an instant, the a faint red handprint was already visible._

_"S-Sorry..." His mother froze in place, sobbing with her shoulders shaking as she flung her arms around the boy.. "I'm so sorry, Haku... I'm so sorry!"_

* * *

_"However..." Haku continued. "My father had seen what happened and discovered our secret..."_

* * *

_A man glared as he stepped over his wife's bloody, mangled corpse and approached his son, who fled until he was trapped against the wall. The boy sobbed heavily and pressed his back to the wall as he stared up at his father, and three other men behind him in the doorway, all armed with clubs and farming tools._

_His father raised the club above his head with tears streaming out of his unfeeling eyes, and then began to bring the weapon down in a quick blow to the trembling child's head._

_The boy screamed and a burst of energy surged from within, creating giant ice spikes that shot out in defense. They skewered each of the men and erupted through the walls of the home. Haku stumbled through the snow as it fell in large, heavy flakes until he collapsed in the snow and cried. _

* * *

"When I came to... I realized I had killed my own father. And, in that moment, what I thought of myself was that... no... it's what I had to think." Haku glanced at the ground again. "And then knew that it was the most painful thing."

"The most... painful thing?" Naruto asked, almost inaudibly.

"That I... that my existence didn't matter to anyone else in the world."

Naruto stared at him with his eyes rounded. _"Same with me!"_

"You told me that... You'll become the best Ninja in the village and make everyone respect you. If someone comes along and accepts you for who you are, then no one could be more important to you than that person." A long pause lingered between them before Haku spoke, a slight smile forming on his lips. "Even though he knew I was from a clan with the Kekkei Genkai, Zabuza took me in. My power that everyone hated... he wanted it. He needed it."

* * *

_Zabuza stopped walking and chuckled as he looked down at the orphan in disdain. "Pathetic brat." He stepped closer to the child, and then knelt in front of him, resting his arm against his knee. "Brats like you aren't needed by anyone and then they die without ever knowing any freedom or dreams..."_

_Haku smiled broadly with his eyes crinkling shut, and Zabuza's eyes widened slightly._

_"Hm?"_

_"You have the same eyes as I do, Niisan.." Haku giggled to himself as he smiled, and Zabuza stared at the boy with wide eyes._

_"...Brat." Zabuza said again. "Do you want... to be needed by someone? Are you willing to give everything for me?"_

_The child stared up at him for a long time in silence before he finally nodded._

_"From now on, your power belongs to me."_

_The boy nodded once more and stood, walking toward the assassin. Zabuza reached out to rest a hand on the child's head and ruffled his unruly hair before putting his arm around the boy's shoulders._

_"Come with me now."_

* * *

_Haku's eyes watered at the memory and he met Naruto's eyes. "I was so happy then..."_

* * *

_"Haku, bad news." Zabuza looked over at the boy as they stood atop a tall hill and looked down at the snow-covered city below. "I have to leave the Land of Water as of tonight. However, I'll return to this land someday. I will rule over this land. To do that... what I need isn't consolation, encouragement, or empty words. What I really need is..."_

_"I already know." Haku looked up at his mentor and smiled. "You have nothing to fear. I will be your weapon, Zabuza. Keep me by you as your tool that heeds your every word."_

_"What a good boy." Zabuza turned to look back down at the city as the boy smiled at the praise._

* * *

"I apologize, Zabuza." Haku muttered under his breath. "I wasn't good enough to be the tool you were looking for."

He slowly approached Naruto, who took several steps back in confusion.

"Naruto." Haku stopped just out of arm's reach and looked downward. "I want you... to kill me."

* * *

Kakashi formed a series of hand signs with his eyes closed and the scroll securely between his thumbs. His eyes opened with his brows furrowed as he pressed the scroll to the ground and dropped to one

"Ninja Art- Summoning. Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu."

Calligraphy shot out from the scroll in multiple directions and vanished in the mist as an eerie silence settled around Kakashi.

"Whatever you're trying to do won't work." Zabuza chuckled still concealed by the mist. "You have absolutely no idea where I am now. However... I know exactly where you are and what you're about, Kakashi. You are completely in my hands now."

Zabuza's eyes widened as a rumbling grew louder around him and the ground shook. Suddenly, the ground broke open around him and a large Ninja Hound leapt out and snapped at his feet. He dodged easily but another Hound latched onto his other leg. More canines jumped at him with a growl and clamped onto the assassin.

* * *

"W-What's all that noise?!" Tazuna squinted into the fog as the growling echoed.

"What's going on out there?" Sakura looked with him, and lowered her Kunai as she listened.

* * *

Kakashi stood and looked in front of him as the mist thinned slightly. "If you can't use your eyes or ears, simply use your nose. That's what happens when you're closing your eyes in the midst of the fog. This is a Summoning Jutsu specialized for pursuit."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed at Kakashi and he let out a low grunt as the dogs bit down harder to ensure that he was trapped.

"I deliberately shed my own blood to stop your attacks both times for this purpose." Kakashi placed a hand into his pocket and took a step forward toward the assassin. "Your weapons have a thick scent of my blood on them now. Those are my adorable Ninja Hounds, and their sense of smell is without equal. You're the one who was playing into my hands."

Kakashi touched his temple and kept his gaze on Zabuza. "The fog has already begun to lift already. And your future is... death."

"I've had enough of your bluffs!" Zabuza scowled.

"Don't act tough! There's nothing you can do in this situation. Your death is certain." Kakashi paused and held the assassin's gaze without blinking. "Zabuza. You were too full of yourself. You're too ambitious for your own good."

Kakashi paused again, looking away for a moment before he continued.

"You assassinated the Mizukage, but failed to pull off the coup. You left the service with few men under you, and became a Rogue Ninja. Soon after, your name reached our Hidden Leaf Village. You needed to raised funds to strike back, and you needed to hide from the Tracking Unity's pursuit and retaliation... Isn't that the reason why you hired yourself out to scum like Gato?"

Zabuza remained silent, only glaring at his opponent.

"Do you really believe I've managed to survive with just my Sharingan?" Kakashi glanced upward as the sunlight began to streak through the thinning mist and he turned his attention back to Zabuza. "Here's something I didn't copy... a Jutsu of my own..."

He formed a hand sign and lowered his voice. "To enlighten you..." He formed three signs— Ox, Rabbit, Monkey— and a faint circle of blue Chakra formed around him on the ground. Lightning erupted from his hand and struck the circle, crackling and surging in a bright blue wave of electricity. "Lightning Blade!"

"What the...?!" Zabuza's eyes widened at the technique _"His hand is visibly overflowing with Chakra!"_

"You are too dangerous." Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Tazuna, the man you are trying to assassinate is the symbol of courage in this land. The bridge is he building is the hope of this land. And your ambitions will sacrifice countless lives. That isn't how a Shinobi is supposed to behave."

Zabuza chuckled and smirked. "Who cares? I have always fought for my own ideals. And that will never change!"

Kakashi furrowed his brows and the electricity gathered in his hand sparked, growing unstable as he stared with contempt at the assassin.

"I'll say it again..."

"Huh?" Zabuza titled his head slightly.

"Give up. Your future is death."

"Please kill me." Haku repeated.

Naruto's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat and he trembled.

"...What are you hesitating for?" Haku asked quietly.

Naruto clenched his jaw and fists, shutting his eyes tightly as he shook his head and stepped back from the boy. "No! What you said... is ridiculous!" Naruto stepped several meters back and looked at Haku. "You're a weapon?! Just a tool for him?! How can you even call him someone that's special to you?! Are you really okay with that?!"

"...Is that wrong?" Haku's eyes remain fixed on the ground.

"H-Huh?" Naruto blinked and loosened his fists.

"Tell me, Naruto... what is wrong with that?"

"Well... uh..." Naruto's eyes lowered momentarily. "It's not..."

"Zabuza counts on me, even if I'm worthless. He made me feel needed." Haku trailed off and his eyes moistened. "But now, I've lost my usefulness that affirmed my existence. Zabuza no longer needs me."

Naruto's expression fell and an ache formed in his chest, unable to speak and only remained silent.

"That's why I'm now appealing to you." Haku's lids lowered and his half-opened eyes spilled over with slow tears rolling down his cheeks. "Please, make it quick."


	47. Chapter 45: Secrets Among Friends

Natsumi blinked and Kiri's face came into focus as her vision cleared and her eyes adjusted. Kiri let out a soft sigh and Natsumi sat up slowly.

"Kiri?" She blinked again and rubbed her head. "What's wrong? When did you get here?"

Kiri shook her head slowly and faintly smiled. "I came to see you, of course." She paused. "How are you?"

"Uh... fine?" Natsumi looked around the room and saw Aito, Hana, and Ahmya standing by the door with strange expressions. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Kiri glanced over her shoulder at them, then back to Natsumi. "Oh, it's nothing. They're just a little worried about you and Sena, that's all."

Natsumi pressed her lips together and stared at the three.

_She's lying._

"We're uh..." Aito scratched the back of his head. "We'll give you guys some privacy."

They stepped out and shut the door behind then, and Natsumi furrowed her brows and looked at Kiri.

"Kiri, what happened?" She asked firmly. "Why did they look _afraid_ of me?"

Kiri laughed under her breath and shook her head. "Afraid? Psh... no."

Natsumi crossed her arms and raised her brow. "Kiri."

Kiri shrugged slightly. "They're just worried about you— like I said. You blacked out for a moment."

Natsumi's expression softened and she sighed. "Did I?"

Kiri nodded. "What do you remember?"

Natsumi let out a quiet sigh. "We were just talking and eating, and then..." She bit her lip and stopped. _And then... somehow... I saw the Nine-Tailed Fox. And he seemed... to recognize me._

She gulped and her eyes rose to see Kiri watching her, unexpectedly serious.

"Yes?"

Natsumi chewed on her lower lip. _I can't tell her about the Nine-Tails though... she'll think I'm crazy._

"I... uh..." Natsumi glanced away. "I saw... Naruto."

Kiri raised her brow. "Naruto? You saw Naruto?"

Natsumi nodded slowly. "He looked like..." She paused again. "I think... he's in danger."

Kiri's eyes widened slightly and her voice lowered. "What do you mean you saw him? What kind of danger?"

"I..." Natsumi pressed her lips together again and stared down at her hands. "I don't know. All I saw was him unconscious."

Kiri crossed her arms as she fell silent for a long time, lost in thought.

_I've never seen her look so serious..._ Natsumi looked up at her. _Is something really wrong with Naruto?_

"Do you think something's really wrong with him?" Natsumi spoke up. "Have you heard something about his mission?"

Kiri shook her head and smiled faintly. "No, sorry. No word yet from Team Seven."

Natsumi bit her lip harder. _Then... maybe something really is wrong. It's been so long since he left._

"Relax." Kiri's smile grew. "I'm sure he's fine. It's normal for there to be little to no communication while on a mission."

"But..." Natsumi furrowed her brows. "I _saw_ him... and I have this awful feeling..."

"It's true that there's a superstition about twins sharing a psychic connection, but..." Kiri shrugged. "It's not something that's ever been proven." She recrossed her arms. "Besides, it's more likely that you're just missing him, and worrying about everything here combined with it is putting stress on your body. That's probably what caused your blackout."

Natsumi looked away momentarily, quiet.

_She's hiding something. I can see it in her eyes._

Her eyes fell again and widened slightly as they passed over Kiri's arms.

"Kiri!"

The woman quickly covered her arms and glanced away slightly. Natsumi frowned and leaned forward to get a better look.

Long scratches streaked down her arms, with lines of crimson showing through the torn sleeves of her shirt. Natsumi's eyes widened further.

"It's nothing!" Kiri waved her hand. "Just some scratches. I was just a little... clumsy."

_Liar. That's my line!_

"D-Did I do that?" Natsumi gulped and watched her friend's expression shift slightly. "I... did... didn't I?"

"You didn't mean to." Kiri shook her head quickly. "It's my fault; you were thrashing around and I was holding you down so that you didn't fall out of bed and hurt yourself."

Natsumi gulped again and looked down at her hands, freezing as she saw dried blood underneath her fingernails.

_What did I...? How...?!_

She looked back up at her friend with a hard look. "Kiri, what _happened_ to me? What did I do? Why did they look afraid of me?!"

After a long pause, the woman sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I don't really know what happened, to be honest. One minute you were fine, and the next... Aito came to get me. When I got here, you looked... different." She looked away and chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Different?" Natsumi crossed her arms and nibbled on her lower lip, picking at the dry skin with her teeth. "Different _how?"_

Kiri opened her mouth, shut it again, opened it again, and then closed it once more.

"Kiri..." Natsumi muttered and gave her a long stare.

"Like I said... I'm not sure how to describe it." Kiri let out a slow breath and scratched her cheek. "You weren't acting like yourself... and your eyes... they were kind of..."

"Kind of _what?"_

"Red." Kiri answered quietly. "And slitted."

Natsumi froze and stared at her. "...What?"

Kiri laughed out loud and waved her hand. "It sounds ridiculous, I know. It was probably just some trick of the light. No need to look so worried."

Kiri turned to face away and Natsumi frowned.

_Why is she lying to me? She's never lied to me before._

Natsumi crossed her arms. "I know you're hiding something, Kiri. And I want to know what you're thinking about that's got you so serious."

Kiri blinked and looked back to her and scratched her head. "Natsumi... that's..."

"And I also want to know about our mission and why you haven't said anything about it, yet."

"We failed, Natsumi." She shrugged. "There isn't much else to say. But, that doesn't matter at all because you and Sena are more important."

Natsumi's frown deepend. "I _mean..._ what happened to the information we were supposed to get? And what happened to that boy?"

"Don't worry about it." Kiri smiled faintly. "Lord Hokage sent a team after us once Mori reported to him. The intel was recovered."

Natsumi let out a breath.

_Well, that's good news, at least. But still..._ She watched Kiri's eyes carefully. _She's still not telling me everything._

"Kiri." Natsumi started. "I know you're hiding things. I can see it in your eyes. You're not telling me everything about the mission, and you're definitely hiding something about me. When I mentioned Naruto, you had this... look." She shook her head. "I want to know everything. I don't like to be lied to— especially by my friend."

Kiri crossed her arms and furrowed her brows, looking back at Natsumi.

"Okay, look; I'm not naïve, and I'm not stupid, either. I know from your face that you were hiding something from me earlier. It's not hard to tell with you because you're not good yet at masking your emotions. But, let's be honest here— I didn't push you about it because I know that people have their own reasons for keeping secrets, _especially_ from friends."

Natsumi opened her mouth to defend herself, then closed her mouth and pressed her lips together tightly.

_Damn! She got me._

"I respect your reasons, Natsumi." Kiri continued. "Even if I feel like you should tell me... I know that people have their own reasons for keeping secrets. And _if_ I was keeping a secret from you, I'd hope that you respected my reasons, too."

Natsumi swallowed and looked downward.

_She's... got a point..._

"Besides..." Kiri shrugged and smiled. "How do you know that you're not just projecting your own anxiety and hoping that I'm hiding something, because you really want answers? Maybe I just don't have them."

Natsumi met her eyes, tilting her head slightly. "...It almost seems like you're just trying to use psychology to manipulate my perception and make me doubt myself so that I stop being suspicious of you."

Kiri laughed. "Think what you want. I'm just looking out for you, you know."

Natsumi sighed heavily and her eyes rested on Kiri's arms.

"Still... there's got to be a reason for... _that._ It's not normal."

Kiri shrugged again and mussed her hair. "Honestly, I wouldn't be too worried by it. As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."

"But—"

"No buts." Kiri winked and stood. "I've got an errand to run, but I'll be back to visit later, okay? I'll bring some cards and I'll teach you to play Poker. How's that sound?"

Natsumi smiled faintly and laughed under her breath. "Teaching a minor to gamble? That seems irresponsible."

Kiri laughed. "You say irresponsible, I say fun." She started towards the door. "Make sure you get plenty of rest. We've gotta get you back into fighting shape before your brother gets back, or else he's going to get mad at me for not looking after you well enough."

"Okay." Natsumi nodded slowly, her stomach twisting into knots. As Kiri opened the door, she looked back up. "Kiri, wait."

The woman stopped with her back turned to her. "Yeah?"

"If you were really keeping a secret from me... an important one... and it was about me... you know that I know that I'd have the right to know it." Natsumi laced her fingers together. "Whatever your reasons were, hypothetically, it'd still be my right to know something about myself. And, you're one of my only friends. If I couldn't trust you..."

The sides of Kiri's mouth twitched in a slight smile and she turned to look at the girl over her shoulder.

"Natsumi, you know I'd never do anything but look out for you. You _can_ trust me."

There was a pause and Kiri waved. "I'll be back later, I promise! Just try to rest."

The door clicked shut and Natsumi picked at the blood beneath her nails.

_She's lying. She's obviously lying. But... about what? And why?_

* * *

Kiri walked quickly out of the hospital with her eyes clouded in thought.

_"Those eyes of hers... they were just like..."_ She walked faster. _"But she's not..."_

She shook her head and held up a hand sign and disappeared with Body Flicker, reappearing in front of the Hokage's building. Taking in a deep breath, she walked inside, up to the main office, and threw open the door.

Yuuri turned and scowled at the intrusion as Hiruzen looked up from the papers he'd been reviewing.

"We're in the middle of a meeting." Yuuri glared.

Kiri stepped toward the desk and furrowed her brows, ignoring her sister as she placed her palms on the desk with the scratches on her arms exposed.

"Kiri." He sat upright and took the pipe out of his mouth and let out a tendril of smoke, looking over her arms. "What is so important that you barged in here?"

Kiri's stare intensified. "It's time we had that talk, Old Man."

"Talk? What talk?" Yuuri crossed her arms and stared at Kiri. "Whatever you think is so important, it can wait."

The man's expression shifted. "I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Ueno."

Kiri scowled and pulled up her sleeves to emphasize the scratches. "You know damn well what I mean, Hiruzen."

He placed the pipe between his lips and laced his fingers together, bringing his hands to his mouth with grim seriousness. "...I see. _That_ conversation."

"The one you've been putting off for a decade now." Kiri crossed her arms. "It's long overdue."

He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes momentarily. "I suppose it is." He opened his eyes and looked at Yuuri. "I apologize, but I have to ask you to leave now. We'll resume our meeting later."

Yuuri opened her mouth, then shut it tightly with a glare and her lips formed a hard line as she spoke through gritted teeth. "...Yes, Lord Third."

Once they were alone, Hiruzen turned his attention back to Kiri, holding the pipe away from his mouth.

"Now then... what exactly is this about?"

"You know what already..." Kiri placed her hands back on the desk, narrowing her eyes and lowering her voice. "The daughter of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, the previous Jinchuriki."


	48. Chapter 46: The Weapons Known as Shinobi

Inari ran quickly with his breathing heavy as he furrowed his brows. _"Naruto-niichan and the others are out there fighting! We should be, too!"_

He stopped in front of a small house, catching his breath momentarily before he banged on the front door a few times.

"Old man! Old man Giichi! Please open up!" He stopped knocking and rested his hand on the door. "Let's go to the bridge! If we all do it together, we can beat Gato and his men this time!"

Inari reached for the knob and drew his hand back as it turned slowly but did not open.

"Inari..." A trembling voice came from beyond the door. "I made up my mind not to fight anymore. Even your father... The man we hailed as a hero... he's not here with us anymore."

Inari lowered his eyes and clenched his fists.

"If we were to fight, many lives would be lost. I don't want to lose something that's special to me anymore." The old man continued. "No one wants to regret anymore."

The boy tightened his fists. "I... I don't want to regret anymore, either. That's why we have to fight!" He paused and took a step closer to the door. "I love mommy and Grandpa. And you, too, Old man Giichi! I love all the people here!"

He watched the knob hopefully, but it did not wiggle and he was only met with silence.

"I finally realized... nothing is accomplished if I just cry all the time! I finally got it!" Inari turned from the house and ran off, moving along to another house.

* * *

The old man stood with his back pressed against the door, his eyes shut tightly as he cried quietly.

"Inari has grown into a fine young man." An old woman commented as she sat as a low table and knitted. "Will you just let Inari go there by himself?"

The man opened his eyes slowly and stared down at his trembling hands.

* * *

"Open up" Inari banged on different doors, continuing to move from house-to-house. "Hey! I'm asking you to fight with me!" He ran to another home, striking the door hard with his fist. "Old man! Please listen to me!"

Inari paused to catch his breath, which was ragged. His expression fell as he turned and looked around at all the homes he had already been to and received no answer.

"Why...? Why won't anyone open the door to me?" He stared down at the ground, closing his eyes for a moment as he thought back to Naruto's encouragement. _"Naruto-niichan..."_

He took off running down the pier, continuing to find other houses to try.

* * *

"Naruto, please kill me." Haku stepped toward the blond slowly. "Why are you hesitating? Just make it quick."

Naruto stepped back and trembled slightly as he stared in wild confusion. "No! I just don't get it! The only reason you are allowed to live is because you stay strong?!" He paused and Haku's empty expression remained unchanged. "There must be something other than just fighting... There must be some other way for you to make the others accept you!"

"Do you remember when we met in the forest? Do you know what I thought?" Haku paused. "That you and I are very much alike."

Naruto's eyes widened and a chill rushed through his body.

"I'm sure you can relate to me." Haku continued. "I apologize for dirtying your hands with my blood."

Is that it...?" Naruto spoke with his voice quiet. "Is there really no other way?"

"No." Haku answered softly.

Naruto clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, balling his hand into a fist. "If only... we had met under different circumstances, we could've been friends..." Naruto's eyes burst open and his expression shifted to ferocity. He retrieved a Kunai from his thigh sheath and ran at Haku with his heart pounding fast as his target stayed still.

_"He too..." _Naruto clutched his Kunai tightly and narrowed his eyes as he quickly closed the distance between himself and Haku. "_Sasuke also had dreams of his own!"_ Naruto let out a low growl of anger and aimed the weapon at the older boy.

_"Thank you... you will become stronger."_ Haku opened his eyes to look at Naruto a final time before he closed his eyes contentedly.

* * *

"Oh!" Tazuna looked around. "The thick fog has finally begun to clear."

"There are two over there!" Sakura squinted to see through the thinning mist at two vague forms in the distance. "They're facing off each other."

"Huh?" Tazuna blinked and squinted, following her gaze. "I can't see all that well still..."

"Which one is Kakashi-sensei?" Her eyes widened slightly. "One moved!"

Kakashi ran at Zabuza with his hand extended and aimed at the assassin's heart, the lightning in his hand crackling and overflowing.

Haku's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist just centimeters before the Kunai pierced his heart, stopping the attack.

"Forgive me, Naruto..." Holding up his free hand, Haku formed a series of unique hand signs. "I cannot die just yet!"

Haku disappeared from before Naruto, who blinked in surprise at the empty space before him.

A fissure opened in the ground in front of Zabuza and released a burst of steam.

_"Is this the end?"_ Zabuza narrowed his eyes as the Jonin's attacks was about to pierce his chest.

A mirror of ice formed in the air in front of Zabuza. Lightning and blood mixed in the air and a powerful blast from the attack blew much of the fog away.

"What was that?" Tazunza held up an arm to shield his face from the mysterious rush of air. When it had died down, he and Sakura looked back toward where the figures had been and their eyes widened.

Lightning sparked and surged from Kakashi's palm as he stood rooted in place. Each of his Hounds vanished in a puff of smoke and he stared wide-eyed at his victim.

Blood poured from Haku's chest where Kakashi's hand had stuck entirely through, and blood dripped from his mouth. Crimson pooled on the ground, splattering all around as the lightning strike congealed it and created a large, messy hole in the boy's torso.

Zabuza stared in surprise as silence fell over them all with only the chirping of the attack between them. Theattack dissipated and left only a deafening silence in its place.

Haku let out a soft groan of pain, choking on blood and bile, and gripped Kakashi's wrist. "Z-Zabuza..."

Zabuza smirked. "Did you say my future was death?" He chuckled. "You're wrong again, Kakashi."

* * *

"No!" Tsunami stared a Inari with her hands on her hips. "You're not to go to the bridge alone!"

"I went all over town, but no one wants to come." Inari adjusted his sandal. "I have no choice!"

"But...!" Tsunami's lip quivered and a lump formed in her throat.

Inari stood, retrieving his small wooden crossbow and adjusting the helmet on his head as he walked toward the door.

"Wait! You're just a child!" His mother followed closely behind.

"I may be a child, but I already know what it means to fight." He stopped and spoke with his back to her, then turned slightly to smirk confidently. "Because I'm my father's son!"

Tsunami's eyes widened in recognition of Inari's expression.

"My dear..."

Inari opened the door and stepped outside.

"Wait, Inari!"

Inari froze and looked up at a large crowd of armed men that had assembled on the porch.

* * *

Naruto looked around to see where Haku had disappeared to. _"Where'd he go?"_ He blinked and turned around once more. _"I didn't notice, but the fog is starting to lift..."_ The mist continued to thin and Naruto looked to his right where three figures were visible. _"Huh? Is he over there?"_

Naruto ran toward the figures and then stopped after several meters with his mouth gaping open. _"H-Huh?!"_

His eyes widened as he stared at the scene— Kakashi's hand through Haku's chest, blood pouring out in liters as he stood in front of Zabuza as a shield.

"W-What the heck is going on here?!" Naruto's voice trembled as he muttered under his breath.

"Isn't that... the masked boy from before?" Tazuna asked quietly.

_"I didn't expect him to jump in front of Zabuza..."_ Kakashi's body relaxed slightly as he looked into the boy's empty eyes, his own narrowing and his stomach twisted. _"This boy... is already dead."_

Zabuza closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them with a chuckle. "You did great, Haku."

Kakashi shot the assassin a glare and Zabuza smirked, grabbing the hilt of his sword with a growl as he took aim at the Jonin.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called out and brought her hand close to her mouth as she paled.

_"He intends to slash me along with the boy?!"_ Kakashi's eyes widened slightly as he tracked Zabuza's movements as if in slow motion.

"That was a really great find I made!" Zabuza sneered and rose the sword above his head. "Even in his final moment, he gave me such a perfect opportunity!"

Kakashi shifted to dodge, but Haku's death grip on his arm immobilized him. Zabuza brought down his blade with a powerful sweep and Kakashi wrapped his free arm around the boy's body, moving at the last instant and landing a safe distance away. He gently lay Haku's body on the ground and Zabuza laughed.

"Haku died and you were able to move, huh?"

Naruto's brows furrowed and he looked at the assassin, his fists clenching and his heart pounding in anger. His fists tightened until his knuckles were white and his body trembled. "I won't forgive you!"

"Naruto! Don't come closer! Just stand there and watch!" Kakashi commanded without looking at his student, keeping his eyes fixed only on Zabuza.

Kakashi looked down at Haku on the ground before him, and then his eyes moved between the gaping hole in the boy's chest and the blood splattered all over himself. He slowly brought his hand to the boy's face and closed his eyes so that he almost appeared to be sleeping.

"This is..." Kakashi's eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a hard line beneath his mask, a bitter memory surfacing in his mind at the sight of the boy. His eyes rose to Zabuza and intensity burned within them. "...my battle!"

Sakura gulped and looked away from the boy's corpse and looked across the bridge at Naruto, giving a wave as she called out to him. "Naruto! It's good to see you!"

Naruto's expression fell as he looked at her and back down once more. _"Sakura..."_

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked, her words knotting his stomach and forming a lump in his throat.

Naruto kept his face away, unable to meet her eyes.

"Naruto, where's Sasuke?" Sakura repeated again, more quietly this time.

Naruto closed his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw as he started to tremble slightly again. Sakura's eyes widened and her smile faded.

"Sakura..." Kakashi glanced toward the girl, who stood in stunned silence.

"Kakashi! You have no time to take your eyes off me!" Zabuza rushed at his opponent, aiming another sweeping blow at Kakashi with a smirk.

Kakashi glared and shifted his weight, balancing on his palms as he brought his foot up to kick the assassin firmly in the jaw.

Zabuza was thrust back by the unepected blow, creating a temporary opening on the bridge. Tazuna looked down at Sakura solemnly. "Why don't I go with you? That way, you won't be going against your Sensei's word."

Sakura's lip quivered as she nodded slowly, then reached up to take the old man's hand. "Right..." She led him quickly through the opening and passed Naruto, who kept his eyes shut tightly.

"Sasuke..." Naruto clenched his fists and kept his moistened eyes from spilling over.

Sakura reached Sasuke's body and her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipping a beat. "W-What?!"

Tazuna looked away from the boy's body, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat at the sight of each Senbon that riddled his body.

Sakura trembled with all color drained from her face and she collapsed to her knees at his side. She gently placed a palm against his cheek and her eyes watered and tears slowly rolled down her face.

"He's cold..." Sakura swallowed and looked at the Senbon. "This... is Genjutsu, isn't it?"

"Don't mind me..." Tazuna took a step back and cast his eyes downward. "This isn't the time to hold back your true emotions..."

Sakura patted Sasuke's cheek softly and another wave of slow tears streaked down her face.

"I...I always got perfect scores at the Ninja Academy..."

"Hm?" Tazuna glanced over at her as she mumbled.

"I memorized all of the hundreds of Shinobi rules. Every test was a breeze. Until one day, this question came up..." Sakura paused. "State rule number twenty-five of the Ways of the Shinobi... As always, I simply wrote down the answer without batting an eye."

Sakura's voice cracked and she shut her eyes as her eyes spilled over and a rush of tears fell.

"A Shinobi must never show his true feelings under any circumstances, no matter what... the mission always comes first. A Ninja must have the strength of character to never shed any tears..." Sakura leaned forward to rest her arms on Sasuke's torso and buried her face there, breaking into loud sobs.

_"Is this ... how it must be for a Shinobi?"_ Tazuna watched her in silence. _"How unbearably painful..."_

"Sasuke..." Sakura muttered, and then let out a loud wail that echoed across the bridge and through the still, chilly air.

Naruto clutched his heart, his own eyes finally spilling over as Sakura's cries reached him.

* * *

Kakashi blocked Zabuza's attack with his Kunai, successfully lodging two into the assassin's arm to disable it. Zabuza retreated several meters back and panted heavily as he caught his breath on one knee.

_"Why...? Why can't I keep up?"_ Zabuza's eyes narrowed and he rested his sword against the ground to support him. He looked up at Kakashi, who remained silent with his eyes closed. "Damn you!"

Zabuza ran toward the Jonin, and, before he could swing his sword, Kakashi struck his face with his fist without moving from his position.

Zabuza recovered and scowled, taking a wide stance as he tightened his grip on the hilt with his right hand, with his left arm dangling uselessly to his side. Kakashi moved, spinning and striking Zabuza once more to knock him off balance.

"Why you...!" Zabuza struggled to maintain his grip on the enormous sword, but continued to lunge forward and swing time after time at his rival, who dodged easily. He brought the blade directly down on Kakashi's location, only for Kakashi to vanish and reappear behind him.

"You can't possibly defeat me the way you are now." Kakashi gripped the back of Zabuza's neck tightly as his eyes widened.

"What was that?" Zabuza asked, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.

"You still don't know... what true strength means." Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Let's see how things are going..." Gato chuckled to himself and tapped the end of his cane against the bridge's surface.

* * *

Kakashi spin two Kunai around his fingers, then gripped them tightly, aiming towards Zabuza's neck as he prepared the strike.

"Goodbye... Demon!"

Zabuza turned his head to see Kakashi's Kunai coming closer and he swung his arm in an arc behind him. Kakashi adjusted his attack, instead driving the Kunai into Zabuza's right arm, just below the shoulder.

Kakashi shifted and back flipped once, putting distance between him and his opponent and Zabuza's sword clattered and slid across the bridge.

Naruto stared wide-eyed in silence at his teacher.

"Both of your arms have now been disabled." Kakashi glanced up from where he sat with one knee down and his arm resting against his knee. "You can't even weave a single sign."

Zabuza glared and a pair of footsteps approached.

"Hm?" Kakashi looked over at the short man and furrowed his brows.

"Oh! You really got it this time." Gato chuckled with a smirk as he looked over his assassin. "You disappoint me again, Zabuza."

Zabuza glanced over at his employer, who was accompanied by a horde of other heavily-armed assassins and mercenaries.


	49. Chapter 47: Guilty By Association

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and took a long drag from his pipe with his brows furrowed. After a moment, he glanced up and looked at the woman across from him.

"If what you say is true... then this is a deadly serious situation." He paused. "And since Naruto is only the third Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, there is very little information to go off for his condition, and absolutely no information on the instance of twins..." He let out a long, slow tendril of smoke. "I never anticipated that twins could have such a powerful connection before..."

Kiri crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her arms. "And then, their gestation on top of that..."

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes... There is much we don't know about this... and what she had told you about Naruto..." He pressed his lips together in though. "If their connection works as I suspect it might... then it means that the seal has weakened..."

Kiri cleared her throat and he looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"What about Natsumi?" Kiri uncrossed her arms and rested a hand on her hips, then glanced down at her forearms briefly. "How do we explain this to her?"

Hiruzen returned the pipe to his lips and he paused. "To put it simply... we tell her nothing."

Kiri's eyes widened. "What?! How can that be your answer? If our suspicions are true, she has every right to know what is happening, for her own protection!"

"If our suspicions are correct, then keeping the truth buried is the best way to ensure her safety."

Kiri scowled. "I should have expected you to say that. That's what you do, isn't it, Hiruzen? You make everything a secret and keep it out of sight as your way of dealing with things."

"Kiri." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"If you hadn't realized yet, Hiruzen," Kiri continued and placed her palms on his desk. "All of those secrets you buried long ago are slipping out. The villagers all know Naruto is the host to the Nine-Tails. And Naruto himself now knows it, too. How many more of your secrets are going to come out? How many more people will get hurt from the web of lies and deception you've spun?"

"That is enough!" The old man's mouth formed a hard line and he slammed his fist against the table, silencing her. "As Hokage, it is my duty to look after the Village's best interest as a whole, which also means that some things must remain a secret if there is to be security and peace. My word on this matter is final."

"My brother _died_ for this village! My brother died because of a damn _secret_!" Kiri leaned closer. "None of your secrets are doing anything but causing pain for other people! Those twins deserve to know everything!"

"Your brother's sacrifice was a choice he made himself— the same choice that all Shinobi must face."

Kiri scoffed. "Is that it, then?! Are we just pawns to you? Our lives are meaningless beyond our Shinobi duties?"

"This is about the security of the Village." Hiruzen met her gaze and held it. "And I am Hokage. My orders are to be followed precisely."

"_No_, this is about the life of a little girl who is scared, confused, and paranoid right now!" Kiri pointed, as if Natsumi were in the room with them. "She already knows that something is very wrong, and she is worried about the only family she has! You owe it to her to give a proper explanation!"

"In time, all will be explained. To involve a child her age in such matters is—"

"That's _bullshit_!" Kiri interrupted. "You didn't find it inappropriate to bring her into the ANBU at her age! Or any of us, for that matter!" Kiri tightened her hands into fist until her knuckles turned white. "And, she's already involved! Her twin brother is the damn Jinchuriki, and she just became _feral_ for a few minutes! She needs to know!"

"Silence!" Hiruzen snapped and sucked on his pipe for a long time. "I understand your position, however, for the safety of the Village and for her own protection, you will obey my command and not tell her any part of this discussion."

"And what if this happens again?" Kiri crossed her arms. "It's like you said before, their connection is strong and unprecedented. What happens if this happens again? You can't just pretend as if the problem doesn't exist."

"I've already considered that possibility." The old man rested his elbows on the desk. "And I've decided it will be best to have her monitored for the time being as we gather more information."

Kiri snorted. "You're kidding me." After a moment, she shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. "Of course you're not. At least let me be the one to do it, instead of some stranger. She trusts me, even though she has no reason to."

"This is too personal a matter for you." He laced his hands together and held them in front of his face. "And you lack the ability to properly contain her in the event of a reoccurrence. I know just the man for the job."

Kiri's mouth gaped slightly. "You can't mean... him?!" She shook her head. "No! Anyone but him. You don't need to traumatize to her."

"She will not be aware of his presence. He's also the one best suited for this."

Kiri made a face. "Maybe so, but he creeps me out."

"It's settled then." He sat up straighter. "Natsumi will be placed under temporary observation." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "And she will not be told about anything we have discussed."

Kiri narrowed her eyes as well and met his gaze. "And, just how 'temporary' is this going to be? You can't keep her a prisoner in the hospital forever."

"Until it's determined that she is not a danger to herself or the village."

Kiri scoffed and shook her head slowly. "Of course..." She shook her head again. "Fine. But this is the last secret of yours I'm going to keep. We both know that it's not right."

He let out a long, slow breath and smoke swirled around him. "I never realized you hated me so..."

"I don't hate you." Kiri put a hand on her hip. "You'd be surprised to know that I actually highly respect you as a Shinobi and as an individual. You just also have a knack of pissing me off and making decisions that I think are stupid or cowardly."

"Hmph." He took a drag of his pipe again. _"Even as a child, she was never one to mince words..."_

Kiri turned to leave, then stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Hiruzen, I do understand where you're coming from. And I respect your motives. But, mark my words, you sheltering those two and keeping these secrets... they're going to be completely unprepared for what the world has in store for them." She paused and met his eyes. "They're going to have a rude awakening when they realize just what they should have been preparing for, and I don't think they'll be happy about it."

* * *

Kiri bit her lower lip and walked back through the halls of the hospital, scrunching her nose at the pungent odor of cleaners and rubbed the scratches on her forearms now covered by bandages and a fresh long-sleeved shirt.

_"Damn that old man... why is he always like this about everything?"_ She rounded the corner and went up the next flight of stairs. _"Lord Fourth wouldn't have done shit like this... he always knew the right thing to do or say..."_

She sighed and continued down the hall. _"I've got to tell Natsumi something..."_

She stopped in front of the door, taking in a deep breath, and then opened it again slowly.

Natsumi lay in the bed and turned to face her friend as she opened her eyes.

"Sorry." Kiri smiled faintly and scratched her head. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I can come back later."

Natsumi shook her head. "No, it's okay. I wasn't really sleeping anyway. My brain won't shut off."

Kiri sighed quietly and shut the door behind her and sat beside the bed. "How do you feel?"

Natsumi sat up and glanced down at her hands. "Alright, I guess. I just feel... tired. Not actually sleepy, but just... bored, I guess. Tired of having nothing to do than sit here and think."

_She looks about the same, too._ Natsumi watched Kiri nod and smile faintly. _The same mental exhaustion while also thinking of a million different things at one._

"I hate hospitals." Kiri crossed a leg over the other and rested her hands on her lap. "Always have. They're cold, boring, and just... depressing." She shrugged. "But, they are necessary sometimes, I guess."

She looked at Natsumi and her smile grew as she began to relax. "You're looking a lot better than when you first woke up. Your color, for one, is better."

Natsumi faintly smiled.

_She still looks like she's holding back, though. It's the same as before._

"Any chance I could get this off?" Natsumi held up her arm and gestured to the IV there. "The medical tape holding it in place is starting to give me an itchy rash, and it hurts. I can eat just fine, so I don't need it anymore."

"I'll see what I can do." Kiri eyed the bag of fluids and the monitors around the bed. "Hopefully they'll ditch those, too. I hate the constant beeping."

The corners of Natsumi's mouth twitched upward. "You think they'd be mad if I just... turned them off?"

Kiri laughed. "Oh yeah, definitely." She winked. "Although, if it were me, I'd totally do it anyway."

Natsumi looked down at her arm and then sighed. "I probably should just leave it in a little longer. I wouldn't want them to make me keep it in longer as punishment."

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Kiri looked around the room. "There's still plenty of pizza, but do you want anything else? Something to drink, maybe?"

Natsumi shook her head and held up a bottle of water. "All I want is to just get out of here before I lose my mind. I want to get back to training as soon as possible."

_And also do some digging and see what's really going on._

"I know." Kiri crossed her arms. "Believe me, I'm trying to pull what strings I can. They just want to make sure you're recovering well, but I'll see if I can't bust you out of here by tomorrow."

She tapped her fingers against her bicep. _"I know the Old Man wants her observed in the hospital, but he doesn't know Natsumi well if he thinks she'll just sit in here quietly for much longer. If that guy is so good, then it shouldn't be a problem for her to leave and be monitored on the outside."_

"Kiri, about earlier..." Natsumi looked up at her. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I don't trust you. I do trust you, it's just..." She bit her lip. "So much has happened in such a short amount of time and I feel... overwhelmed and helpless."

Kiri shook her head. "Don't. I understand, you know." She smiled and reached out to ruffle the girl's hair. "That feeling when things are happening out of your control... it's uncomfortable to not be able to do anything for the ones you care about... to only be able to sit back and wait to see what happens." She rested her hand on her knee again and looked down. "For people like us, it eats and eats at us and makes us withdrawn and paranoid. It's normal."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_That's exactly how I feel..._

Kiri laughed under her breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "After my brother..." She paused, continuing in a soft voice. "You should have seen what a wreck I was. I kept going through it in my head, blaming myself and hating myself the more time went on. Even after all this time, my mind wanders and I can't help but think that I could have done something to change it, but..." She shrugged slightly. "Ultimately, it all boils down to the fact that I haven't really accepted that it wasn't my fault."

Natsumi stared down and pressed her lips together.

_I don't know what happened to her brother, but everything really is my fault in this situation. No matter how I look at it, everything would have been fine if it weren't for me._

"Hey, as my brother used to say, 'if you're too busy staring down at the mud, you'll never see the rainbow'." Kiri nudged Natsumi. "So, don't look so down, alright?"

Natsumi let out a sigh and nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Look what I brought for you." Kiri reached into her pocket and held up a deck of cards with a grin. "I was thinking of teaching you Blackjack first, and then we can move on to teaching something more complicated."

She opened the pack of cards and slid them out into her hands as she began to shuffle.

"Where did you learn that? That's definitely not something the ANBU teaches."

Kiri shrugged and smiled faintly. "Aito and I taught this stuff to ourselves as a means to pass the time."

"You two have known each other a long time."

Kiri nodded with a short laugh. "Since we were innocent, pre-pubescent kids. We were both assigned to team Yoru, and we just naturally clicked, you know?" She shrugged again. "We had a ton in common, and our personalities are similar. We became the closest after..." She stopped shuffling and trailed off for a moment before starting again. "Let's just say, we had a rough series of missions. It was... hard for us to handle emotionally." Her voice lowered and she held the deck still in her hands, staring down at them and beyond them. "We all have our own methods of coping, though. That's what led us to creating drinking games, while still very underage."

Natsumi pressed her lips together softly. "Kiri... what happened on those missions?"

Kiri's eyes widened slightly and her hand trembled slightly before she tightened it into a ball and smiled. "It... doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past." She crossed her legs and held up the cards again. "Alright, pay attention to the rules, because I'll only explain it once."

* * *

"Ack!" Kiri threw down her card and crossed her arms. "How are you _doing_ that? I thought you said you didn't know how to play?"

Natsumi laughed and held up the Ace and the King between her fingers. "Actually, I _never_ said I didn't know how to play."

Kiri made a face. "When I said before that I would teach you, you never said that you already knew."

Natsumi set her hand down in front of her, neatly placing the cards side-by-side. "Naruto and I got bored a lot, so we played a lot of card games before we started doing real Ninja missions. And, when he was busy playing pranks or something, I would practice making Shadow Clones and playing cards with myself. We did Blackjack, Spoons, Poker, Crazy Eights, War, Kemps... you name it."

"Hmph." Kiri let out a sigh. "And here I thought I'd be the fun one who introduced you to these kinds of games."

"Card games are fun." Natsumi began to restack the desk and she smiled. "Especially when I win. Naruto used to get so worked up once I completely figured out Blackjack and learned how to beat the system. It was kind of funny, seeing him so frustrated that you could almost see the steam coming out of his ears."

"Beat by a kid..." Kiri shook her head with a smile, then shrugged. "Oh, well. I'll think of some other game we can play to pass the time."

After a moment, she started to quietly stack the cards with steady hands.

"House of cards?" Natsumi leaned closer to watch, careful to direct her breaths away.

Kiri nodded. "It's actually something I used to do to handle stress. My childhood therapist recommended it, originally."

"Does it work?"

Kiri gently set a card on top of the tallest point of the structure and it collapsed. She growled and crossed her arms, making a face.

"Not for me, no."

_If it takes my mind off of this ominous feeling I have, I'll try it._

Natsumi reached out and took the cards, beginning to rebuild the fallen structure. Kiri leaned back in the chair as she watched, keeping her legs crossed and her arm draped over the back of the chair.

"Natsumi?"

She looked up at Kiri as she set down a card carefully. "Yeah?"

Kiri swallowed and let out a short breath. "I... I'm sorry."

Natsumi blinked. "For what?"

Kiri shrugged. "Just... this whole mess. Being stuck in the hospital, for one."

"Oh." Natsumi's eyes fell on the short house of cards in front of her. "That's not your fault."

_It's mine, actually._

"Well, that's debatable." Kiri laughed softly under her breath and then let out another quiet sigh. "Just promise me that if there's anything you need, you'll let me know, okay? Even if it's just to talk, and you're afraid I'll think it's silly or if you think I won't believe you. You don't have to isolate yourself or hold in how you're feeling."

Natsumi looked away for a moment, then smiled and tilted her head slightly. "Kiri, really, I'm okay. I swear."

"Well, if you're sure." Kiri crossed her arms and then yawned. "You should try to get some sleep in a little bit. I know I'm ready for a nap."

She moved to sit in the armchair in the corner, and Natsumi shook her head.

"Kiri, just go home and sleep. I'm really fine, and you'll sleep better in your own bed."

Kiri frowned. "Are you sure? You don't want me to stay with you?"

"I'll be fine." Natsumi nodded and pointed at the cards. "I can occupy myself for a while until I get tired."

"Hmm... Okay." Kiri mussed her hair and smiled. "Just make sure you don't push yourself too much. You're still recovering from one of the worst known cases of Chakra Exhaustion. You need to get plenty of sleep so that you can leave here faster."

"Trust me, I don't want to be in here much longer." Natsumi smoothed her hair down. "I'll see you later."

"Alright." Kiri stepped toward the door with her mouth pressed into a line, then glanced over her shoulder briefly. _"Damn kid, lying through her teeth like I used to."_

* * *

Aito let out a short breath and reached into the cooler to retrieve a soda, opened it, and took a sip. A heavy silence hung over the group, with Hana and Ahmya sharing a look before Hana uncrossed her arms and rested against a tree.

"So... are we going to talk about it?" She looked at AIto, who kept his eyes averted as he drank slowly.

"Talk about what?" He muttered under his breath, his lips brushing against the can.

Ahmya coughed politely and took a step forward. "About... Natsumi? What just happened?"

"What about it?" Aito put a hand in his pocket and rested against another tree as he looked up.

Hana rolled her eyes. "Maybe you weren't there to see it, but she just went crazy and started acting like an animal!" She put her hands on her hips. "You saw her eyes! There was nothing human left there... only the eyes of a monster."

"So?" Aito shrugged, keeping his voice low. "It's over now. She's fine."

"_Fine?"_ Hana huffed. "I saw your face back there... I know what it reminded you of. What it reminded us all of."

When he didn't answer, she crossed her arms and clutched her forearms tightly with her trembling hands.

"Have you forgotten the people we _lost_ to that monster?" She bit her lip to pause. "Aito, your parents—"

"What do you want me to say?" Aito turned to meet her eyes and lowered the can from his lips. "Do you think that I didn't feel like I was reliving that day when I saw those eyes? That I didn't think of the day Asahi and I buried our parents?" He clenched his hand into a fist. "Or how I had to stand in for our father at her wedding, because our parents never got to see it for themselves? _Or,"_ he looked away and lowered his voice. "how I cried when I held my baby nephew just after he was born, because my parents were never going to get to meet their own grandson or see him grow up?"

Hana pressed her lips tightly together and looked downward as Aito met her eyes again.

"Is that what you wanted me to say?" He took a step toward her. "That I hate the Nine-Tailed Fox? That I still have nightmares where I see my parents die, one by one as its claws ripped through them?"

Aito finished the rest of his drink with a single gulp and crushed the can in his hand, staring down at it. "You're not the only one here who lost people that day, Hana." He glanced toward Ahmya, who held her arms close and remained silent.

"It... it was awful." Ahmya spoke up as her eyes watered. "Mom told me to get to the evacuation shelter, but I was stubborn and I thought that I could help... I rushed out of hiding to help, and only got in the way. My mom pushed me out of the way just in time... and I saw her crushed easily under its foot, as if she were no different than a bug." Her lip quivered and a childlike innocence flashed in her eyes. "There... wasn't even enough of her to bury."

Hana clutched her arms tighter, her eyes shut for a long time before they opened again and she glared at Aito.

"I know all of that, dammit!" Her bit her lower lip hard and her knuckles whitened. "Which is why I don't understand how you can _defend_ that thing—!"

"I'm not defending anything." Aito shot a look back. "Except for Natsumi. None of us even know what just happened, and here you are quickly condemning her as if she's some kind of monster."

"What else could it be?" Hana muttered through gritted teeth. "We were told that it had been sealed into the boy instead... but what if they were wrong? What if it's been her the whole time?"

"And if that's the case, so what?" Aito tossed the can into the bucket and crossed his arms.

"W-What?" Hana blinked and took a step back. "What do you mean, 'so what?'"

"Exactly that." He kept his eyes on her.

"Whichever one is it, it's not as if they had any choice, right?" Ahmya spoke up and looked between them, nodding slowly. "They were just born that day... not only a few hours old. Whichever one is its vessel; they didn't get a choice."

Hana uncrossed her arms and balled her hands into fists. "Maybe, but that demon inside them—"

"They're not responsible for what that monster did." Aito shook his head. "How could they be? Naruto or Natsumi... neither were its host when it attacked the village. It's not as if they let it rampage at will... they were just the container for it in order to save the village. Therefore, you can't blame them for what happened up to that point."

Hana opened her mouth, then shut it quickly again and turned her head away. Ahmya stepped closer to her and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Hana, I know exactly how you feel... but, even if your idea is right, you can't just put all of the blame and your hatred and pain on Natsumi. She's like family now, and it's not as if she really is any different now than she was before. You don't even know for sure what happened to Natsumi."

"Then explain what just happened." Hana furrowed her brows and rounded on her cousin, then looked at Aito. "Please, I'd love to hear your other theories or explanations as to why she acted like _that_ out of nowhere."

Aito let out a sigh and he ran his fingers through his hair, and Ahmya sighed and clasped her hands together.

"See? You can't." Hana shook her head.

"Natsumi isn't a threat." Aito put a hand on his hip. "You can't try to say that she is."

"Oh yes, because a girl who grows fangs and claws and starts attacking people at random, without remembering it after the fact, is completely safe and doesn't pose any danger at all." Hana rolled her eyes. "I can't listen to this right now." She turned and narrowed her eyes at Ahmya. "And I can't believe that you're agreeing with him about this."

Before they could respond, Hana flickered away and Ahyma let out a deep sigh.

"She just needs time to cool off." She pressed her lips together and looked away, her voice barely above a whisper. "She never really healed after it... I'm not even sure she tried."

Aito nodded and peered inside the cooler, frowning slightly before he straightened and picked it up.

"It's a good thing that our drinking spot is so secluded." He glanced around the wooded area and sighed again. "Hana's got a big mouth, talking about this so loudly when it's a taboo topic."

"I'll try to talk to her when I get home." Ahmya ran her fingers through her hair. "She's easier to reason with after she's had a few hours to calm down."

"Ahmya." Aito touched her shoulder as she moved to walk away and met her eyes. "What we saw... we can't let anyone else know about it, okay? No matter what happened to Natsumi, if it means what we think it does... that's dangerous information. It'd paint a big target on her back, and I for one don't want to be responsible if people start going after her thinking she's the Fox's host."

"I know." She nodded and looked down. "I might feel the same way as Hana about the monster, but what I said before, about Natsumi being family... I meant it. I don't plan on treating her differently after this or exposing her. I don't want things to become more dangerous for her than they already are."

Aito smiled and ruffled her hair. "Thanks. I knew I could count on you."

"And, I can count on you on restocking our supply." Ahmya smiled and pointed to the cooler. "Remember, Hana only drinks imports, and I prefer the bubbly juices. Grape is my favorite."

"Yeah, yeah." Aito chuckled and waved. "I won't forget."

They went their separate ways, and an eerie stillness settle over the area. A shape emerged from below ground and the giant plant cracked open to reveal the man's monochromatic features. He chuckled deeply.

"Yes... what dangerous information indeed." The black half of his face spoke independently of the other.

"How careless of them..." The white half smirked slightly and spoke in a lilted tone. "I'd hate for something to happen to this precious 'Natsumi' of theirs."


	50. Chapter 48: Child of the Forest

Kiri sighed as she looked down at the empty hospital bed as the weak early morning light streamed in through the window.

_"Natsumi... where did you go?"_

A man cleared his throat behind her and she turned to see the Hokage stepping through the doorway to look around at the room.

Kiri rubbed her head awkwardly and smiled sheepishly. "So... it seems you've already heard about her going off on her own."

The Old Man chewed on the end of his unlit pipe and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Should I be questioning why you're here so early?"

Kiri laughed and put a hand on her hip. "You think I busted her out, don't you?" She paused to watch him raise an eyebrow in suspicion, then she sighed. "I wouldn't believe me, either."

She turned to look back at the empty bed and crossed her arms and explained.

"I slipped my number to one of the nurses last night before I went home. I had a feeling she might try something, and it turns out I was right."

Hiruzen sighed and held his pipe away from his mouth.

"She's more troublesome than I expected."

Kiri laughed. "Natsumi, troublesome?" She laughed again. "She's a restless sort of person... not one to sit around idly. She inherited that trait from her parents."

"It seems that is the case." He returned the pipe to his mouth and stepped closer to look at the assorted cards and vases of flowers on the nightstand. "However, in the current situation... it's a problem."

Kiri let out a sigh and made a face. "I'm sure if your guy is so good, he's got his eyes on her right now. Tailing a young girl sneaking out of the hospital isn't that hard."

"Not ordinarily," The Old Man looked over at her. "However, Natsumi's natural skill of evasion is another thing altogether."

Kiri shrugged. "Maybe so, but she's out of Chakra still since she hasn't fully recovered. She'll just be on foot."

He raised his brow again.

"You seem to be fairly well-informed, considering you were not a conspirator in her escape."

"First off," She held up a finger. "Calling it an 'escape' is exactly the problem here. She should have never been seen as or treated as a prisoner at all." She held up a second finger. "And two, I just happen to know Natsumi better than you do."

Hiruzen sighed under his breath. "Yes, you've made your opinion on this clear." He paused. "The question is, will you obey and bring her back, or should I send a team out to retrieve her?"

Kiri frowned.

"Why can't she just be out and about? If he's watching her, everything's fine, right? You said he was perfect for the job."

"That I did, and—"

"Well, then just let her be." Kiri met his eyes. "It's only going to cause more trouble and suspicion if you bring her back and lock her in here by force."

She paused again, waiting for him to contradict her, but there was nothing.

"Look," She lowered her tone and stepped closer so that her voice wouldn't carry. "I know why you're concerned... and I understand. I really do. But, what is best for her right now is to not be cooped up, especially if you don't want her to suspicious. She may be ANBU, but she's also still just a kid who misses her brother and has a lot on her mind right now as she processes the trauma of the mission. Some alone time is just what she needs."

"And," she added. "With him monitoring her discreetly, everything will still be under control."

He stood quiet for several moments before reclasping his hands together behind him as he looked at the empty bed once more.

"Very well... you've made valid points, and as long as he's watching her, all should be well."

Kiri grinned. "Yes!"

"You're to also monitor her as well, to ensure she doesn't strain herself. Until we know more about what caused the incident before, she shouldn't be allowed to become too weakened, as a precaution."

Kiri nodded and smiled. "You know, for an old man, you're a really cool guy sometimes, Hiruzen." She looked away momentarily. "Sorry for losing my cool yesterday and snapping at you. I really do respect you and know that you care about the people of this village as if they were your own flesh and blood."

"I suppose that I come off as too callous at times..." He shook his head slowly and turned toward the door with his back to her, gathering his thoughts and standing there quietly for a long time.

"Yuuta was more than just one of my best men." Hiruzen said quietly. "He, above all else, was guided by his heart, which was pure and honorable. He was as skilled as he was a truly compassionate boy, capable of making the right choice very quickly. He was wise beyond his years, and we were all better for knowing him... His death was a tragedy for the village."

Kiri bit her lip and pulled her arms closer to herself, nodding silently to herself.

"He was the best."

The Hokage nodded as he watched her from the corner of his eye and continued toward the doorway.

"You were always his beloved sister, whom he passed down his own Will of Fire to... I see a lot of his best traits in you."

He left the room and Kiri let out the breath she had been holding and covered her mouth. A slow tear rolled down her cheek and over her hand before falling to the floor.

_"Yuuta..."_

* * *

Natsumi looked up at the snap of a twig. Kiri emerged from behind a tree and Natsumi sighed as she drew nearer.

"So... you found me already."

"Yep." Kiri smiled and put her hand on her hip. "Did you tell me to go home just so you had a better opportunity to sneak out?"

Natsumi laughed quietly and then pressed her lips together as she looked away. "Even if I said no, you wouldn't believe me."

"Damn right I wouldn't." Kiri laughed and sat beside her on the fallen log.

Natsumi sighed again and looked out into the meadow in the early morning light, watching a rabbit snuffling around at the far edge and nibbling clovers.

"Still, I was hoping it would at least take a little while longer for anyone to notice I was gone and then find me."

"I did try to delay it." The corner of Kiri's mouth twitched in a slight smile. "However, once word got to the Hokage that you were missing, he was going to immediately send people to search for you."

Natsumi bit her lower lip and leaned forward, resting her forearms against her lap as she laced her fingers together. "Great..."

"_But."_ Kiri's smile broadened. "I talked him out of it, and volunteered myself to go."

Natsumi met her eyes briefly and cracked a smile before looking away again. "So... how did you find me, anyway? This isn't somewhere that I usually go."

Kiri glanced around until her eyes rested on the shadow behind one tree, then averted her eyes before the girl could see and shrugged.

"Oh, I ran into a magical talking tree and he told me where you'd gone."

_"Right."_ Natsumi laughed softly under her breath and gently shook her head. "Keep your secrets, then."

Kiri leaned back and looked at a pair of twittering birds as they flew overhead. "So, why'd you come out here to the middle of nowhere?"

Natsumi shrugged. "Well, I was trying to avoid being found. But, it's just so... open and peaceful here. I like all the sounds outside, and there are no walls like in the hospital. Only openness." Natsumi unlaced her fingers and looked over at Kiri. "I just hated feeling like a prisoner. I know I was there for my health, but I couldn't help but feel trapped."

Kiri nodded. "That's one of the reasons I hate hospitals so much." She smiled faintly. "It's much nicer out here, instead of being surrounded by gloom and mortality." The corners of her mouth pulled upward. "This also happens to be a nice, secluded spot to train in, right?"

Natsumi blinked quickly and made a face, her cheeks warming. "I... I hadn't thought of that."

Kiri laughed and put an arm around her shoulders. "I figured that's why you came here."

Natsumi sighed heavily and then nodded. "I know you're probably to tell me that I haven't recovered fully and that I shouldn't push myself, or I might make everything worse."

Kiri nodded to herself. "Yeah, a lot of people would agree with that."

"But... Naruto will be back soon and I can't let him see me like this." She bit her lip and flexed her fingers. "I tried doing some stretching and basic exercises already, and my body can't even handle a few pushups now. All my strength from before is gone, and I look skinny and pathetic."

"Well, to be fair, your body _did_ try to cannibalize itself in order to create extra Chakra." Kiri poked her cheek. "Which is both impressive and pretty scary. It's no wonder it took a toll on your body."

Natsumi pressed her lips together and lowered her head slightly. "I know. And, I _know_ that I should be resting, but I just can't sit around anymore doing nothing. Even if I have to start all over again, I'll do it. I just can't lay around and be useless anymore."

Kiri held up her finger. "Natsumi—"

"I'm sure you were sent to bring me back..." Natsumi interrupted. "but please... I can't go back there and just sit around. This is something that I have to do, and I know that you'll probably try to stop me, but—"

"Natsumi!"

She blinked and looked up at Kiri, who smiled and put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Natsumi, I'm not going to stop you. I want to help with your training."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "W-What? You're not? But... why?"

Kiri rested her hand on the log beside her and her mouth twitched upward in a smirk as she looked at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Well, no matter what anyone would say or do, you'd still go out and do it anyway. Instead of having an annoying back-and-forth argument about it, I'd rather just help you and be here in case you need someone to help you not exceed your limit."

Natsumi crossed her arms and made a face. "Thanks, but I don't need a babysitter. I know what my own limits are, and I'm not so stubborn that I'd go beyond them."

Kiri leaned in closer and crossed her own arms. "Oh, _really?"_

Natsumi turned her face away as it reddened and she pursed her lips. "...Fine. I go overboard all the time. Happy, now?"

Kiri laughed loudly and ruffled the girl's hair. "It's a Team Yoru trait... all of us seem to be the same way, so don't feel like I'm picking on you." She winked and after some time, rested her forearms on her legs, leaning forward as her smile softened. "So... when do you want to start training?"

Natsumi smoothed down her hair and smiled as she lowered her hands. "Right now? Is that alright?"

"Now?" Kiri stood and placed her hands on her hips, leaning back slightly to stretch. "Sure. I don't see why not."

Natsumi stood and stretched her arms, and then their stomachs growled simultaneously.

Kiri patted her stomach and scratched her head with her other hand as she laughed. "Uh... how about breakfast, first?"

Natsumi touched her own stomach and then nodded slowly. "Sounds good."

* * *

"Natsumi, I think we should take a break." Kiri sighed and crossed her arms. "You've been training for hours now. You're supposed to ease back into it first."

Natsumi bit her lip and sucked in a strained breath as sweat poured from her face and fell onto the ground below.

_I'm not quitting just yet._

She lowered herself to the ground and gritted her teeth as her arms trembled.

_Not yet..._

She willed herself upward slowly until her arms locked and she laughed quietly under her breath.

_One hundred and ninety-nine..._

"Seriously, Natsumi, just stop." Kiri sighed again and watched the girl struggle to hold herself up. "You look like you're going to pass out."

"One... more." Natsumi panted and lowered herself again. _I'm almost there..._ Back up again and Natsumi let out the breath she'd been holding in.

_Two hundred..._

Her arms gave out and she fell onto the ground, laughing to herself as her body turned heavy.

_I did it..._

Kiri shook her head slowly and knelt beside her, gently poking her shoulder. "You're one of the most stubborn people I've ever met, you know that, right?"

Natsumi laughed again and closed her eyes momentarily. "Thanks."

She rolled over onto her back as she caught her breath and wiped the sweat off her brow.

_If I keep this up, I'll be back to normal before Naruto even gets back!_

"Alright, break time." Kiri held out a hand and pulled Natsumi to her feet once she took it. "You go sit for a while, and I'll go grab us some drinks and snacks."

Natsumi crossed her arms and sat on her log, pursing her lips as she muttered. "I don't need a break..."

"Yeah, you do." Kiri patted her head, then made a face at the sweat on her palm, and wiped her hand onto her pants. "At least for a little while. Your Chakra levels are still recovering, but if you don't push too hard, you should be fine in a week."

Natsumi let out a sigh. "_Fine_, I'll take it easy."

"Good." Kiri smiled and nodded to herself. "Now, don't go anywhere. I'll bring us back something good."

Natsumi nodded and gripped the hem of her shirt.

_So... what should I practice once she's gone? I've already done plenty for physical strength for one day... so, what to do now?_

Kiri raised her brow at the girl, lost in thought, and then bit her thumb. Forming hand signs, she placed her palm to the grass and the form of an elegant, dark red fox emerged from the puff of smoke.

Natsumi blinked. "Kiri? What are you doing?"

Kiri laughed and put a hand on her hip. "Making sure you take a break."

The fox stretched and yawned, then looked up at Kiri. "I was napping..."

"Sorry." Kiri stroked his head. "Mori, could you keep an eye on Natsumi for a little while for me? I'll be back, but I need you to make sure she doesn't do any Chakra training."

The fox turned its head to Natsumi. "Ah. The teleportation girl." He nodded at Kiri. "Alright."

"Thanks." Kiri straightened and put a hand in her pocket. "I'll be sure to bring you something, too."

She formed a hand sign and flickered away, leaving Natsumi to sigh deeply and cross her arms.

"It's impressive for someone so young to have mastered a technique like teleportation like that." The fox flicked it's fluffy tail and sat beside her. "Especially since you were able to teleport others, rather than yourself."

"Thanks..." Natsumi pressed her lips together and looked at the animal sideways.

_I'm having a conversation with... a fox._

"Ahem." Mori straightened and met her eyes directly. "You're not familiar with Ninja Animals, are you?"

Natsumi shook her head.

"We briefly learned a little about Summoning Jutsu at the Academy, but nothing really in depth." She scratched cheek and laughed under her breath. "And, it was never mentioned that you could... uh..."

"Speak?" The Fox watched her carefully and then turned its face away. "Not all Ninja Animals speak. However, it's not uncommon."

_This is so weird._

"Um... Mori?" Natsumi looked up. "How exactly do animals become Ninja companions?"

"There are several Shinobi clans that raise and train Ninja Animals." The fox answered. "In Konoha, the Inuzuka raise Ninja Hounds and Nekobaa raises Ninja Cats. The Aburame have contracts from birth to become insect users, although one could argue that their method doesn't qualify as utilizing a Ninja Animal, as there is no summoning involved."

The fox paused. "In other nations, there are other clans that raise Ninja animals as well, ranging from Falcons to Tortoise, and even giant Leeches or sea creatures. However, most of those do not speak. To conclude, there are also the three Legendary-class Ninja Summoning Animals— the sages Serpent, Slug, and Toad."

Natsumi made a face. _Slugs? Toads? Snakes? Gross. Who would want to make contracts with creatures like that?_

"Yes, I also find those to be unappealing." The fox chuckled and watched her from the corner of his eye, then licked his lips. "Except as meals, perhaps. Snakes and Toads are delectable. Although slugs are vile no matter how you look at them."

"What about you?"

"Hm?" He flicked his tail once more.

"Were you raised by a clan, then, too?"

The fox shook his head. "I was born an ordinary kit, in the woods near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea."

Natsumi blinked. "You were... a normal animal before? But then—"

"How did I become a Ninja?" Mori seemed to shrug and he curled his tail around his legs. "As a Kit, at only a few months old, Kiri found me while on a mission as an adolescent. I would have been killed easily by wolves had she not interfered, despite the fact that saving me delayed her ANBU mission."

Mori watched perfectly still as a small hare across the meadow ate a cluster of clover and licked his lips before he allowed it to hop away with a sigh.

"Until that point, I had viewed you humans to be the most lethal predator, however, I became interested in learning more of human behavior, and I followed Kiri without her noticing me."

His voice lowered and his tone shifted, matching his darkening eyes. "Her mission did not go as planned. She was captured by the enemy before she could alert her team of her position. The enemy did not care that she was young, and they attacked her brutally. Though young, I attempted to return the favor, and I rushed in and started to bite the ankle of one man. It did nothing more than aggravate him, and I was left with this scar."

Mori titled his chin upward and moved a section of fur aside with his paw to reveal a long, jagged scar that stretched from his chin, down to his chest. Natsumi's eyes widened.

"In the end, I was unable to help her, however, her team arrived— her father, sister, and Aito— and they were able to kill the enemies and save her. They brought me along with them back to Konoha, after deducing that I had tried to assist, I suppose. Since that day, Kiri and I drew close and trained together. After only one year, I had taught myself how to speak the human tongue in short sentences. After two years, I was fluent, and Kiri and I became a highly effective team."

Natsumi opened her mouth, and then shut it again. _Could that be... maybe... the same mission Kiri had mentioned before?_

"So..." Natsumi started slowly. "Having a Ninja Animal as a companion... it makes you stronger?"

The fox nodded. "For those with the affinity for it, though anyone too closed-minded can't properly synchronize with animals on a deep enough level to be effective. For those who can, both the Ninja Animal and Ninja become one in battle, as extensions of the other."

Natsumi stared down at her hands.

_Yet again, I need to get stronger._ She bit her lip. _I was blind before, thinking that I was strong enough. But I underestimated the real world. I need to do anything I can to get more powerful... __no matter the cost. That's what I decided before._

"Um... how does a Ninja choose their animal?" Her eyes rose again. "Is it always by accident?"

Mori shook his head and yawned slightly. "Usually, a Ninja has a natural affinity for one type of animal. The selection is more profound than simply shopping in a store— a Ninja Animal Companion depends on who you are, and which creature you are inexplicably drawn to. It's difficult to explain with words. The bond is something that must be felt. Words aren't necessary."

_That sounds extremely complicated. Isn't there a straight answer?_

After a moment, Natsumi sighed and crossed her arms. "...Don't take this the wrong way... but... _how_ exactly do you help in battle? You don't have hands, so you can't form Hand Seals."

"Hmph." Mori stuck his nose up indignantly and leapt off of the log. "For one, we Foxes have a sense of smell as good as some dogs, so we make excellent trackers. I'm also skilled at strategy and proficient in my own Fox-Style Taijutsu." He puffed out his chest proudly. "And, I'd like to believe that I am skilled enough with Kunai to rival the average Shinobi."

"Kunai, too?" Natsumi pursed her lips and looked at him. "But... you have no hands."

"Ha!" He puffed out his chest. "You don't need hands to utilize a Kunai Knife!" His eyes rested on the pouch on her thigh. "Hand me one and I'll show you."

Natsumi retrieved a Kunai and held it out to him. He grasped the handle between his teeth with a smirk.

"Watch this." Leaping straight into the air, he whipped his head quickly to the side and the Kunai struck the tree hard, sticking into its bark several centimeters.

Natsumi's eyes widened and watched him land gracefully on all fours, then stared back at the tree.

"That was amazing!"

"Of course." Mori lifted his nose upward. "I'm very proud of my skills."

Natsumi wrenched the knife from the tree after a moment of difficulty, and then carved a target there. "How's your aim?"

"Hmph." Mori flicked his tail back and forth mischievously and narrowed his eyes. "Better than yours I'd wager."

Natsumi laughed. "Oh, _really?_" She retrieved a handful of Kunai from her pouch and tossed them at the Fox, striking the ground in a circle around him.

"Really." He bit at another handle, deftly throwing the blade at the target. He threw the rest of the Kunai, one after the other at the target nimbly and Natsumi smirked faintly.

_Let's see if he can keep up with this._

She threw several Shuriken at him, which he dodged without looking. With the tip of his tail, he caught each one midair and redirected them at the target.

He landed once more and puffed out his chest. "There we go. I think I've proven my point."

Natsumi looked at the target, now covered expertly in Kunai and Shuriken to write a Hiragana symbol.

"Ha." Natsumi read, mumbling under her breath, then looked at the fox. "Wow!" She dropped to her knees in front of him and lifted him into the air. "Mori-san, you're amazing! You're better than most everyone I know!"

He looked away, as if embarrassed, and hung limply as she held him. He cleared his throat softly. "Erm... well, yes. As I said."

"Aw, Mori, you never let me hold you like that." Kiri laughed and stepped back into the clearing, holding a shopping bag in one hand. "It reminds me of when you were a cute little baby."

Mori huffed and Natsumi set him down with a smile.

"I'm an elegant, sentient creature— not some toy." He looked at Kiri and then flicked his tail. "Cute is not a word applicable to me."

"Whatever you say." Kiri rubbed the top of his head and held out the bag for Natsumi to take. "Have a nice break?"

Natsumi stood, taking the bag as she nodded, and gestured over to the tree. "Just having a little fun."

Kiri laughed and put a hand on her hip. "Ah, the old 'Ha' routine, eh, Mori?"

The Fox ignored her and she laughed again.

"You know he spent ages trying to do that. It was so cute to look out my window at night and see him training."

Natsumi giggled and dug around through the bag's contents until she pulled out a sandwich and a bottle of juice.

After a moment, Mori glanced over his shoulder at Kiri, who had sat to eat.

"You didn't... happen to bring me anything, did you?"

Kiri stuffed a chip into her mouth with a chuckle and reached into the bag. "Hm... I don't know. How do sardines, boiled eggs, some mushrooms, and fresh strawberries sound?"

Mori's eyes widened and he hopped over to look at the spread. "Strawberries?!"

"Yup." She opened the container and set it on the ground. "All yours, big guy."

"He really is just an overgrown housecat." Kiri leaned close to Natsumi to whisper.

Natsumi laughed at watched the fox happily as he purred and licked the berry from his lower lip before digging in again.

"He's wonderful."


	51. Chapter 49: Demon in the Snow

Kakashi shifted and back flipped once, putting distance between him and his opponent and Zabuza's sword clattered and slid across the bridge.

Naruto stared wide-eyed in silence at his teacher.

"Both of your arms have now been disabled." Kakashi glanced up from where he sat with one knee down and his arm resting against his knee. "You can't even weave a single sign."

Zabuza glared and a pair of footsteps approached.

"Hm?" Kakashi looked over at the short man and furrowed his brows.

"Oh! You really got it this time." Gato chuckled with a smirk as he looked over his assassin. "You disappoint me again, Zabuza."

Zabuza glanced over at his employer, who was accompanied by a horde of other heavily-armed assassins and mercenaries, hisarms hanging limply at his sides as blood poured down them.

"Gato... why did you come here?" He looked over at the small army behind the short man. "And who are these men?"

"Our strategy has changed a little..." Gato narrowed his eyes at the Rogue Ninja with a smirk. "Sorry to say this, Zabuza, but you will die here."

Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. "What?!"

"Since hiring a regular Shinobi costs so much money, I hired Rogue Ninjas like you! And it would have been even more ideal to save my money and effort if Ninja-to-Ninja battles ended in each killing the other off." Gato laughed and tapped his cane on the ground. "Well, you are certainly not worthy of being called The Demon of the Hidden Mist Village. If you ask me, you're just a cute little demon!"

The hired thugs behind Gato started to laugh obnoxiously, with many throwing their heads back and pointing as the assassin.

_"What are those guys?"_ Naruto blinked at the noisy crowd. _"There's so many of them..._"

"Kakashi..." Zabuza said under his breath, with his back to the Jonin. "I apologize. Our fight ends here..."

Kakashi glanced from the thugs to Zabuza, remaining quiet.

"As long as my reason to take down Tazuna is gone, you are no longer my enemy and there is no reason to fight you."

"Yeah..." Kakashi nodded shortly. "You're right."

Gato approached Haku's body, his cane tapping as he walked, and he stopped beside the boy with a sneer. "That reminds me... I owe him something."

The man started to lightly kick Haku's head with a smirk. "He squeezed my arm 'til it broke..." Gato drew his foot back and kicked hard, snapping the vertebrae as the limp head rolled to the side.

Naruto's eyes widened and Kakashi shot a glare at the kingpin.

"Huh. He's dead already." Gato prodded Haku's cold cheek with the end of his cane.

"You bastard!" Naruto clutched his fists and yelled, running at the man. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Kakashi quickly reached up to grab Naruto and hold him back. "Stop! Don't act so recklessly!"

Kakashi loosened his grip on his student and Naruto glared at Zabuza.

"You say something, too! He was your comrade, right?!"

"Shut up, punk. Haku is already dead." Zabuza narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"What...?!" Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Don't you feel anything, watching him do that?! Weren't you with Haku for a long time?"

"As Gato used me... I was simply using Haku."

Naruto froze in place, unable to speak.

"I thought I'd told you... we Shinobi are merely tools. What I wanted here his skills and not Haku himself... I have no regrets."

Naruto furrowed his brows and clenched his fists. "Do you... do you really mean that?"

"Naruto, stop." Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "There's no need to fight him anymore... Besides..."

"Shut up!" Naruto hit Kakashi's hand away and balled his fists tighter, then pointed at the assassin. "My enemy is still this one!

Zabuza glanced over his shoulder at the blond with a hard look in silence. Naruto paused, breathing heavily as he trembled.

"He... He..." Naruto looked at Haku, then back to Zabuza. "He really liked you! He liked you that much!" Naruto pointed towards the corpse of the older boy, biting his lip. "Even so, don't you feel anything at all?!"

Naruto's eyes watered and spilled over and he let out a breath as he remembered his conversation with Haku in the woods. "How can you... you really don't feel anything at all?! When a person becomes as strong as you... do they really behave like you? He... He threw his life away for you!" His voice quivered and quieted as he continued. "He didn't even fulfill his own dreams and yet... to die as a tool!"

Naruto balled his hands into white-knuckled fists as tears streamed down his face and his nose began to run.

"That's... That's... too painful..."

"Kid..." Zabuza muttered.

Naruto sniffed and his eyes rose toward the rogue ninja, widening as he saw tears falling from his face and hitting the ground. Zabuza looked up at the sky as he silently wept.

"Don't... say anything anymore."

Zabuza lowered his head once again and let out a slow, soft breath. "Haku was... He wasn't just thinking of me. He was feeling pain inside for you while he battled you guys, too... I know that... he was too kind..." Zabuza fell quiet again and his tears slowed. "...I'm glad that we could fight with you at the end."

"Huh?" Gato blinked behind his shades as Zabuza bit away at the bandages that covered his mouth to reveal sharp teeth.

Zabuza smirked slightly and glanced back at Naruto. "Yes, little punk... it's as you say, after all... Shinobi are human, too. Maybe it's impossible to become an emotionless tool..." He huffed quietly and a faint smiled curved his lips upward. "...I've lost."

Zabuza's smile faded and his lips formed a hard line. "Kid! Give me a Kunai Knife!"

Naruto blinked and reached into the pouch on his thigh, then tossed it through the air at the assassin. "Okay."

Zabuza caught the Kunai easily between his teeth and shot a murderous look at Gato.

He rushed forward toward Gato suddenly, whose eyes widened and he stepped back. "What?!" He ran toward the thugs to hide behind them, and pointed back at Zabuza. "Enough! Take them all down!"

"Yeah!" The mercenaries smirked with bloodlust flashing in their eyes as they gripped their weapons tightly and prepared for Zabuza as he approached.

"Are you crazy?" One mercenary laughed. "Do you think you can win by yourself against this many of us?"

Zabuza cut through the crowd quickly, slicing them skillfully as they bled. The others eyes' widened at his approached and some started trembling. They ran at him with their weapons drawn, only to be dodged easily and cut before they could land a blow. Dodging their strikes, Zabuza slit their throats and cut open their sides.

One thug smirked as his spear stuck into Zabuza's back, stopping his assault and sending him wobbling forward. Zabuza glared and blinked as blood soaked his clothes and a series of other knives and spears were thrust into his back. His vision blurred, yet he saw Gato running away to the edge of the uncompleted bridge, to escape on the small boat he had arrived in.

Gato turned and slowed, watching as his mercenaries surrounded Zabuza and struck, only to be wounded and shoved aside. Gato's eyes widened as Zabuza broke through and ran at the man. Gato shook as the assassin approached, with his hatred and Chakra immense in the air behind him, almost as if a demon's face were visible in his wake, hissing and ready to devour anyone in its path.

"D-Demon!" Gato held up his arm in front of him and froze in place as fear rooted him to the spot.

Zabuza plunged the Kunai's blade into his former employer's chest and Gato choked and gurgled, then blood spewed from his mouth. Zabuza smirked as he held the Kunai tightly in his teeth, then groaned in pain as swords, spears, and knives pierced him from behind. He staggered forward and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

"If you're so anxious to join your friend..." Gato coughed and covered his wound to slow the bleeding. "You can go ahead... alone!"

"Unfortunately..." Zabuza spat out a glob of blood and saliva. "I don't... intend on going... to the same place... as Haku!"

Zabuza straightened to a stand, ignoring the weapons in his back as he shuffled slowly towards Gato.

"W-What?!" The man gulped and glared, though he stepped back as he shook. "Pretending to be so tough..."

Zabuza stopped only a centimeter from his face and smirked. "You're going to hell with me!"

"It's no big deal..." Zabuza took another step forward, and Gato took another back at the Ninja's crazed expression. "When the Demon of the Hidden Mist Village dies and goes to hell, he can become a real demon. I look forward to it! I'll let you find out for sure if I'm a cute little demon or not in hell!"

Zabuza moved his body, creating momentum to grasp the Kunai in Gato's hand with his teeth, then followed through with a series of slashes on the man's chest and neck. Gato began to fall backward as if in slow motion and Zabuza moved around him, slashing from all sides. Zabuza let out a growl, his hatred contorting his features and Gato gasped as the assassin resembled a demon. Zabuza put the remainder of his strength into one final blow, ripping open Gato's throat and sending him flying off of the bridge's edge and down into the water below.

Naruto's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open at the bloody scene as Kakashi let out a breath and closed his eyes momentarily.

The mercenaries and thugs stared wide-eyed at Zabuza in silence, a few stepping away with pale faces. Zabuza turned his attention to them and they blinked and moved away in panic, dropping their weapons as they did. They created an open path for him, leading towards Haku's body. The Kunai dropped from his mouth onto the ground and he shuffled his feet slowly as his breathing was heavy and ragged. His vision blurred and darkened and he wobbled with each step.

"Haku..." He fell forward on his knees and cough blood once more, glancing up at the boy. _"Now... it's goodbye, Haku... Thank you... for everything... I'm sorry..."_

He fell forward collapsed, and silence fell over the bridge. Naruto gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes as he looked away.

"Don't look away." Kakashi looked at his student, and then to Zabuza's body. "It's the end for a man who lived fiercely."

"Yeah..." Naruto nodded slowly and turned his eyes back to the corpse.

* * *

_"Did I... die...?" _Sasuke's vision shifted from black to the pale blue of the sky obscured by light fog. The sound of crying reached his ears and he blinked slowly. _"Sakura...?"_ He saw her laying on his stomach, sobbing into her arms as Tazuna looked down at her. _"Am I... am I...?"_

"Sakura... you're heavy."

Sakura's eyes burst open and she sat up to stare into his face to watch him blink. "Sasuke-kun..." Her eyes overflowed once more. "Sasuke... Sasuke... Sasuke...!" She wrapped her arms around him and cried harder, relieved.

"Sakura... that hurts..." Sasuke managed to whisper as he grunted in pain.

Tazuna wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and readjusted his glassed. "Things turned out well, didn't they, Sakura?"

Sasuke slowly sat up and Sakura held her hands out to support his shoulder.

"Stop! You shouldn't move yet!"

"Anyway..." Sasuke drew in a breath and released it slowly. "Where's Naruto?" He paused. "And also... what happened to that masked guy?"

"Naruto's fine." Sakura watched over Sasuke cautiously, reassuring herself with each breath he took. "And... that masked kid... he's dead."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked at her face. "Died?! Did Naruto get him?"

Sakura shook her head. "Well, I'm not really sure, but he protected Zabuza..." She looked over to where Kakashi, Naruto, and the bodies were, and then back to Sasuke with a smile. "I had faith in you. You're so awesome, Sasuke! You avoided getting inflicted with any mortal wounds!"

Sasuke stared at Haku's body, expressionless and Sakura stood and waved at her blond teammate.

_"From the beginning... he intended to..."_ Sasuke pressed his lips together into a line.

"Naruto!" Sakura waved and called out to him. "Sasuke's all right! He's alive!"

Naruto turned and his mouth gaped as he saw Sasuke stand after a moment. "H-Huh?!"

Sasuke raised a hand slowly in greeting and Naruto grinned. His eyes watered as he laughed and let out a breath.

After a moment, Naruto turned his eyes back to Haku. _"I see... He..."_

"So, Sasuke's all right, too..." Kakashi let out a breath. "That's a relief..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" A thug hit the ground and shouted to get the attention of the Leaf Shinobi.

Naruto and Kakashi turned to see the crowd, now re-armed and smirking mischievously.

"You guys are too relaxed!"

"Damn Ninja! You killed our source of money!"

"Now that it's come to this, there's no choice but to attack the whole town and take all the valuables in sight!"

The thugs cheered and laughed and Kakashi furrowed his brows. "Damn... this isn't good!"

"Kakashi-sensei! Don't you have a Jutsu to annihilate them all at once?" Naruto turned to the Jonin, who sighed.

"That's impossible! Also, I've used too much Chakra as it is."

"Here we go!" The lead thug pointed his spear at the Shinobi and the mercenaries ran at them with shouts, but stopped in their tracks when an arrow flew overhead and stuck into the ground before them.

All eyes turned to see its origin and saw Inari, armed with a small handheld crossbow with a backpack full of bolts on his back, and a helmet on his head. Behind him, stood the villagers, armed with determined, angry expressions. Some held farming tools in their hands as weapons, while others held up their fists.

"Enemies who come any closer to the island...!" One of the bridge's construction workers called out as he held a pickaxe in his hands. "With all the might of all the island's people... will not be allowed to live!"

"Yeah!" The villagers hoisted their weapons and fists into the air.

"Inari!" Naruto grinned.

Inari laughed and rubbed his nose. "Heroes always arrive late on the scene!"

Tazuna's eyes widened and watered slightly. "Inari... you guys..."

The thugs blinked and stared wide-eyed at the enormous crowd.

"Okay! I'm gonna help out, too!" Naruto smirked and formed a hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Four Clones appeared and the thugs took a step back as they continued to be outnumbered.

"I can do that, too, even with my scarce Chakra..." Kakashi formed the same hand sign and closed his eyes temporarily. "At least, it will work as a bluff... Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several dozen Clones appeared and said in unison. "Kakashi style!"

The thugs screamed and gasped and stepped back.

"So... are you ready to fight?!" The Kakashi clones threatened in unison.

"No, we're not!" They turned and ran quickly away, racing each other to escape onto the boat they had arrived on, some falling into the water in panic.

"We did it!" Inari cheered and lifted his crossbow into the air. The villagers cheered with him and Tsunami laughed and hugged her son happily. Tazuna looked around at the celebration with a smile.

* * *

Kakashi stood beside Zabuza and stared down at him solemnly.

"Sounds like it's over..." Zabuza cracked open an eye and managed to mutter.

"Yeah."

"Kakashi... I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it?"

"I... I want to see his face..." Zabuza glanced up at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, his voice unable to rise above a mumble.

Kakashi nodded slowly and lowered his headband to cover his left eye once again. "Alright."

Naruto turned and watched as Kakashi removed each of the weapons from Zabuza and lifted him into his arms. As he carried Zabuza, snow began to gently fall from the sky.

"Hm?" One villager looked around in confusion.

"Snow?" Another held out a hand and watched the snowflake melt on his palm. "At this time of year?"

Zabuza watched through his blurred vision as the flakes drifted down. _"Haku... are you crying?"_

Kakashi knelt and laid the assassin down carefully at Haku's side and then stepped back.

"Thanks, Kakashi..." Zabuza muttered as the Jonin walked away.

Zabuza turned his head tolook at Haku, who almost seemed to be sleeping.

"You were always at my side... at the very least... I can be at your side in the end..." Zabuza blinked and a tear rolled down his cheek, and he slowly brought his hand up to touch Haku's cheek. "If it's possible... I'd like to go... to the same place... as you."

Sunlight streamed through the clouds and illuminated the boy's face as a final tear escaped his eye.

Naruto wiped his face with his sleeve and sniffed. "This guy... he was born in a village where it snowed a lot..."

"I see..." Kakashi lowered his eyes and paused. "He was a boy whose heart was as pure as snow..." His eyes rose back to the pair of corpses in the light. "You'd be able to go, Zabuza. The two of you... together."

* * *

The evening sun shone brightly where it sat lazily on the horizon, illuminating the two new graves on the hilltop overlooking the land. The Beheading Sword was stuck deep into the ground to mark Zabuza's grave, and Sakura placed flowers on each grave as she remained quiet in thought.

"But, you know, Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura sat in front of one wooden cross and looked up at her teacher.

"Hm?"

"I wonder if the way a Ninja should be is really as these two were saying." She stood and walked over to the other members of Team Seven.

"Shinobi should not seek the reason for their own existence. What's important is to exist merely as tools." Kakashi spoke slowly. "That's the same as in the Hidden Leaf Village."

Naruto turned his eyes from the graves and looked up at Kakashi. "I wonder if that's what it really means to become a real Ninja." His expression fell slightly. "I guess... I don't like that!"

"Do you think so, too?" Sasuke spoke up and looked at the Jonin, who looked the three of them over.

"Hmm... well, that's why all Ninja live trying to figure that out without realizing... like Zabuza and that kid."

After a moment, Naruto nodded to himself. "Okay!"

His Teammates looked at him as he grinned. "Huh?"

"I've just decided! I'm going to follow my own Ninja Way! I'm gonna sprint straight ahead and pursue a way that I absolutely won't regret!"


	52. Chapter 50: Unlikely Alliance

Kiri yawned and knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.

"Come in."

She opened the door to step inside, suppressing another yawn as she spotted the old man standing in front of the wide window, with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Why'd you call me here so early in the morning? The sun's even barely up."

Hiruzen let out a sigh and turned to look at her over his shoulder as she shut the door behind her and stepped closer.

"You were with Natsumi yesterday, correct?"

"Natsumi? Yesterday?" Kiri yawned quietly and nodding, sitting down heavily in a chair against the wall. "Yeah. Watching over her like you said, making sure she didn't overexert herself or anything."

After a moment of quiet, Kiri blinked and leaned forward as she squinted at him.

"Wait a minute... you wouldn't call me here so early and then ask me that if..." She laughed and crossed her arms. "You _lost_ her?!"

Hiruzen turned to face her and sighed under his breath.

"Not exactly. She's still being followed." He paused. "However, she left the village late last night in a hurry. That was after she made a late-night visit to Oto, for reasons unknown."

Kiri laughed again and leaned back in the seat, more awake than before. "Oto, huh?" She shrugged. "Didn't know they were acquainted."

"Yes, well, the situation has become increasingly complicated." Hiruzen sat at his desk and lit his pipe. "While she is being followed, we're not sure of her destination or her reason for leaving the village, and so suddenly." His eyes narrowed and he breathed out small tendrils of smoke from his nose. "When you were with her yesterday, did she behave in any way or say something that could indicate where she has gone?"

Kiri sighed and shrugged, crossing one leg over the other. "How should I know? She seemed normal. Obviously with a lot on her mind; feeling helpless, missing Naruto, wanting to be stronger, blaming herself for what went wrong with the mission... take your pick." She sighed once more and pursed her lips. "Despite all that, she seemed normal. In fact... she seemed to be having fun, doing a little bit of training."

"I see." The Hokage chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pipe.

"Why not just ask Oto why Natsumi was there and what she was looking for?" Kiri looked at him. "She may be difficult at times, but she won't be so tight-lipped with the Hokage doing the asking."

"I've already sent someone to her; however, she seems to have disappeared as well. The only thing she left behind was a note saying that she had left to visit family and would not return for a week."

"Classic Oto..." Kiri ran her fingers through the ends of her hair in thought. "And, as far as I know, her family all lives outside of the village, but she's never said where exactly, so we can't just go and ask her there."

Hiruzen nodded and furrowed his brows in thought. "Are you certain that she did not say or do anything that could be useful at this time?"

Kiri recrossed her arms. "I don't know what you're expecting me to say. We did some light training all day, took plenty of breaks, and then had some dinner. After, we grabbed some chocolate-stuffed Taiyaki before we went our separate ways. There were some feral cats following her and begging for food, so I saw her break off pieces for them and pet them before she headed home. That's it."

"Whatever Natsumi was planning, she didn't let on to anything." Kiri continued. "Of course, she's naturally gifted like that, which is why she was chosen to be ANBU."

_"What a stubborn girl..."_ Hiruzen released a puff of smoke from his lips. _"Running off and doing as she likes, without considering the dangers involved..."_

Finally, he sighed again. "It seems all we can do for now is for him to continue following her to see where she ends up, and to subdue her and bring her back, if it comes to that."

Kiri rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Hiruzen." She stood slowly and then patted her stomach. "Now, if we're done here, I'm gonna go have some breakfast."

* * *

Natsumi ran quickly over the terrain and scanned the area.

_I should be getting close now... according to Oto's map, and how I'm making good time... I should be almost there._

After a few more minutes, Natsumi's eyes widened as a large city with tall buildings appeared on the landscape.

_There it is!_

As she drew closer she could see that the buildings were decrepit, partially destroyed, and most likely unsafe to enter. She slowed her pace, coming up to the gates of the city and stared up at the towering buildings.

_Wow... this place really is a mess. I wonder what happened here?_

A strong gust of wind blew dust into her face and she raised her arm to cover her mouth as she coughed.

_What a wasteland... does anyone really live here?_

She looked until she saw the city's entrance and walked to it. The wind died down and she was able to see the sign that read "Sora-ku" framed in worn, gold leaf. Two large red columns supported the golden colored roof. She cautiously walked under and through the city's main street.

Besides the occasional dusty wind, the city was quiet and the air stale as she breathed it in. Some windows were boarded up, while others were covered by blankets and sheets, and the rest were empty with the glass blown completely out of the frames.

Despite the obvious abandonment, the city was cleaner than expected and the streets bare.

_This is so strange. If there had been war here, and everyone fled, there would definitely be dropped belongings here or some kind of evidence of life. But, it's completely quiet._

A prickling sensation shot down her spine and Natsumi looked all around and above, her body tensing, and a rat scurried out from a boarded-up shop. Natsumi squeaked in surprise and flinched, then laughed as the creature disappeared into the drain on the other side of the street.

_I'm way too paranoid... I shouldn't be so on edge in an abandoned place like this._

She sighed and continued forward.

_Although... Oto-sama did say that black market dealers will hang out here sometimes. And Rogue Ninja, on top of it... so I should be careful._

She stopped again and pursed her lips. _Now, if only I could remember exactly which way to go from here. This place is huge, and all these side roads are confusing._

Natsumi sighed deeply.

_Well, I'm bound to find the right place soon enough. I just have to keep looking._

A few minutes later, she smiled faintly at the smell of seafood.

_Aha! Someone really is here!_

She approached the scent and looked around, and was suddenly pulled inside the door of an abandoned building.

Several travel-worn, well-armed men smirked down at her as they chuckled.

The biggest one crossed his arms and looked her up and down.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" He paused and answered himself, eyeing her headband. "A little Leaf Genin."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she gulped

_Uh oh... these guys don't look friendly..._

"Are ya lost, little girl?" Another man stepped forward, towering over her. "You're the only one around, aren't ya? No team with you?"

Natsumi let out a quiet breath and forced a smile.

"Nope! Not lost at all! I'm just taking a leisurely stroll on the way to my granny's. I'm actually going to be late, so I really have to go."

She turned to leave through the open door and another of the men stepped in her way.

"What's the rush? I'm sure your granny wouldn't mind if you were a little late. Let's just hang out a while. We'd love to hear all about why you'd come out here all by yourself."

Natsumi pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes.

_I need to get away... these guys are definitely bad news._

Slowly she reached down to the pouch on her thigh for a Kunai and her arm was grabbed roughly by the biggest man.

"Tsk tsk... trying to pull a knife on a friendly stranger... how rude."

"Very rude." The second man scowled briefly and held up his own knife. "I should teach you a lesson about respecting your elders, little lady."

They drew closer to her and her scowl deepened as she attempted to pull her hand away.

_Excellent plan, Natsumi. Go to a place full of sketchy people... alone. What's the worst that could happen?_

A loud meow cut through the tension in the hair and a black and white spotted cat leapt up to claw the leader's arm.

"Paws off!"

He released Natsumi and cursed loudly, as all eyes turned to the feline that stood in front of Natsumi on all fours.

"Fuku!" The man growled and rubbed the scratches on his arm. "What's the meaning of this?"

The cat glanced to Natsumi, then back to the men as he smoothed the front of his earthy brown kimono.

"You're food smugglers- not human smugglers." The cat answered and retrieved the small bag tied around his belly. "And, I'm here to pick up my order."

The man grumbled and motioned to another, who stooped down to take the payment from the cat, open the pouch, and then close it again with a nod.

"Fine." He muttered, then retrieved a bag of salted fish and held them out. "Take it and go."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Another man titled his chin at the feline, with his eyes still on Natsumi.

The cat nodded its head and lifted the bag by its handles with its mouth and walked through the door. After a moment, he glanced back to Natsumi.

"Well? Aren't you coming?"

Natsumi blinked and nodded quickly, then followed the cat out. Once back onto the street, she let out a sigh of relief.

She looked around and saw the cat slinking down another street and quickly followed.

"Um!" Once she caught up, she slowed her pace and matched his. "Thanks for helping me out back there."

"No problem." He mumbled with the bag in his mouth. He said something else, but it was too muffled by the bag he held in his teeth.

"Oh, let me help with that." Natsumi reached down and gently took the bag from him to carry it, and he watched her carefully.

"Thank you." He paused. "As I was saying, you really need to be smarter. A kid like you wandering here by yourself... it's like you're asking for trouble. You're lucky a decent guy like me came along when I did."

Natsumi made a face. "I know... I should have been more careful. Sorry." She paused and continued to walk with him. "So... who were those guys?"

"Smugglers." Fuku said simply. "Specializing in exotic foods."

"Food smugglers?" Natsumi repeated under her breath. "I didn't know there were people like that." She glanced down at the bag in her hand curiously. "So... what's this, then?"

The cat snorted. "A rare delicacy... that fish is nearly extinct, and it's illegal to catch and eat now. Very hard to come by... unless you know the right people."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You bought... a nearly extinct fish?"

The cat rolled his eyes at her. "You humans are so judgmental, especially seeing as you're the ones who hunted it to extinction in the first place."

Natsumi bit her lip. "Well... that may be so... but aren't you concerned about ending the species entirely and throwing off the food chain?"

Fuku scoffed again. "What I care about most is impressing a pretty little tortoiseshell named Mei. I've been courting her for a while now, and I've been searching high and low for the perfect gift for her. There's no way she'll turn me down now."

Natsumi's lips curved in a slight smile.

"I didn't know cats had a complicated courtship process."

"Ninneko aren't ordinary cats, little Leaf Girl." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What brings a kid like you all the way to Sora-ku? And by yourself, no less?"

Natsumi laughed quietly. "Well, definitely not the lively atmosphere or the illegal fish." She thought for a moment. "I'm... well... there's something I'm looking for, and I was told that I could find it here."

"Looking for something..." Fuku rolled his eyes again. "Listen, kid, everyone comes here looking for something. People just don't visit for no reason."

"Right..." She bit her lip. "Actually, I got lost back there... could you help me? Directions would be great."

"Help you?" The cat chuckled to himself. "I already did, when I got you away from them."

"I mean... help me again?" Natsumi corrected. "I'd be really grateful."

"Hmph." The cat stopped and looked her over for a minute, then pointed at a building with his paw. "...You're welcome."

Her eyes widened in realization. "But... how did you know?"

He chuckled. "Ninneko aren't ordinary cats, and you're not hard to read."

Natsumi smiled and knelt down. "Thank you very much."

"Don't mention it." He pointed his paw at the bag in her hand. "I'll be taking that back, now. I've got to bring it to my lovely Mei."

Natsumi nodded and held out the bag, which he carried in his mouth again.

"Good luck on your date. I hope it works out well for you two."

Fuku nodded and muttered a brief thanks, then headed into a nearby abandoned shop with his spoils.

Natsumi looked back at the door she'd been led to and let out a breath.

_Well, it's just like Oto-sama described it as..._

She walked inside slowly and followed the long, dimly lit corridor. Dust accumulated on the floor and walls around her, and dead flies and moths littered the floor below the crude lighting fastened to the ceiling. Signs of vandalism were clear on the walls, along with yellowed seals and stickers that had long been broken. The air inside tasted even drier and more stale on Natsumi's tongue with each inhale than the air outside, and she followed the passages.

_Remembering the directions in here is easier than in the city..._ She turned again and continued forward, and the cleanliness improved as she went along. _Almost there now._

"Oho! A visitor!" A nasally voice echoed from the opening to the final hallway in front of her.

Natsumi blinked at the cat and walked closer as a second joined him.

"A visitor?" The female purred and lay on her belly. "How exciting. We never get visitors."

_They're just like the one from before! Only a little smaller._

"Hello." Natsumi gave a short wave. "I'm Natsumi."

"I'm Hina." The female twitched her tail and the male crinkled his eyes closed in a smile.

"And I'm Denka."

Hina sat up and wrapped her tail around her feet. "What's your purpose here?"

"Well, actually..." Natsumi scratched her head nervously, then clasped her hands together in front of her. "I was actually hoping I could meet with Nekobaa and maybe get a Summoning Contract."

"A Summoning Contract?" Denka shared a look with the other cat.

"How exciting." Hina purred. "No one's come by for one of those in a long time."

"Really?" Natsumi looked down at them. "But a Ninja Cat seems like the perfect companion. You're agile, strong, graceful, and you're excellent at stealth. You've got great vision, too, and you're small enough to slip into places that people can't, making you perfect for infiltration. Cats are also great animals to have around in general, and once you earn the trust and respect of a cat, it's never lost. It's obvious why cats were revered in so many ancient cultures."

Hina nodded and purred. "Finally! Someone who truly appreciates us the way we deserve." She turned to Denka. "I like her already."

Hina stood and turned, looking at Natsumi over her shoulder. "Follow me. I'll take you to Granny."

Natsumi followed them and was shown into a spacious room, decorated top-to-bottom with cat memorabilia and art. An old woman wearing a cat-ear headband sat in the middle of the room, smoking a pipe as she was surrounded by mewling cats and kittens.

"Look, Granny, we have a visitor." Hina announced and sat near the old woman. "A miss Natsumi of the Leaf village."

"Hm?" The woman looked up at Natsumi with her eyes squinted. "A Leaf Genin... out here by yourself? How strange."

"Hello, ma'am." Natsumi bowed her head politely, awkwardly stepping around the domesticated cats and kittens that surrounded her feet in greeting. "I'm Natsumi Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ma'am?" The old woman puffed out smoke and shook her head. "No need for formalities. Just call me Granny like everyone else."

The woman motioned for Natsumi to sit on a cushion in front of her, and Natsumi made her way through the crowd of felines to sit quietly.

"So... what brings you here?"

"She says she wants to set up a Summoning Contract." Denka sat beside Nekobaa and looked up at her.

"A Summoning Contract?" The woman looked at Natsumi, who nodded. "Well, this is a surprise. We haven't had a request like this in a while."

"That's what I told her." Hina mewed and flicked her tail back and forth with a smile. "This girl really has an unparalleled appreciation for cats. She'll be perfect for it."

"If Hina approves of you, then you must be very compatible with Ninneko." Nekobaa chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pipe.

"Thank you—" Natsumi started, and the woman shook her head slowly.

"However, I'm afraid there aren't many Ninneko here at present. It's been some time since we trained new cats, so most have returned to the Cat Fortress."

Natsumi closed her mouth and her expression fell.

_There's none here?_

"But Granny, there are a few." Hina nodded and licked her paw, then wiped her whiskers with it. "She came all this way... it wouldn't be fair to send her home without even meeting them."

"Of course." Nekobaa looked back at Natsumi. "There are three Ninneko here you can meet with. If you have a strong natural connection to one, they may choose to make a contract with you. However, I cannot guarantee it. The bond between a Shinobi and his Summoning Companion is sacred and cannot be forced."

Natsumi's eyes lit slightly and she smiled. "Really? I would love to meet with them! Thank you!"

Nekobaa turned to Denka and took her pipe from her mouth briefly. "Is Tamaki still out running errands?"

The cat nodded and the woman slowly got up.

"Alright then..." She motioned to Natsumi. "Follow me, then."

Natsumi did as she said, following her into another cat-themed room, filled with catwalks from wall-to-wall, training dummies in all sizes, and fluffy pillows scattered around for lounging. Two large male cats sat at a small table with cups of milk beside them as they played cards.

Nekobaa cleared her throat and they acknowledged her with a wave of their paws.

"Oh hi, Granny." The grey tabby male smiled.

"Hey." The larger brown cat nodded with a cat-sized cigar between his teeth.

"Touya, Sei, be on your best behavior. We have a guest." Nekobaa stepped aside and glanced at the redhead. "This is Natsumi. She'd like to see if you are interested in forming a Summoning Contract with her."

"Oh?" The tabby set his cards facedown looked the girl over. "How interesting."

"This girl?" The cat with the cigar rolled his eyes and released a puff of smoke. "Isn't she a little young to be a Shinobi?"

"Y-Young?" Natsumi repeated and shook her head. "I'm a Genin."

"Eh. Still young." He looked back at the hand in his paws.

"Ignore him. He's gruff because I keep beating him." The tabby smiled. "I'm Sei. It's nice to meet you."

Natsumi smiled back. _I like this one better already. He's friendly._

"Very nice to meet you, too."

"That's Touya." Sei chuckled. "He's a bit of a grouch."

_I can tell._ Natsumi looked at the brown cat, then back at Sei.

"So, what's your style then?" Sei asked, and motioned for her to join them at the undersized table.

"My... style?" Natsumi blinked, then sat cross-legged where he directed.

"Fighting style." He explained. "Your specialty."

"Oh." Natsumi smiled. "Mostly the Ninjato, but I'm pretty skilled with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, too. My missions all require stealth and fast-but-accurate strikes, though."

"Really?" Sei stroked his chin and chuckled again. "Sounds like assassin work."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she averted her eyes momentarily. "Well..."

"So, you're an assassin." Touya narrowed his eyes at her over his cards. "There's no honor in that kind of work."

Natsumi bit her lip. "Well, I do intelligence gathering, too..."

"I won't do assassin work." Touya tapped the tip of his cigar on the edge of the ashtray and returned it to his mouth. "Besides, working with a kid like you is troublesome. Being contractually bound to someone immature or emotionally underdeveloped only takes away from focusing on the missions."

The cat scoffed and shook his head, blowing some of the smoke directly into her face. "On top of that, I don't have the desire to work with any Kunoichi. Dealing with that particular scent of blood is nauseating."

"Touya!" Nekobaa scolded him, and he shrugged.

"Sorry. Just being honest, Granny."

Natsumi balled her hands into loose fists on her lap and forced her eyes away from the cat as she blushed.

_Definitely not him. He's got a personality only a mother could love._

"I'm not picky about the line of work." Sei spoke up and flicked his tail back and forth. "As long as I get a cut of the payments for the missions we work on together."

"That's fair enough." Natsumi nodded. "What kind of fighting style do you do?"

"All Ninneko are trained with swords and various blades, but I am one of the few capable of Genjutsu." Sei lapped at his milk. "It's fun to make someone's mind unravel."

_Uh oh._

Natsumi let out a short sigh and then scratched the back of her head. "Ah... well... as it turns out... my weakness is Genjutsu. I'm abnormally susceptible to it."

"Really?" Sei studied her for a moment, then stroked his chin once again. "That could be problematic, then... my Genjutsu can effect a whole area."

Natsumi let out a deeper sigh and then looked down at her hands.

_So... this was a dead-end after all..._

Her eyes suddenly widened and she turned back to Nekobaa. "Wait... you said there was a third Ninneko here?" She looked around the room. "I only see two."

"Oh, you don't want Yuki." Hina rubbed her ear with a paw. "She's rude, high maintenance, and looks down on humans."

"Yeah, Yuki is a pain in the neck to us all." Denka nodded in agreement. "She would have gone back to Cat Fortress a long time ago, if that one tom who scorned her wasn't there."

_She can't be as bad as Touya, though._ Natsumi glanced at the smoking feline, who ignored her, then looked at Nekobaa. "Please? Could I meet her?"

"If you really insist on it..." Sei shrugged and picked his cards back up to resume the game. "She's in the courtyard, training and brooding."

"Denka, Hina, please show Natsumi to the courtyard." The old woman smiled down at Natsumi. "Who knows? Maybe they'll be able to get along well, after all."

Hina sighed softly and nodded. "Yes, Granny. Right away." She turned and nodded at Natsumi. "Come on, then. Just don't be surprised if you're disenchanted after meeting her."

Natsumi hopped to her feet with a grin and stepped toward the door, then nodded her head politely at the cats at the table.

"It was nice to meet you both."

Sei waved with his paw. "Nice to meet ya!"

"Hmph." Touya grunted and kept his eyes on his cards.

Hina and Denka quickly led Natsumi out of the room, down various halls that all looked alike, until they came across a partially open door that led to an exterior courtyard. As Natsumi looked around, she could immediately tell that it was for training purposes. More dummies were set up all around, with several circular rings painted on the ground for sparring, and fully stocked weapons racks hung on the walls.

"Yuki!" Hina called, looking around. After a while with no response, she frowned and looked around. "Hmm... I wonder if she went out."

Natsumi walked around the courtyard and examined the line of practice dummies and the accurate strikes and cuts that weathered them.

_These are really precise and fresh. Someone skilled did this._

As her eyes rose to examine the dummy's featureless face, its head was severed from behind and the tip of the short sword missed the tip of Natsumi's nose. She squeaked and jumped back as a laugh sounded around her and the face of a pure white cat, laughing loudly.

"Ooooh, I gotcha good!" The cat mocked and hopped onto the shoulders of the headless dummy. "You humans are so pathetically skittish."

"Yuki!" Denka shook his head, and he and Hina bounded over. "You really are awful with guests."

"Hmph." The white cat sheathed the sword on her hip and smoothed the front of her Kimono. "As if I care about guests."

"Natsumi, this is Yuki." Hina ignored the other female with a roll of her eyes, then hesitantly looked back at her. "Yuki, this is Natsumi. She's come to meet you for a Summoning Contract."

Yuki stopped laughing abruptly and narrowed her eyes at Natsumi to size her up. "Come again?" She leaned her head closer to stare in scrutiny as she met Natsumi's eyes. "This little pipsqueak?"

Natsumi crossed her arms as her cheeks warmed slightly. "I'm not a pipsqueak."

The cat scoffed and flicked her tail. "You're young and inexperienced. I don't need to see you in a fight to know that." She paused and sat straighter. "You probably just became a Genin and you think you're all that. You've got no business even considering getting a Summoning Contract yet."

Yuki shook her head. "I don't associate with humans almost at all because you're all so arrogant, noisy, and plain annoying." She narrowed her eyes. "And I _especially_ don't associate with weakling pipsqueak Genin. You have to have the right stuff to impress me. And _you,_ you redhead, snot-nosed, overly-ambitious, air-headed little pipsqueak, don't cut it. So, just get out of here."

Natsumi drummed her fingers against her arms as the cat rambled on until she finally narrowed her eyes.

"You know what?" Natsumi leaned forward to meet the cat's stare. "I may have only recently become a Genin, but I'm much stronger and more capable than all the other Genin."

Yuki scoffed and opened her mouth to protest, but Natsumi pointed a finger at her.

"And, _sure,_ I haven't been on a lot of missions, but I have seen some of the most horrible, hellish stuff that I never could have even imagined in my nightmares. We barely got out alive! And my friend is still in the hospital and I don't know if she'll ever get better."

Yuki laughed shortly. "Welcome to the Shinobi world, pipsqueak. People get wounded and die all the time. If you don't have a strong enough stomach to handle it, you should throw out that headband because you're a disgrace to Ninja everywhere; you're a disgrace to your village; and you're a disgrace to the world."

Natsumi's fist trembled and Hina let out a loud sigh and shook her head.

"I told you it was pointless."

"Come on, Natsumi. Let's go back." Denka motioned to the door, and Natsumi shook her head and glared back at the white feline.

"No. I came here to get a Summoning Contract, and I'm not leaving without one."

"Fat chance." Yuki licked her paw and turned her face away. "There's no way I'd ever work with a pipsqueak like you who trembles and isn't strong enough on her own and wants to rely on a companion for strength instead. You're a pathetic, demanding, pipsqueak."

"You know what?" Natsumi stormed over to the weapons rack and drew a sword, pointing it at Yuki. "I think you've got a bad attitude. You call me a pipsqueak but I think you just talk big. You say I'm weak, but Lord Hokage selected _me_ to join the ANBU, despite my age! I'm not a pipsqueak, and I can prove it."

Yuki narrowed her eyes. "ANBU, huh?" She laughed. "Yeah, right."

"Then make a bet with me." Natsumi stepped closer to her, glare meeting glare. "I challenge you to a fight."

Yuki's eyes widened and she smirked slightly. "Oh? The pipsqueak's going to challenge _me?"_

"Ah, Natsumi..." Hina muttered. "Yuki's one of the top five Ninneko swordsmen who have trained here. That's not a good idea."

"Quiet, pest!" Yuki snapped at the tom. "The pipsqueak already issued the challenge! And it's going to be fun making her regret it."

"I'm not a pipsqueak, and I'll prove it." Natsumi clutched the hilt of the sword tightly. "If you win, I'll leave and never try to get a Contract again. If I win, you make a contract with me."

Yuki laughed. "It's a deal. But you're only going to make a fool of yourself."

"We'll see."

"Yeesh." Denka sighed and retreated to a corner of the courtyard to watch. "They're both stubborn."

Hina joined him with a small sigh. "Granny's going to be upset if Natsumi gets hurt."

Natsumi took a ready stance and exhaled slowly, keeping her eye on the cat. Yuki's feline grin became a smirk, and she leapt at Natsumi suddenly.

_She's fast!_

Natsumi's sword rose to deflect the attack and she stepped back to apply more force.

_And I still haven't fully recovered well enough to keep up with a full-on duel. I can't let this drag out._

"What's wrong, little pipsqueak?" Yuki bounced off of the ground and launched a flurry of slashes at Natsumi. "Can't keep up? Can't even get in a single attack?"

Natsumi narrowed her eyes, narrowly dodging.

_Her stances and movements are completely different than a humans'! And she's more acrobatic and flexible, too! It's almost impossible for me to read her movements at all._

Natsumi parried and dodged, metal striking metal as their swords clashed together. Yuki snapped her back legs out, reaching to claw at Natsumi's arm and pushed off of it, flipping once backwards before landing gracefully on her back paws with a chuckle.

Natsumi glanced down at the bleeding scratches and watched Yuki, whose tail flicked in excitement back and forth.

"Come on, little Genin pipsqueak. Didn't you say you were going to prove that you weren't weak? I'm waiting to be impressed."

Natsumi let out another breath.

_Well, then... I guess I'll just have to watch her a little longer and pick up on her style._

Natsumi swung down in an arc and Yuki leapt to the side, aiming a strike at Natsumi's vulnerable side. Natsumi flicked her wrist, twisting the blade to redirect its angle at the cat, though it was dodged. She continued to slash and strike, missing each time as Yuki nimbly dodged and mocked her between blows.

_I'm starting to get the hang of it..._ Natsumi leaned back to avoid the sword's tip on her neck, then knocked it away with her own sword. _She does have a pattern, but it's subtle..._

The corners of Natsumi's mouth curved faintly. _At this rate, I have to wait three more strikes and one parry before I can gain the upper hand._

"The only thing you seem to be good at it dodging." Yuki laughed and her slitted eyes fell on Natsumi's arms. "And, you're not even very good at that."

"I guess we'll see who's bad at what, soon enough." Natsumi dodged her next strike, and the next.

_Yes! It's exactly as I thought!_

She dodged a third time, and swept the cat's feet, forcing her into the air as she parried the blade.

_Now I can just—_

Natsumi's eyes widened as a hiss came from behind, and a second Yuki leapt at her with her sword drawn.

_A Shadow Clone! But how?!_

Natsumi ducked her head, barely missing Yuki's initial attack as she gathered Chakra to the bottom of her right foot. Shifting her body carefully, she kicked a cloud of dust up behind her, blinding both the clone and the original.

Natsumi let out a breath and distanced herself from them as the dust settled, the clone disappeared, and the cat coughed momentarily.

_I didn't know Ninja Cats could do Jutsu, too! _She bit her lip. _My own Chakra still hasn't fully recovered yet... I don't know what kind of Jutsu she's capable of, but I won't be able to match her if this fight becomes entirely Jutsu-based. I'm probably limited to one Jutsu at most for now..._

Yuki smirked and shook the dust from her body as her eyes narrowed. "So, the pipsqueak _can_ fight dirty. I'm impressed... but, only a little."

_Think, think. If one Jutsu is all I get, then I'd better pick the one that can end this is one go._

"You have done a pretty good job dodging me, I'll admit." Yuki slowly circled Natsumi. "That's something only a few can do. But that doesn't prove that you're not a weakling. It just means you're too much of a coward and too weak to land a single hit on me."

Natsumi pressed her lips together and remained quiet for a moment.

_Okay, if I'm really going to beat her, I have to get this just right..._

Yuki kicked up another large cloud of dust with her paw and jumped at Natsumi, shrouded by dust. Natsumi squinted her eyes, listening, and shifted her torso just enough for the blade to only break the skin of her shoulder. She winced in pain and reached out with her free hand to grip the cat's tail tightly.

Yuki yowled as the dust settled and she swiped her claws at Natsumi, who released her and jumped back before they could cut her.

Yuki got the girl a glare and rubbed her tail with one paw. "How _dare_ you!"

Hina gasped and covered her mouth with her paw as she whispered to Denka. "She grabbed her tail!"

"It's called using your opponent's weaknesses against them." Natsumi's mouth twitched in a slight smirk. "It's not much different than tugging on a ponytail to get them off balance."

"No one grabs a cat by their tail like that!" Yuki hissed and gripped her sword with two paws. "You'll pay for that!"

Yuki leapt directly at Natsumi in a heads-on strike and Natsumi closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath.

_Inhale..._

Yuki smirked as the girl stayed in place and her blade drew nearer to the girl's neck. Hina gasped and shielded her eyes, and Denka's mouth hung open.

"Natsumi! Move out of the way!"

_Exhale..._

Natsumi vanished and Yuki's eyes widened, slipping through the space that the girl had once occupied. Suddenly, Yuki was pinned to the ground beneath Natsumi's weight, with her four paws trapped beneath her, as Natsumi's blade was pressed to the scruff of Yuki's neck.

"W-What?!" Yuki wriggled and tried to break free, hissing loudly. "You cheated! How did you do that?!"

Natsumi laughed under her breath and released a long exhale as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Natsumi!" Hina bounded over with her eyes rounded. "You did it!"

Natsumi released Yuki, who retreated several meters back to continue glaring at the girl.

Denka looked Natsumi over in silence for a moment. "That was the teleportation Jutsu of the Fourth Hokage, wasn't it?"

Natsumi nodded slowly and propped herself up by pressing the sword into the ground as she caught her breath, though smiling.

"Yup! Although, it's always a little hard on me to use."

"Amazing." Denka smiled and clapped his paws together. "That was a great match."

Hina frowned slightly and looked Natsumi over. "Although Granny is bound to be upset that we let you get injured."

Natsumi shrugged and smiled more broadly. "It's alright. They're not serious."

"I'm surprised you beat Yuki. She's been undefeated for a long time." Denka glanced toward the white cat, who turned her face away as she scowled.

"Sorry that I ever doubted you." Hina apologized. "You really are strong for your age."

"You. Pipsqueak." Yuki's icy tone cut through the air across the courtyard, and Natsumi's eyes fell on her.

Yuki walked over slowly, keeping the sword in her paw as she did. "No human has beat me before... especially not like that. On top of it, you pulled my tail and made me get my gorgeous snow-white fur all dusty."

Hina and Denka moved to sit in front of Natsumi, prepared to defend the victor if the cat struck.

"What about our deal?" Natsumi's smile faded slowly. "It was a good fight, and I know that I would have lost to you in this condition if I hadn't known that Jutsu. You're really an amazing Ninja. I'd be honored to have you as my companion."

"Shut up!" Yuki stopped in front of Natsumi and pointed the tip of her blade at her. "You humiliated me! I have every right to cut your eyes out for that!"

"Yuki! You made a deal with her!" Denka defended.

"You're such a sore loser!" Hina muttered.

Yuki's tail flicked as she glared between the two felines, then up at Natsumi for a long silence.

"I intend to thoroughly punish you for making me so filthy, so don't even think about trying to avoid it."

Natsumi blinked and Yuki was suddenly perched on her shoulder, her eyes shut as her nose was lifted toward the sky.

"I have conditions, you know." Yuki muttered. "I require regular grooming. Frequent baths and brushing- first with a soft-bristled brush, then with a hard-bristled brush, and then with a medium-bristled brush. A conditioning treatment for my fur once a month, as well as a sauna trip every other month."

Hina's eyes widened and she looked at Denka, then back up at Yuki as she continued.

"And, after missions, I expect you to give me a massage and treat me to sushi— I won't accept anything less than the finest quality fish, so don't try to be cheap."

Natsumi grinned as he listened, and Yuki cracked an eye open.

"Hey! Get that stupid grin off your face! Are you even listening to me?! You should be taking notes!"

Natsumi stifled a giggle.

"Hmph." Yuki shut her eyes again and turned away once more. "My last condition is that you need a lot more training from a _real expert_, not whoever taught you that gaudy form. It'll be a pain, but I suppose I'm the only one qualified to train you until you're even close to my level. So, you'd better be a good student. I don't use positive reinforcement."

Natsumi nodded quickly. "It's a deal."

* * *

Tamaki took off her shoes and went into the dining room. "Granny, I'm home! Sorry I'm late!" She looked around at the faces all around the table, and then at the many bowls on the floor with cats happily eating from them.

"Where's Yuki?"

"She's gone." Nekobaa chuckled and looked up at her granddaughter as she took a bite. "She left about an hour ago with her new Ninja companion."

Tamaki's eyes widened as she sat and made herself a plate. "Yuki? She signed a Summoning Contract?"

The faces around the room nodded and Tamaki blinked with a laugh. "I missed a lot today because of errands, then. What happened?"

"Let's talk about something more exciting than that." Sei laughed under his breath, and the girl looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"We're considering throwing a party to celebrate Yuki finally being gone." Hina giggled with a purr. "She said something about making the Leaf Village her permanent home, due to its hot springs and fine dining. So, we won't have to deal with her bad attitude anymore."

"Hina, that's not polite." The old woman chuckled and sipped at her tea. "Although, it will be much quieter around here now."

The woman glanced over at a shelf, where a copy of the Contract was placed, and smiled faintly.

_Good luck, Miss Uzumaki. And, good luck, Yuki. You're going to need it. _


	53. Chapter 51: Sorrow

Kiri stepped inside the hospital room, moved the curtain aside, and spotted Natsumi sitting on the chair beside the bed where Sena lay unconscious, the blankets drawn up high and resting under her chin.

She smiled briefly and it faded as she stepped closer and stood beside Natsumi.

The monitors beeped quietly and Kiri watched as Sena's mask released puffs of oxygen.

"You know, the first time I met Sena was in the hospital like this." Kiri spoke softly. Natsumi didn't move or respond.

"It wasn't long after my brother died— only about a year. I was in a pretty dark place then." Kiri squatted in a sit and kept her eyes on Sena. "My parents were arguing with Yuuri again, and I was sick of it. So, I wandered around the village until I found myself outside of the hospital, just in time to see a team of ANBU bringing an eleven-year-old girl into the Emergency room."

Kiri let out a small breath and reached out to touch Sena's motionless hand.

"The sheet they had covering her was completely stained red with blood. I knew it was serious. I followed them inside, and there was such a panic that no one noticed me there." Kiri paused. "I watched through a little window as they immediately began to operate on her. She had lost half of her blood, had twenty broken bones, and had a crushed lung. She needed four organ transplants and several liters of blood, and she flat-lined twice before they were done. After almost a whole day of operating, she was finally stable."

The corners of Kiri's mouth twitched upward in a smile. "I remember being so... amazed that one little girl could survive all that. It put things into perspective for me, and I realized that constantly moping about losing Yuuta was pretty pathetic in comparison." Kiri's thumb gently stroked Sena's hand. "After that, I came to visit her every day, and I sat with her for a few hours at a time. Sometimes I sat in silence, and other times, I would just vent to her about my family and all the shit that was going on. Every single day, I saw her improve slowly and she became an inspiration for me."

Kiri shook her head slowly. "Sena might seem passive, but she's always been one hell of a fighter. That's what's always drawn me to her. She's come back from the brink of death. She's basically my idol."

After a long pause, Kiri continued to talk out loud as Natsumi stayed silent.

"After about a month, I couldn't be patient anymore." Kiri smiled. "So, I leaned in close to her and I said 'now listen here, you little shit, I've been telling you all about my life as if we were long-time friends, so you need to get your lazy ass up and be my friend for real instead of sleeping your whole life away.'"

Kiri laughed softly under her breath. "And then, she just opened her eyes as if she'd only been napping. We've been best friends ever since."

Kiri reached up to pat Natsumi's shoulder, but she flinched at the touch and Kiri immediately drew her hand back.

"She's going to be okay, Natsumi." Kiri paused. "She's been through worse."

She looked at the girl's pale face and blank expression, and her eyes lowered with her voice.

"It's not your fault, either. If anything... it's mine." Kiri clenched her fist and furrowed her brows. "I should have recognized the signs when the reports first came in, and when we found Sonoko. But... it just never crossed my mind because those damn brothers went off the radar a few years ago and ghosted us since."

She looked at Natsumi, whose eyes were empty and emotionless. Long-dried tears covered her cheeks and Kiri frowned at them, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Natsumi, sweetheart—"

Natsumi's eyes burst open and she stood suddenly, trembling uncontrollably as she blinked quickly, then ran out of the room. Kiri slapped herself with a scowl.

"Shit!" Kiri watched as she disappeared and her footsteps faded down the hall. "I didn't mean to say it."

Kiri sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her hair, then sat on the chair Natsumi had been occupying and looked down at Sena.

"What am I going to do, Sena? I'm not as natural with people as you are. I slip up and I say the wrong shit." Kiri closed her eyes momentarily and leaned back in the chair. "We need you, so hurry up and get better already."

"Sena, you are more than my best friend— you're the only real family I have left. Don't you _dare_ even think about leaving me, okay? I'll... I'll find you in the afterlife and kick your ass." She clutched her hands into fists and rested them on her lap as her eyes watered and spilled over. "Don't leave me, Sena. Don't leave us. We need you."

Kiri bit her lip as a sob choked its way out of her throat. "Y-You know I'm only teasing when I say you act like a mom, you know?" She shut her eyes tightly as the tears flowed. "I actually like when you scold me. I like that you try to keep me on the right path. I lost my moral compass years ago, but then I find you and..." She bit her lip again. "You can't leave me, okay? I'll do whatever it takes to help you. I... I'll stop drinking. And cussing. And sleeping around... and I'll be more responsible with my money from now on... I'll pray to any and every god from all over the world. I'd do anything..."

She reached out to hold Sena's hand, her words nearly inaudible. "Just don't leave me. I'm afraid to be alone again. I'm scared as hell."

* * *

Kotetsu knocked on the door as it stood cracked open, then peered inside. Kiri sat on the chair beside the bed, holding Sena's hand in silence as she dozed off.

He stepped forward slowly and touched her shoulder, and her eyes burst open. She let out a breath and turned to look up at him.

"Oh, Kotetsu... it's you." She looked away for a moment and rubbed her eyes, masking the redness there. "Came to visit?"

"Just wondering how she's doing." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "So... how is she doing?"

Kiri let out a long sigh and then shrugged. "She's... doing."

"Still no word about a cure?"

She shook her head and he frowned slightly and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do something."

"I don't know what to do." Kiri mumbled. "Part of me can't stand to sit here all the time and torture myself this way, while the other half never wants to leave."

His eyes fell to the floor as she continued.

"You know... I never got to give a proper goodbye to my mom..." Her voice lowered and she clenched her hands on her lap. "My last memory of her was how she died... and then, with Yuuta, I couldn't bring myself to go to his funeral. I couldn't. It was too painful... too real. To go would mean accepting his death, and I just... I couldn't do it."

Her lip quivered and her tightened her fists. "And when I lost my parents, too... I couldn't even step foot in the cemetery." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I thought I could do it that time... I was dressed, and I was right there, but I couldn't make it past the entrance... so, that's where I stayed through the whole thing, crying like a little kid. Even now, I can't even bring myself to step foot in the cemetery to see them."

A slow tear rolled down her cheek and she closed her eyes, loosening her fists.

"That's why... That's why I'm so conflicted about being here. I feel guilty for us getting into that situation in the first place... but then I also can't bear the thought of her being alone when she goes..." Another tear rolled down her cheek and she cracked her eyes open to look back up at Sena. "She doesn't have any family, though... no one else in the village that really cares about her. I can't abandon her the way I ran from Yuuta or my parents. That's just... too much guilt for me to live with."

Kotetsu's eyes widened slightly. "Kiri, you... you don't think she'll pull through?"

Kiri shook her head slowly, holding back more tears. "I hope I'm wrong... I want to be wrong, dammit... but it's been so long and there's no cure. I'm always in denial when it comes to this... but I have such an ominous feeling and I hate it."

Kotetsu let his hand linger on her shoulder and he pressed his lips together in a hard line, unable to find the right words to say. After a while, he moved to stand beside her.

"I don't think she'd want you so sit here all day." He finally said slowly, and he smiled faintly. "She'd tell you to stop moping and make better use of your time. Maybe even give you chores in her garden as a distraction."

Kiri's lips twitched in a faint smile and she slowly nodded. "Yeah... she likes to put me to work like that. Even though I suck at telling what's a weed and what isn't."

"So..." Kiri wiped her face and laughed quietly under her breath at herself. "Did you only come here to see how pathetic I was today?"

Kotetsu's cheeks warmed slightly and he scratched his head. "Ah... Well, no. Izumo is out sick today from food poisoning and the gates are being watched by his stand-in for now. Izumo and I usually have lunch together, and I didn't want to be alone... so I wanted to know if you'd want to come with me?"

He looked away as she looked up at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Are you asking me to lunch?"

His cheeks grew redder and he kept his eyes averted. "I... uh... well, you could use a little distraction, I think, and I'd like the company. So... I was thinking that it would benefit us both."

Kiri smiled slightly and leaned back in the chair before nodding. "Sure, I guess." She glanced back to Sena, and watched the steadiness of the heart rate monitor for a moment. "She'd nag me for not eating enough lately, anyway."

Kotetsu let out the breath he'd been holding and Kiri stood, then stretched and put a hand on her hip.

"So, where did you have in mind?"

Kotetsu blinked and scratched his head again. "Actually... I hadn't thought of that, yet. I was thinking you could decide."

Kiri smiled, linked arms with him, and then led him out of the room.

"_Good._ There's a new restaurant in town that I've been dying to try, and they only serve comfort foods and desserts. And, they have a lunch buffet."

"Sounds great." He glanced down at their arms, then looked away with a short laugh as she practically dragged him along. "Lead on, then."

* * *

Natsumi sighed and pulled her arms close as she walked slowly down the hall of the hospital, shaking her head to herself as she stared at the ground.

_I should apologize to Kiri... I shouldn't have ran off like that... _She bit her lip and shuddered. _It's just a word, so it shouldn't bother me so much, but..._

She bit her lip harder and let out a short sigh.

_...I just can't stop having nightmares about it. And that voice... it's as if it follows me everywhere._

She stopped just outside of Sena's room, where the door was closed except for a thin crack. Her hand raised to turn the knob and she stopped as she heard voices from inside.

_Wait... that's not Kiri._

She leaned closer and peered through the crack as two doctors spoke with a nurse as they stood around Sena with the blanket pulled down to the middle of her stomach.

"Are you sure?" The nurse asked in a soft voice. "Is that it?"

The doctors nodded, and Natsumi cracked open the door silently to hear them clearly.

"After all this time, we still haven't been able to identify or treat the poison, and we've tried every antidote possible— even digging through old medical records from the founding of the Leaf."

"We've just been buying time, trying to Seal it in one area and making this harder on her." The second doctor brushed his fingers against Sena's neck to direct their attention there, but the first doctor stood in Natsumi's way so that she couldn't see. "And all this time, the poison has been seeming to adapt."

"Adapt?" The nurse's eyes widened slightly and she looked down at the patient. "I thought there was something odd..."

The first doctor nodded. "It seems to be growing stronger, and developing immunities to our treatments. It's spreading far more rapidly than we ever predicted. It almost has a mind of its own."

"Have we looked at other options?" The nurse touched Sena's forehead and frowned. "Could it be a microscopic parasite?"

"We've already looked into that." The second doctor let out a short breath. "We've had both the Aburame and the Nara medical experts in to examine her. Both concluded that it was venom, but from what animal, we don't know."

"So... it's really hopeless then." The nurse bit her lip. "This girl is going to die?"

Natsumi's eyes widened and she trembled.

_No._

"That's correct..." The second doctor cleared his throat. "Although... the question is how much time exactly there is left, and what options there are. She has no family, so it's more difficult to have to make decisions like this."

"...To wait and see how long it takes on its own, and how much she'll suffer, or... to simply put her to sleep quickly and painlessly." The second doctor said, running his fingers through his hair. "Those are the choices we have."

_No._

The nurse shook her head and covered her mouth. "All of her teammates that have been in so often to see her... they'll have to be told first. Given some kind of warning..."

"Do it as soon as possible." The first man put his hand into his pocket. "The less she has to suffer, the better. I can't even begin to imagine what pain she might be in, but unable to show it."

Natsumi's heart pounded and she let out a quiet, pained moan and stumbled forward.

_No..._

Three pairs of eyes turned to her in surprise and the nurse quickly tried to block Natsumi's view with her body.

"Miss Uzumaki! You can't be in here right now!"

Natsumi straightened and stared between them, shaking her head. "...No. It's not true. It's not..."

"She's in shock." The nurse muttered and stepped toward Natsumi. "Please, calm down. Let's try not to get worked up... you should sit, and we can calmly talk about this."

Her heart pounded in her ears and the room spun slowly around as she looked at the adults that approached her.

_No._

Pushing past them, she stood beside Sena and her eyes widened again, staring down at what the sheet had been hiding.

Most of the skin of the torso was a dull, pale gray, and the veins themselves were black in color, spreading up to just under Sena's chin and extending down her arms and to her wrists. A protective seal had been placed over her heart, but it was faded almost entirely and the gray, bruised appearance already beginning to alter the last of the untainted skin there. Despite the reassurance of the steady beeping of the monitor, Natsumi could see Sena's chest rising and falling unsteadily, as if it was gasping on its own.

The scar at the base of her neck from the blade was bubbled and dark black in color, seeming to almost pulse as if it were alive. With each pulse, Sena's chest shuddered as she breathed, and Natsumi's stomach twisted at the sight.

_No... it can't be... what is that thing?!_

Natsumi whipped her head around to glare at the doctors, pointing at the black pustules as her voice rose.

"What is that?! What are you doing?! Why aren't you helping her?!"

"Miss—"

The nurse tried to touch her shoulder, and Natsumi shoved her back hard, until she stumbled and fell to the ground. Natsumi shook and turned her eyes on the doctors, who stepped back several steps as her eyes burned and she clenched her fists.

"You're supposed to be helping her! You're supposed to be curing her! Why is she still like this?! Why haven't you been doing your job?!"

"Call in security." The first doctor ordered the nurse, who scrambled to her feet and quickly ran out of the room. He looked back at Natsumi with his hands up. "Please, calm down. We've tried every traditional method and cure, as well as many experimental ones... there's nothing else we can do for your friend."

"LIAR!" Natsumi screamed and tears flowed freely down her face. "You're lying!"

"I'm sorry to have to say this to you." The second man approached, as if trying to herd her. "I really am. But your friend is suffering. Please consider that. All we want is for her to be able to pass as peacefully as possible at this point... you have to understand that we've done all we could for her."

"I DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!"

Several Chunin guards filled the room as Natsumi lunged at one of the doctors. Two guards grabbed her and she thrashed angrily against them.

"No! Let me go! He's lying! He's refusing to help her!" Natsumi gritted her teeth and continued to glare at him. "YOU'D BETTER HOPE THAT NOTHING HAPPENS TO HER! OR I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I WILL!"

* * *

Kiri sighed and walked with her hands in her pockets, smiling faintly as she looked at Kotetsu beside her from the corner of her eye.

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch. I really needed that distraction."

He smiled and looked at her, scratching his head. "No problem. It's the least I could do, considering I can't help any other way."

"Really though... I really appreciate it." She nudged him with her elbow and then looked forward. "I've been feeling like I've been losing my mind lately. It's nice to have a little bit of time to relax and feel normal."

"Anytime."

They stopped walking as yelling reached them from down the hall and a group of security offers rushed into a room. Kiri's face paled.

"Oh no."

Kotetsu's eyes widened and he followed her quickly. "That voice... is that...?"

Kiri burst through the doorway amidst the chaos and saw Natsumi restrained by two guards as she screamed, nearly growling each word out venomously.

"LET ME GO! HE'S LYING!"

"...Natsumi?" Kotetsu froze in the doorway as he looked over the girl. "Her eyes..."

Kiri clamped a hand over his mouth and shook her head quickly, muttering. "Her eyes are fine. No one is going to know about this."

He nodded after a moment and she removed her hand, then pushed through the guards and shoved them aside.

"Get off her! I've got it!"

Natsumi, now free, lunged again at the doctor with a growl and Kiri caught her quickly, looping her arms under the girl's arms and locking her hands behind her neck.

"NO! LET GO!" Her voice deepened and she thrashed again.

"Natsumi! Get a hold of yourself!" Kiri turned her head to avoid the full force of a headbutt, and she softened her voice, her grip remaining tight as everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath. "I don't want to have to use Genjutsu on you..."

Natsumi's struggles slowed and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"H-He's lying..." She murmured as her voice cracked. "He's lying..."

Kiri let out a soft sigh as Natsumi's body slowly relaxed and the pale violet hue faded from her skin.

"Natsumi, who's lying?" She asked quietly. "About what?"

Natsumi's eyes closed and she sobbed harder, her body becoming heavy as she collapsed to her knees. Kiri followed her to the ground, loosening her grip and stroking her hair.

"...He said Sena was going to... he said..." Natsumi covered her face as she cried harder, unable to finish.

Kiri's eyes widened and she stared quickly up at the doctor, who had pressed his back against the wall in fear.

"You said... what?"

The second doctor blinked and swallowed the lump in his throat, looking warily at Natsumi as he slowly spoke.

"I-I'm sorry to have to tell you this way... but your friend... her condition has advanced too quickly... We're out of treatment options, and she's suffering. She... isn't going to make it."

Kiri froze in place and Kotetsu's eyes rounded as he looked at her, whispering to himself. "Oh no..."

Kiri's eyes rested on Sena and she started to tremble as she looked at the discoloration there.

"You can't mean..." Kiri's lip quivered. "She's..."

"We're not sure exactly how much time she has left, but we know it's eminent... I'm sorry."

Kiri covered her mouth and closed her eyes briefly as Natsumi cried harder in her arms.

"You're sure?" She glanced back up at him. "Completely...?"

The first doctor cleared his throat and nodded at the guards, who slowly filed out of the room, and then nodded again. "Yes... I'm sorry."

After a moment of silence, the doctor spoke again. "If you wouldn't mind, we'd like to have a word with you about the two options that remain... you're the one listed as her emergency contact, and in lieu of having family to consult..."

Kiri nodded slowly and brought herself to a stand, helping Natsumi to her feet. "I... I understand."

"Kotetsu..." Kiri addressed him with her back turned. "Could you... take Natsumi out of the room please?"

He blinked and nodded after a moment. "Y-Yes..."

"Kiri, no." Natsumi muttered and clung to her shirt, cracking open her eyes to look up at her. "You... You can't..."

"Natsumi, go with Kotetsu." Kiri muttered and kept her eyes averted. "...Please."

"No!" Natsumi bit her lip and shook her head. "Please don't make me."

"Please, Natsumi." A slow tear rolled down her cheek as she nudged Natsumi toward him. "Just go."

Kotetsu put his hands on Natsumi's shoulder and slowly led her out of the room, watching Kiri, who turned away from him.

"Come on." He led her to the door quietly, his eyes cast downward. "It'll be okay..."

Natsumi walked with him, too numb to protest, and he led her into the waiting room and sat with a heavy sigh. Natsumi stood beside the window and stared out as a breeze blew through the trees. She glanced at him and he was deep in thought and his expression grim.

_It can't be true..._ Natsumi bit her lip and looked back outside. _It can't... There's got to be something that they haven't tried yet._

Her throat closed and she clutched at her stomach.

_But... this feeling I've had..._

She swallowed and her lip trembled. She looked over her shoulder back down the halls.

_I have to know what they're saying. After all, Sena's one of my best friends... one of my first friends._

Natsumi glanced at Kotetsu, still lost in thought, and then turned and ran back down the halls quickly. He blinked and jumped to his feet, chasing after her.

"Natsumi, wait!"

She ran faster, finally stopping outside of Sena's door and she quieted her breathing to listen through the door.

"...I don't know what to do." Kiri's voice was muffled through the door.

"She's in a lot of pain." The doctor responded. "She can't communicate just how much, but she's suffering."

"I just..." Kiri choked. "I can't just make a decision like this so easily... I can't give up on her."

"We understand. We really do." The second doctor added. "We just don't want her to suffer like this anymore."

"Damn it..." Kiri held back a sob. "I can't face everyone if I make that choice. I _know_ she's in pain... I can see it with my own eyes... but..."

"I know." The first doctor sighed. "We estimate that she has a day left, if we don't intervene. And even that might be a generous guess. "

Natsumi's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, realizing Kotetsu had caught up to her and was standing beside her, eavesdropping as well.

"No..." Kiri muttered. "That soon?"

"I'm sorry. I wish we had better news."

"I..." Kiri paused. "I'll... let the team know. I think it would be best if we were all here for it... so she won't be alone."

Natsumi's vision blurred with cold tears that fell onto the floor.

_No... it can't be true... only... one day?_

The door opened slowly and the doctor stepped out, seeing the eavesdroppers and shaking his head before walking away. Kiri noticed the pair finally, and bit her lip before turning away. Natsumi shook and hugged her arms close, running back down the hall as a heavy silence settled there.

"Kiri..." Kotetsu stepped inside, reaching out to touch her arm, only to have it slapped away.

"Don't." She whispered and hugged her own arms close, facing away from him.

"...I'm so sorry."

"Don't." Her voice cracked and she shoved him away, her voice barely a whisper. "Please just go. I need... a minute alone."

He nodded quietly and lowered his arm, then retreated out of the door. The door shut with a click and he lingered on the other side, both palms against the door as he pressed his forehead to it, his eyes closed tightly.

Kiri pressed her back to the door and broke into a loud sob, sliding down to the floor after a moment, howling into her hands as she tried to muffle the noise and drew her legs close to her as she cried.


	54. Chapter 52: Reunions and Goodbyes Pt 1

"Thanks to you, the bridge was completely safely." Tazuna stood in front of the crowd of villagers, looking over Team Seven as they stood packed and prepared to cross the new structure. "But we will miss you very much."

"Please take care." Tsunami smiled at them, bowing her head slightly.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi smiled and his eyes crinkled shut.

"Now, now!" Naruto grinned at Inari, who stood between his grandfather and mother, and looked up at the old man. "We'll come back for a visit again, Tazuna! Maybe I'll bring Natsumi with us next time. You'll really like her."

Inari looked down and sniffed as his eyes watered before they rose again at the blond Genin. "For sure...?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and looked more closely at the boy, who was struggling to hold back tears. His own eyes watered and he trembled as his emotions stirred. "Inari... you're gonna miss us, aren't you? It's alright to cry. Go ahead and cry."

"I won't cry!" Inari's nose ran slightly and his eyes nearly spilled over as he shut them tightly. "But it's alright if you cry, Naruto niichan."

"O-Oh? Is that so?" Naruto sniffed and held his years back.

Both boys trembled as they tried to contain their emotions, their noses dripping as they did.

Suddenly, Naruto turned around as his eyes finally spilled over. "See ya!"

Inari's eyes widened slightly and he reached out his hand. "Oh!" Tears flowed silently down his face and he returned his arm to his side.

Sakura let out a sigh and glanced at Naruto from the corner of her eye, furrowing her brows as she stared at him tight-lipped. _"You're so stubborn."_

The Shinobi started walking down the bridge, heading home, and Tazuna watched them with a small smile.

"That boy change Inari's mind... and Inari changed the minds of the village people." He paused and glanced down at his grandson, then looked up at Naruto as he continued home. "That boy created a bridge linking us to hope, a bridge called courage."

The figures of Team Seven grew smaller and smaller in their sights and Tazuna continued, muttering under his breath. "So, a linking bridge..."

"Speaking of bridges." A man looked at Tazuna. "We still need to name this bridge, don't we?"

"That's true." Tazuna turned to acknowledge him. "In that case, I have a perfect name for this bridge."

"Yeah?" Another man asked. "What is it?"

"The Great Naruto Bridge. How's that?"

Tsunami laughed, and then nodded to herself. "That's a good name."

"What? Are you sure that's a good name?" Tazuna looked around at those gathered around him. He chuckled to himself. "This name is to wish that the bridge will never collapse... And someday, it'll be the name of a very famous bridge. A name known 'round the world. That's what I truly hope."

Inari wiped his tears away and looked out across the bridge, where the four figures were no longer in view.

* * *

"Okay!" Naruto grinned and crossed his arms behind his head as he walked. "As soon as I get back, I'll have Iruka sensei treat me to ramen as a celebration of completing the mission! And! And! I'll tell Konohamaru tales of my heroic exploits! And! I'll find Natsumi and we can stay up all night telling each other all about our missions! I bet she'll be impressed with how cool and powerful I was! I wonder if her mission was exciting, too!"

Kakashi glanced over at Naruto, who was nodding to himself as he talked and beamed. _"He has no idea that her missions are purely confidential..."_ He smiled slightly and shrugged to himself. _"Still, at least it's good that he'll see her again. Siblings shouldn't be away from each other too long."_

"Then, I'll..." Sakura blushed slightly and looked over at the Uchiha walking on Kakashi's other side in silence. "Sasuke, do you want to go on a date when we get back to the village?"

"No, I don't think so." He kept his eyes forward, barely acknowledging her.

Sakura stopped walking for a moment and her expression fell. "J-Just like that...?"

Naruto's eyes burst open and he grinned. "You know! You know! I'll go with you!"

"Shut up, Naruto! As if I'd go on a date with you!" Sakura grabbed his collar and shook him. She lifted him up as she glared and tossed him over the edge of the bridge, where he splashed into the water below.

"Gaaah! Sakura!"

* * *

"Finally!" Naruto grinned as he spotted the main gate into Konoha with a grin. He ran towards it, until he was in the center of it. "Heehee." He rested his hands on his hips and looked around. "It feels good to be back!"

"Not even back one minute and he's already being so noisy." Sakura crossed her arms, shaking her head.

"Well, we have been gone for longer than expected." Kakashi smiled down at her. "It's nice to finally be back at the village."

"I guess, yeah..." Sakura paused and her expression softened. _"My parents are probably going to smother and interrogate me when I get home. How annoying..." _She glanced toward Sasuke and sighed under her breath. _"And, now that we're back, I won't see Sasuke all day, every day anymore._"

Naruto turned to his team as they caught up. "C'mon! You guys are so slow!" He jogged in place, then stopped and crossed his arms behind his head. "There's so much I want to do!"

"Hold on there." Kakashi patted the blond's head. "Before we get to go our separate ways, we have to report to the Hokage first."

"Aw, man." Naruto groaned and crossed his arms. "I want to find Natsumi and get some Ichiraku's..."

"Idiot." Sakura muttered and shook her head. "Is Ramen all you think about?"

Naruto pouted out his lip and turned his face away. "Hmph. Not the only thing."

"Alright," Kakashi walked between them, then continued forward. "The faster we finish giving our report, the quicker you can get to doing what it is you want."

Sakura nodded obediently and followed as closely beside Sasuke as he tolerated, and Naruto reluctantly continued with them, walking beside Kakashi.

After some time, Naruto spotted a familiar figure with red hair approaching them.

"Natsumi!" He called out to her with a wave. "We're finally back! Isn't that great?! I bet you really missed me, right?!"

He closed his eyes and laughed to himself, then opened he saw that she had not acknowledged him.

Kakashi looked at her, studying her body language. _"Something's not right..."_

"Hmph." Naruto scowled slightly. "Maybe she didn't hear me."

Sakura put a hand on her hip. "Naruto, _everyone _heard you." She looked ahead at the girl, who was closer to them now. _"Although... the way she's ignoring him... it's strange."_

"Fine then." Naruto ran ahead, closing the gap between them, grinning as he did until he stopped in front her, with his arms up triumphantly. "Natsumi, look! I'm back! Isn't that great?! I bet you were really lonely without your amazing twin for so long, right?"

He froze as she continued to walk by him, her eyes dull and clouded and her pace slow and ambled as she kept her arms drawn close.

"Nat...sumi?" He turned and watched her pass, his breath catching in his throat.

Kakashi and the others stopped walking to observer her, and Sakura held up her hand close to her mouth.

_"There's definitely something wrong here... she's always so energetic and adores Naruto... to ignore him like that as if she can't see or hear him..."_

Kakashi took a step to the side, allowing Natsumi to pass as he observed her solemnly. _"That expression of hers... there's no mistaking it."_

Sasuke's eyes followed her for a moment and he stuck his hands into his pockets. _"That look... I know it..."_

"Nat-suuu-mii!" Naruto blinked and followed her, walking around her in a circle and waving in an attempt for her to acknowledge him. He stopped in front of her after a moment, grabbing her shoulders to shake her. "Hey! What's the matter?! It's me, Naruto! I'm back, so let's celebrate!"

Naruto tried to shake her again, and Kakashi reached out to grab one of his arms gently.

"Naruto, stop." The Jonin looked down at him and said quietly. Naruto looked between his teacher and sister, then slowly lowered his arms and his expression fell.

"Kakashi-sensei... what's wrong with her? It's like she can't see or hear anything." He watched Natsumi, who had stopped walking and now stood still, her eyes still glazed over and empty. "Is she under some kind of Genjutsu? Who did that to her?"

Kakashi let out a small sigh and his eyes rested on Natsumi briefly before returning to Naruto, then stepped aside again as Natsumi slowly continued forward. Once she was out of sight, Kakashi looked over his team.

"Everyone handles trauma differently..." Kakashi responded quietly, and the three Genin stared up at him.

"Trauma?" Naruto's eyes followed the direction she had gone. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Kakashi blinked and started to continue toward the Hokage's office once again. "Let's not keep Lord Third waiting any longer." Glancing over his shoulder, he met Naruto's eyes. "How about we all stop by and get some ramen afterwards? It'll be my treat, just this once."

"Wait... you can't just change subjects like—" Naruto blinked and titled his head slightly, pausing before he crossed his arms and nodded. "Ramen, you say? Your treat?"

Sakura stared down the street, pressing her lips together tightly as she clasped her hands together. _"For her to be like that... what happened to her?"_ Looking at Kakashi, she bit her lip. _"Kakashi-sensei seems to know, at least somewhat, but I can't ask him outright because it's not really my place, when she's Naruto's sister."_

"Hurry up, Sakura." Kakashi waved a hand as he walked, with Naruto and Sasuke following her. "This won't take long."

* * *

"Alright." Kakashi turned to his team outside of the Hokage's office with a smile. "You guys go on head to Ichiraku's now."

"Hey!" Naruto crossed his arms and squinted up at him suspiciously. "Are you just trying to get out of treating us like you promised?"

"Would I do that?" Kakashi laughed and looked between his students, who nodded.

"Definitely." Sakura nodded.

Kakashi chuckled to himself and scratched his head. "_Sakura, too?"_

He lowered his arm and put his hand into his pocket, then shook his head. "There's something I want to discuss with Lord Third for a minute, and then I'll be right behind you."

"You swear?" Naruto asked, squinting suspiciously as the others kept their eyes on the Jonin.

_"Yikes..."_ Kakashi nodded with a chuckle. "It'll only take a few minutes. Just go on ahead of me."

"Oh... alright." Naruto sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. "But don't even think about sticking us with the bill. We'll find you and make you sorry!"

The three Genin turned to leave, and Kakashi stepped back into the Hokage's office. After a while, he left again and followed after his students with his hands in his pockets.

Halfway to the restaurant, he caught a glimpse of Kiri as she looked out over the river as it cut through the village. Altering course slightly, he approached her, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Hey." He greeted her simply and looked out over the water.

"Hey." Kiri blinked and nodded at him slightly. "I didn't realize you guys were back already."

"We only got back a while ago." He paused. "We saw Natsumi earlier."

Kiri's eyes widened slightly and she drew her arms close to her. "Oh."

She sighed after a while and stuck her hands into her own pockets. "About our mission..."

Kakashi shook his head. "ANBU missions are classified."

"Fuck the rules." Kiri muttered. "You saw how Natsumi is... it's going to affect Naruto, who is your student. That directly involves you. Besides, you're former ANBU yourself."

"Well, that's true..." Kakashi scratched his cheek.

Kiri bit her lip, hesitating before she spoke again. "...We ran into the Araki brothers."

Kakashi's eyes widened and he looked at her directly. "The Araki brothers?!"

"We found what seemed to be their main base of operations." Kiri continued in a mutter. "Where they'd been hiding from us all this time... and storing all their trophies."

Kakashi let out a slow breath. "The ones responsible for the deaths of some of our best Shinobi..." He paused. "How did you make it out alive?"

"We almost didn't." Kiri stared at the water as it rippled from a breeze. "But... Natsumi..."

"Natsumi?" Kakashi blinked, repeating her. "What do you mean?"

"Kakashi, did anything happen with Naruto on your mission?" Kiri's voice lowered and she looked at him. "I think you know what I mean."

Kakashi nodded after a moment. "The Seal... it nearly broke."

Kiri nodded solemnly and turned her eyes away. "...I thought so."

"Why?"

Kiri bit her lip again. "Because. Natsumi... with the brothers... she entered an animalistic rage. Chakra spilled out of her, and she became inhumanly powerful and fast."

"Are you suggesting...?"

Kiri shrugged. "Hiruzen doesn't know for sure, either. We've got our theories."

"What happened?" Kakashi kept his eyes on her.

"Natsumi killed them. The Araki brothers."

Kakashi's eyes went wide and he froze in place. "By herself?"

Kiri nodded slowly. "Four out of seven. It was all a blur... and by the end of it, she was soaked head-to-toe in blood, with red eyes that held the kind of bloodlust I've never seen in anyone before."

Silence fell between them.

"And... the other two?"

Kiri released a slow breath. "I got number five and six. Five was the weakest, and no match for my Genjutsu. Their leader escaped."

Kakashi stood quietly in thought. "It's a miracle that you all were able to make it out of there alive, and in one piece."

Kiri clenched a hand into a fist and kicked a stone into the water, watching it sink. "Not all of us."

She crossed her arms, then began to hastily walk away to hide the tears that rolled slowly down her face. "Later, Hatake."

Kakashi's expression shifted at her tone and he watched her walk away for a moment.

_"So... that explains it all, then..."_ He turned and continued on the same path as before. _"I wouldn't have thought it was something like that..."_

* * *

Kakashi stepped up to the ramen shop with a smile and raised his hand in greeting at the three Genin there. "Hey, you guys."

They turned to glare intensely at their sensei. "You're late!" They said, almost in complete unison.

Sakura crossed her arms. "We're almost finished eating already!"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. The conversation ran a bit longer than I intended." He sat down on the stool, then ordered himself a bowl as Teuchi greeted him.

"Hmph." Naruto slurped up the remaining broth in his bowl, then set it down. "You always have an excuse."

"Sorry, sorry." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and his eyes lingered on Naruto. "Since I took so long, why don't you get a second bowl?"

Naruto's eyes lit up and he slammed his palms down on the counter. "All right!" He looked at Teuchi. "Another bowl for me! Extra everything! Kakashi-sensei's treat!"

Teuchi chuckled and nodded his head as he cooked. "Alright. Coming right up."

Sakura returned to eating the last of her ramen slowly and kept her eyes on her sensei. _"When he offered to treat us, I was sure he was going to bring it up... but so far he hasn't said a word."_ She chewed slowly. _"It might not really be my business, but I'm still curious..."_

Teuchi placed Kakashi's bowl before him, and then Naruto's with a smile. "Enjoy!"

Naruto licked his lips, grinning to himself, and then dug into his second bowl. He slurped up large bite of noodle. "Ah... So good!" He paused for a moment to mutter under his breath. "Although I wish Natsumi were here, too."

Kakashi chewed, having taken a bite without any of the Genin realizing, and looked down at the blond. _"I was wondering when he would bring her up."_

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto looked up at his teacher. "What's wrong with her? Isn't that why you had us meet you here?"

Sakura blinked. _"Did he actually figure that out on his own? Normally he's such an idiot..."_

Kakashi kept quiet for a while, then nodded slowly. _"I didn't expect him to guess, but since she is his sister, it's only natural he would be worried."_

Teuchi turned his head slightly in an attempt to eavesdrop subtly and the Jonin sighed.

"The way she acted before, as if she couldn't even see or hear me... she's never done that before." Naruto's eyes rested on the ramen as he talked. "Something really horrible must have happened, right?"

"What do you know about the mission she was assigned?" Kakashi watched him, deep in thought. _"Being classified, I'm sure she didn't reveal any significant details to him..."_

Naruto shrugged and slowly slurped another bite of noodles. "Nothing really; it was just a boring mission, she said. Just that they had to meet someone and get some paperwork from him." He scratched his cheek and squinted his eyes as he strained to remember. "Something that like."

_"Information retrieval?"_ Sakura looked at Kakashi, expectantly. _"That seems easy enough."_

"Well, yes." Kakashi nodded, and then his expression shifted as he turned his attention away. "Although, if you'll remember, we were assigned a simple mission as well. We only discovered later on that it was... more than we'd expected."

The counter went quiet as the eating stopped and the Genin remembered the Land of Waves and the assassin. Sasuke laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on the counter as he thought, looking out at his teammates from the corner of his eye.

Sakura blinked and opened her mouth at first, then closed it again and looked at Naruto.

"Do you really think her mission... became really dangerous like that?" Naruto asked quietly, staring down into his broth.

Kakashi paused and glanced between his three students. _"Should I be as candid as I can, or soften it for him?"_ After some time, he let out a sigh and brought his hand closer to his mouth as he rested his own elbow on the counter.

"Actually... in many ways..." he replied finally. "...her mission became even more dangerous."

The three Genin's eyes widened and Naruto turned to Kakashi quickly.

"W-What does that mean?!"

"Well," Kakashi thought, choosing his words carefully. "We only had those two opponents. From what I've heard... Natsumi's team encountered seven rogue Ninja, ranked from A to Double S."

Sakura's hand trembled slightly. _"As dangerous and powerful as Zabuza and that boy were... she encountered people even more dangerous?"_

Sasuke listened and turned his head slightly to watch Kakashi's expression. _"I wouldn't be inclined to believe it... but his expression is deathly serious."_

Naruto clenched one of his fists on his lap and looked down again. "Then...! Then...!" He paused. "But, how did they handle it on their own? Without getting hurt?"

"They didn't." Kakashi replied under his breath. _"Telling him what I can of the truth will help him to accept it much easier."_ The Jonin let out a short breath. "Natsumi may not have any physical scars from that mission, but she was still heavily wounded in other ways... After all, the things she must have seen alone... even we can't imagine them, even now. That's how different it was."

Naruto paled and remained silent, gritting his teeth. _"Natsumi... what happened? Was it really so bad?"_ He looked at Kakashi again. "How long until she's better?"

Kakashi let out a small sigh and shrugged. "Everyone handles trauma differently." He muttered quietly. "She might return to normal tomorrow, or it could take weeks."

"But... I'm her brother... can't I do something?"

Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder and patted it. "She's having a difficult time processing it, so what she really needs is just your support once she has. Dealing with these things when you're alone can often lead to it being suppressed and festering beneath the surface, so it's important, as her brother, to be her support."

After a long silence, Naruto leapt up from his stool and clenched his fist. "Alright! I've got to find her now and cheer her up!"

Kakashi gripped his shoulder, and Naruto remained in place and his expression shifted.

"I think you should give her some space for now." The Jonin advised softly.

"For how long?" Naruto sighed.

"You'll know when it's time." Kakashi patted Naruto's head.

"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms, and looked out over the darkening village as clouds rolled over the sun. . "I can't just do nothing! Not when she needs me!"

"Naruto, sometimes people just need you to respect their space. If someone is already feeling overwhelmed, some of their senses will shut down so they can focus on tackling what is bothering them most."

Naruto's expression softened. "So... you're saying that's why she didn't see or hear me?"

Kakashi nodded slowly and Naruto stayed quiet.

"I guess... I can wait until that changes." He looked up at his sensei. "But that doesn't mean I'll leave her alone! Even if she can't hear or see me, I can sit with her until she's better, so that I'm not late at all."

Kakashi smiled and his eye crinkled as he did. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that." He sighed and pushed his bowl away, now empty, and then took out his money to set on the counter. "Well, it seems we're all finished now. You all should head home and get plenty of rest after a long mission like that. You've all earned a few days' off."

"Huh?" They blinked at looked at Kakashi, then to his bowl, and their mouths gaped.

"W-W-Wait a minute!" Naruto pointed at the empty dish. "When did you even eat all that?! We were watching you the whole time!"

Kakashi laughed to himself and rubbed his head sheepishly as he stood. "Perhaps you should work on your perception, Naruto. A Shinobi has to have better awareness of his surroundings."

Naruto made a face and crossed his arms again. "Hmph!"

Kakashi waved and began to walk off on his own. "See you later. Be sure to rest up while you can."


	55. Chapter 53: Reunions and Goodbyes Pt 2

Sakura stretched as they walked and glanced between her two teammates, blushing faintly as her eyes rested on Sasuke. _"He said he didn't want to go on a date before... but now that we're back and we've got some days off... maybe he's changed his mind."_

"Oh, Sasuke-kun." She scooted closer to him as she walked, and he continued to stare ahead with an empty expression as he walked with his hands in his pockets.

"What?"

"Well..." Sakura's blushed deepened slightly and she tilted her head to the side. "I was thinking, since we have a few days off... maybe we could do something together?"

"...No."

Sakura blinked and pressed her lips together, then tried again. "Maybe a relaxing picnic? Sensei did say we should get some rest."

"I don't need rest. I'm going to continue with my training." Sasuke's steps quickened slightly and Sakura let out a soft sigh.

"Ya know... ya know!" Naruto leaned close to her, grinning. "I'd be happy to have a picnic with you! Who needs that Sasuke anyway? It'll be much more fun with just the two of us!"

Sakura gritted her teeth and formed a fist, then struck him on the top of the head.

"No!" She crossed her arms as he rubbed his head and turned her face away. "Idiot! As if I'd make you a picnic lunch in the first place!"

"S-Sakura..." Naruto pouted. "You're so cruel..."

"Hey, you! Cool guy!"

The trio turned to see a man with auburn hair approaching them from behind while waving to get their attention.

"What?" Sasuke turned and shot the stranger a glare without hesitation.

The man stopped in front of them and rested his hands on his hips, looking down at Sasuke with a scowl.

"I didn't mean you, Uchiha." He rolled his eyes. "Yeesh. Always so pretentious. Apples never fall far, I guess."

Sasuke's glare intensified and the man's eyes rested on Naruto.

"I meant you, kid."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "...Me? Cool?" After a moment, he laughed and crossed his arms behind his head. "I mean... yeah, that's me! The coolest guy in the Leaf and the future Hokage!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked the man up and down. "Who are you?"

"Whoops." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, and kept his attention focused on the blond. "The name's Aito, sorry. I've actually been looking for you, Naruto."

Naruto looked at the man and crossed his arms. "Looking for me?" He scratched his cheek. "Why?"

"Aaah..." Aito paused and ran his fingers through his hair. "Actually, I'm on the same team as Natsumi."

Their eyes widened and Sakura blushed faintly.

_"Natsumi is on a team... with a grown man?"_ She paused and crossed her arms. _"And he's pretty handsome, too, even for being so much older."_

Naruto's expression shifted at the mention of his sister. "You're on her team?"

Aito nodded. "She's kind of become the little sister none of us ever had."

"But, why would you be looking for me?" Naruto asked, and the man sighed.

"Well... ya see..." He looked away from a moment and then cleared his throat. "I'm uh... looking for her."

"Looking for her?" Naruto repeated. "What for?" His eyes squinted. "You're not some kind of pervert, are you?!"

"What?!" Aito laughed. "No, no." He shook his head, and his smile faded. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "The truth is... one of our teammates... she's in the hospital right now. And, she doesn't have much time left. We're all gathering to sit with her overnight so she isn't alone when she..."

Aito paused and stared at the ground, running his fingers through his hair, letting out a slow breath. "Ya see... almost everyone else is there already, but Natsumi. So, I figured she wouldn't want to... not be there, ya know? But I haven't found her yet, and I'm not sure how much time is left."

Naruto's eyes widened and Sakura's hand rose to nearly cover her mouth.

_"No way..."_ Sakura blinked. _"So... her behavior... it makes sense now."_ She pressed her lips together and felt her heart sink in her chest. _"How terrible..."_

"One of your teammates is...?" Naruto muttered to himself and glanced downward, then back up at the man. "Who is?"

Aito made a face, and then shook his head slowly. "...You've actually met her before." He paused and his arm lowered to his side. "Remember Sena?"

Naruto's eyes grew wider and he froze in place. "S-Sena?" He swallowed the lump in his throat and a face appeared in his mind. "Y-You mean..." He clenched his hand into a ball. _"That nice girl who had us over for that huge dinner she made? ...The one who didn't look at me as if I was a monster?"_

Aito nodded, averting his eyes from the Genin. "Sena... the sweet one. Always happy... always friendly... was always the one nagging us to quit our bad habits and do better with ourselves..." He stopped himself, then hit himself in the head. "Damn it!" He hit himself several more times before muttering. "...I said 'was'..."

Naruto's hand started to tremble and the man met his eyes.

"Sena..." Aito continued slowly. "She, Kiri, and Natsumi have all gotten so close in just a few months' time... almost inseparable... this is hardest on them both..." He put his hand into his pocket and spoke barely above a whisper. "But... especially for Natsumi. The rest of us... we've all buried friends before. But... this is a first for her. She's in shock, and we're all worried about her."

Sakura gulped and looked at her own teammates. _"To think about losing either of them... even Naruto, who's annoying... that feeling at the bridge was unbearable. And now... she's feeling that way, too... except that this time... it's real..."_

Naruto clenched his fist tighter and shut his eyes. "So... the reason why she was like that..." He swallowed at the lump that formed in his throat. "...her best friend... is dying?"

Aito went quiet for a while, then nodded. "...I wish I could say you were wrong... but... that's the reality of it."

"...When?"

"Huh?" Aito looked at Naruto, whose trembling had become more noticeable.

"When will she...?" Naruto asked again, unable to finish. "Ya know..."

"Oh." Aito ran his fingers through his hair again and stared out at the distance. "...She probably won't even last until the end of the day, if we're lucky. That's why I'm trying to hurry and find your sister." He paused and glanced at the boy. "You... wouldn't happen to know where she might have gone, do you?"

Naruto shook his head slowly, hanging it in thought. _"I didn't know she was in so much pain... Kakashi-sensei didn't say anything about it..."_ He swallowed again. _"To lose her friend so suddenly like this... it's... too painful."_

"Another dead end..." Aito sighed and looked upward, in all directions and muttered to himself. "There are still a few more places I can look..." He looked back down at Naruto, reaching out to pat his head. "Hey, if you happen to see her... let her know to meet us all in the hospital room, okay? If she doesn't go... she'll regret it for the rest of her life."

He lowered his arm and his eyes glossed over momentarily as he turned to walk away.

"Sorry to have to meet you under these circumstances. We've all been wanting to have a get-together when you got back, but with things like they are..." He shook his head. "...See you later, kid."

Aito flickered away and Sakura's eyes fell on Naruto, who was still silent. She cleared her throat quietly and thought for a moment.

"...Naruto?"

Naruto blinked, sniffing loudly as he used his sleeve to wipe the tears that had started to flow down his face. "...What?"

"I could... if you wanted me to..." She paused and watched his expression and the cold sadness that filled his eyes. "I could help you look for her, if you want. For Natsumi, I mean."

Naruto shook his head after a moment. "No... this is something I have to do by myself." His normally energetic voice was flat, and he turned away with his hands in his pockets. "I'm her brother... so I have to be the one there for her, just like Kakashi-sensei said."

"But..." Before she could continue, Naruto leapt away, solemnly jumping from roof-to-roof until he was out of sight. She held her hand near her heart and looked down. _"I know a little of how she must feel... I want to be able to help in some way... even if we've never really gotten along before."_

"Sasu—" She turned to the last member of her team, but he had already left. Sakura bit her lip, and drew in her arms closely. _"I guess... I'll have to leave it up to Naruto, then..."_ She clutched her hand tighter, and turned slowly toward home. _"I hope Natsumi is doing okay... I hope they find her soon."_

* * *

Natsumi stopped walking as a soft breeze carried the faint scent of peaches, mint, and flowers. She blinked and found herself in front of Sena's cottage and her eyes grew faintly as they fell on the gate leading into the backyard.

Too numb to think, she opened the gate slowly and slipped inside, taking in a deep breath. The familiar scent was comforting, although bitter-tasting in the air. She blinked and her heart sunk as she looked around.

Instead of the vibrant, waxy green of the garden, only shades of pale green, yellow, grey, and brown could be seen. Fruit lay beneath the trees in various stages of rot, partially eaten by wildlife. The vegetables in their raised boxes had been eaten entirely, with the stalks and leaves left to wither and fall, and each of the flower beds held little color left as the trampled flowers browned on the ground.

Natsumi's breath caught in her throat and she trembled slightly.

_This place looks... awful._

She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued into the garden.

_This is wrong... it shouldn't look like this. It's supposed to be beautiful, and comforting, and welcoming..._

She bit her lip and stopped in front of a patch of roses whose petals had blackened and fallen.

_All of the things that Sena is..._

Tears welled in her eyes and she sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a small cluster of flowers that remained vibrant. Her eyes widened and she rushed to them, falling to her knees in front of the flowers as she stared.

_There's no mistake... these are the only ones left alive..._ She reached out her hand to caress a petal, then drew it back. _But... these are Sena's favorites... the Nightblooming Cereus. Yet, the blossoms are open in broad daylight._

Natsumi let out a quiet sigh and watched the flowers dance in the breeze.

_At least these are still alive... she would be so upset if they died. She even used her own Chakra to help them grow and bloom nightly, instead of wilting so quickly._

She sighed again and closed her eyes momentarily.

_Sena... please get better. You can't go..._

When she opened her eyes, the bloom directly in front of her began to brown and wilt, and petals floated onto the earth below.

Natsumi's eyes widened as it rapidly died and she desperately held the bloom in her hand as her stomach turned.

"No! Stop wilting!" Within seconds, the entire flower had died and fallen into her cupped hands, and she went pale in horror. She looked at the others, and noticed each one slowly— yet rapidly— wilting before her eyes.

"No!" She touched each one gently, tears flowing down her cheeks as she moved from flower-to-flower. "No! No! No!"

She tossed down another dead flower in her hands, choking on a sob.

"No! Stop dying!"

Natsumi reached the final flower, crying harder as the tips of its petals darkened and shriveled.

"No! No! No! No! Stop it! Don't die!" She gently grasped the stem and bit her lip. "I won't let you die!"

The first petal fell and she lowered her head. "Stop... please stop..."

_If Sena used to Chakra to make these flower grow stronger before, maybe I can use some of my own to save this one!_

Natsumi blinked at the realization and took a breath, channeling her Chakra to her hands as she transferred it into the plant. After a moment, the vibrant white of the petals returned and the flower stood tall on its own again.

She let out a cry of surprise and relief, then exhaled slowly.

"It worked..." She murmured, caressing the soft petal with a smile as she sniffed. _At least I managed to save one of them._

A faint hiss from behind made her turn, and, underneath of a wilted cluster of leeks, a snake watched her intently. It flicked its tongue out at her, its smoky form becoming more transparent as it entered the sunlight.

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stood quickly, keeping her eyes on the serpent. "You... were looking for me?"

The snake nodded and then dissipated into the air. Natsumi turned and ran from the garden quickly, as fast as her feet could carry her.

_There's still time left! There's got to be something I can do!_

Natsumi burst through the door of the small building, breathing heavily, and the woman behind the corner desk chuckled under her breath.

"Ah, Natsumi... right on time."

Natsumi rushed over to the desk and rested her palms against it as she met the old woman's eyes.

"Oto-sama, I—"

The woman cleared her throat and released a series of smoke rings. "You're looking for a miracle cure for your friend. I know."

Natsumi nodded quickly. "You summoned me, so I know you must have something."

Oto reached into one of the folds of her kimono to reveal a small notebook.

"You know... a few weeks ago, I encountered an old friend of mine." She set the book on her lap as she took another puff of her pipe and Natsumi bit her lip as she waited. "He's been traveling through different countries for several decades now, compiling strange legends and stories wherever he went."

Oto glanced downward at the book, tapping it with her fingernails.

"Well, I copied the ones I found most interesting of his collection. They're really quite interesting."

Natsumi bit her lip harder, impatient. "Oto-sama, please. There's not much time. Is there a cure or not?"

Oto held out the book for her to take with a faint smirk on her lips.

"I never promised a cure. However, you may find one of his stories interesting."

Natsumi opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again as she took the book. She sat cross-legged against a bookshelf as she opened the notebook and began to rifle though.

_Baby born with three extra legs... man born with third eye that could see the dead... Jashin cultists... Massacre of a clan with an ice Kekkei Genkai... Firsthand account of the Bloody Mists' graduation exam... An entire village's children going missing..._

Natsumi sighed and flipped through the pages faster.

_Come on... come on... there has to be something... Oto wouldn't have summoned me otherwise..._

She paused and read the title of the next section, muttering it under her breath in frustration.

"The Uzushiogakure Survivor..."

She pressed her lips together and slowly started to turn to the next passage.

_Sounds interesting, but not useful._

Her hand froze and she stared down at the page as her eyes caught a quick glimpse of a single word:

Uzumaki.

Her eyes widened and she held the book closer as she reread it again and again.

_No way..._

Her eyes quickly passed over the page, reading it as her heart skipped a beat.

_"Despite the calculated surprise assault of the country, it is believed that many Uzumaki may still remain. Their whereabouts are currently unknown, though I can confirm that several have become nomadic, going to great lengths to_ _disguise themselves and change their names."_

She swallowed and continued to read.

_"While traveling through the Village Hidden in the Grass, I encountered a red-haired woman who retained the Uzumaki name. When I became injured from an old bridge collapsing beneath me, I was brought to this woman. She instructed me to bite her arm, which was covered in marks, and so I did. Her Chakra flowed within me and immediately I was healed of the terrible wound to my head and my broken leg, which I was sure would need amputation. When I asked what kind of Jutsu she had used, she only smiled and said that it was a trait of her clan. To this day, I regret not asking for her name, although I did hear the name of her daughter, who was always at her side- Karin."_

Natsumi's heart pounded in her chest and her hands trembled slightly.

_There... there are more Uzumaki! _She gulped and then looked down at her arm. _And... we can heal?!_

Her eyes fell on the page again.

_"Just last week I tried to reenter the village but was turned away. For some reason, they are no longer keen on visitors. When I mentioned the Uzumaki healer, and that I had come to visit and give her a gift as thanks for saving my life, I was told that she had died some time ago. When I inquired about the daughter, they refused to answer and only turned me away again. I can only pray to the gods now that she is alive, and did not meet whatever terrible fate her mother must have."_

Natsumi turned the page, and her stomach sunk.

_No! That can't be it!_

She leapt to her feet and stood in front of Oto, who was reading.

"There are more Uzumaki!" Natsumi blurted. The old woman remained quiet, and Natsumi bit her lip. "You've had this for weeks... and you never told me?"

"My dear, there was no need to." Oto glanced up slightly. "I give knowledge to those who come to me for it. I don't give it away so easily."

Natsumi clenched one of her hands into a ball.

"But... you summoned me today!"

"Did I?" Oto blew out a puff of smoke that took the form of a small snake. "All I recall doing is sending out my snakes to spy and eavesdrop all over the village."

Natsumi let out a hot breath and held up the book.

"Alright then... at least tell me if this is true or not! Can Uzumaki heal like he described?"

"If you're asking if you can heal your friend..." Oto responded with a soft, silky voice. "Then I would have to say no. It's a venom- not a physical wound. The process to heal each is delicate and unique."

Natsumi pursed her lips. "Since you know everything else... do you know what kind of venom it is?"

Oto tapped the mouthpiece of the pipe against her lips.

"I do have a theory, however, how they were able to obtain it, I don't know. Additionally, even if I was correct, it wouldn't be of any use, as there is no antivenin."

Natsumi bit her lip and stared down at the polished surface of the desk.

_I can't accept that... there's got to be something I can do._

"Then... what about the other Uzumaki? What did it mean by 'calculated surprise assault' of Uzushiogakure? I've never even heard of it before."

"Ah, Natsumi..." Oto returned the pipe to her mouth and rested her cheek in her hand. "I thought time was of the essence?"

Her eyes widened and she balled her hands tightly. "Then why show me this at all?"

"I simply provide information. How you use it is up to you." The corners of Oto's mouth twitched in a slight smirk.

Natsumi let out a slow breath.

_Mysterious, manipulative old woman._

She turned and began to walk toward the door. As she turned the handle, Oto spoke up. "It's an interesting thing, gardening with Chakra."

Natsumi froze in place. "...What?"

"It takes a great deal of delicate Chakra control to infuse seeds with Chakra, so that they bloom nightly, rather than wilting every morning. And to maintain them that way year-round... it takes quite a bit of devotion and skill." Oto tapped the pipe against her lips again and exhaled tendrils of serpentine smoke from her nostrils. "One could almost say that a person capable of that may even be connected to those flowers through the constant Chakra exchange."

Oto chuckled under her breath. "Well, I suppose if that were the case, it's a good thing that you saved that last little flower. At least, according to superstition."

Natsumi's eyes widened and she quickly ran out of the building.

Oto let out a long breath and a cloud of smoke swirled around her, taking on a solid form. She removed a small vial of dark blood from a drawer, along with a scroll, and secured them in a small pouch on the snake's back.

"Umito, do be a dear and deliver this to the Great White Snake."

The snake let out a sigh and then nodded slowly. "Oh... fine. If I must. She's always so intimidating."

Oto scratched under his chin. "Yes, it must be difficult, being her descendant, yet being the runt of the family."

"Hmph." The snake flicked his tail and turned his eyes away. "If she eats me for daring to show up in her presence again, I'm haunting you." Umito slithered off of the desk and left through a crack in the door.

* * *

Silence filled the small space of the room, despite how crowded it was. The three largest figures were standing solemnly in a corner, while Hana sat in a chair against the wall, one leg crossed over the other as her foot bounced in a rhythm.

Ahmya sat at the end of the bed with her fingers laced together as her hands rested in her lap, while Rie and Satoshi sat with their backs along on wall, with their legs drawn close. Aito paced the room slowly with his arms crossed as his eyes focused on the tiled floor.

All around Sena had been adorned with flowers of all varieties, creating a halo around her head as the blanket remained drawn high to cover her wound. Kiri sat beside the bed on a chair, with her hands over Sena's through the blanket, as she leaned over and rested her forehead to them. The only sound came from the slow breathing collecting in the air and the faint beeping from the monitor that grew slower by the hour.

"Well, isn't this a lovely gathering?"

They looked up to see Jiro standing in the center of the room, wearing a plain black mask with red lining the eye slits and the unnerving smile painted to look like lips that had been stitched together.

Kiri sat up quickly and glared. "What are you doing here? This is for friends' only."

"Hm?" Jiro chuckled under his breath and looked down at Sena in the bed. "All the time together on Team Yoru, and I'm not even considered a friend?"

"Kiri, calm down." Aito glanced at her, nodding slowly. She nodded back after a moment, but continued to glare at the masked man, grinding her teeth.

"Besides," Jiro stepped forward again, then reached into a pocket of his black cloak. "I brought something for our Sena."

Holding it up, he revealed a cluster of small, white flowers, and twirled the stem as he looked at Kiri.

"That's... nice." Kiri it her lip, then watched as Jiro placed the flowers into the center of a bouquet on the bedside table.

Aito blinked and pointed. "Jiro, isn't that Hemlock?"

Jiro looked down at the flowers and titled his head slightly. "Hm? Is it?" He placed his hand back into his pockets. "Ah... well, not entirely inappropriate, then, I suppose..."

Kiri clenched her fists and Aito held out his arm.

"It's fine." Aito looked between the two. "It's difficult to pick out, because it looks similar to other flowers. It was a thoughtful gesture."

Kiri bit her lip hard and forced her eyes back to Sena. Aito sighed and Jiro shrugged.

Sena's body trembled suddenly and Kiri clutched her hand tightly. After a moment, the trembling stopped and the monitor's steady beeping resumed, though slower than before.

Kiri let out a slow sigh and fixed her eyes to the rising and falling of Sena's chest.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted..." Jiro turned. "See you all later..."

He flickered away and silence returned.

"I really hate that guy..." Kiri muttered under her breath. "The nerve... he has no business..."

"Kiri..." Aito muttered quietly.

She sighed softly and only bit her lip as she looked at Sena. After a while, she spoke in a whisper.

"No sign of Natsumi yet..."

"She'll turn up." Aito patted her shoulder and managed a small smile. "There's still plenty of time."

The door burst open and all eyes turned to see Natsumi in the doorway, panting as she held herself up with the doorframe. Kiri's eyes widened slightly.

"Natsumi!"

Aito let out a breath and smiled. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Natsumi gasped for air, her hair damp with sweat from the run and she took in a few large breaths to calm herself for a minute.

"S-Sena...?"

"Still fighting." Aito smiled and turned to her. "Why don't you come over here and see her? She'd like that."

Natsumi swallowed and hurried over to the bed, her heart racing.

_Sena, don't you dare give up yet. There are a lot of people who need you._

She stood beside the bed and began to tremble as she looked down at Sena's face. Instead of appearing to be peacefully sleeping like before, her face twitched slightly in pain and small beads of sweat had accumulated on her forehead.

"See?" Aito said, standing behind her as he put a hand on her shoulder. "She'd never leave without saying goodbye to all of us. Team Yoru is a family; we stick together until the end and we love each other."

Natsumi's eyes watered and she pressed her lips together, glancing at the others in the room from the corners of her eyes.

_Everyone else... they've all known this before. That's why they seem so composed..._ She swallowed at the lump in her throat. ..._That's why they're all looking at me like this. To try to make me feel better._

Natsumi's heart pounded in rhythm with the heart monitor and she closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a slow breath as she clenched her trembling fists at her sides.

_They might have already given up... but I haven't. I'll do anything to make this right. Even if it kills me._

He eyes opened and she reached out to grab Sena's face quickly, starting her teammates.

"Natsumi, what are you doing?" Kiri stood slightly and tried to pull her away. "You're disturbing the flowers."

Natsumi shoved her away, using her hand to open Sena's mouth as she brought her other forearm to her lips.

_Bite it, Sena. Please. Bite down. It has to work. Just bite._

Her eyes threatened to spill as she struggled to place her arm into her mouth and force Sena's lower jaw to bite.

"Natsumi, stop! What are you doing?!"

Slow tears began to fall as Aito and Kiri both worked to gently move her from Sena and she struggled against them.

"I can help her! I can help her!" Natsumi sobbed. "Let me try!"

_It's not working! She can't bite me when she's like this._ Natsumi choked and bit her lip hard. _It has to work! It has to! Even if I have to force it!_

Natsumi pressed Sena's jaw up firmly, managing to catch the tips of her fingers between Sena's teeth. A faint green glow covered Sena head-to-toe and the senior members froze in place, loosening their grips on Natsumi as they stared.

"Natsumi... what are you doing?" Kiri muttered as she stared.

"She's healing..." Ahyma stood and walked slowly closer. "But... how?"

Natsumi gritted her teeth and kept her eyes focused on Sena.

_Come on... Come on... it has to work... please let this work._

"Natsumi, they've already tried Healing Ninjutsu like that..." Kiri reached out to touch the girl's shoulder, but she shrugged it away.

_No... I'm not giving up._ Natsumi narrowed her eyes, then exhaled slowly. _This isn't enough... it needs more Chakra..._

The glowing intensified and Natsumi blinked, feeling lightheaded.

_Not yet... I can't stop now. I'm an Uzumaki... we're special. We can do this. That story has to be right... it has to work..._

"Natsumi, stop it." Kiri shook her shoulder gently and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Please. Don't hurt yourself trying to do the impossible. Sena wouldn't want that."

"Then she can be mad at me once she's better." Natsumi muttered, and the glow increased again.

_I won't give up... I won't._

"Natsumi..." Aito touched her arm gently. "I know it's hard, but sometimes we have to say goodbye. We can't save everyone."

"You just said we were a family!" Natsumi snapped and choked on another sob. "I don't give up on my family! Not ever! That's my Ninja Way! Even if it kills me... I won't give up on her!"

The glow faded suddenly and Natsumi wobbled as her vision blurred.

_No! This can't be all I've got! It can't be!_

Her arms, now heavy, slipped and rested on the side of the bed as she barely held herself upright.

_I'm not done yet... I can't be..._

The room spun around her and her legs collapsed beneath her.

_I'm not... done..._


	56. Chapter 54: Crumbling to Dust

"Wakey, wakey." Kiri prodded Natsumi's cheek until her eyes opened slowly. She grinned. "Ah, there you are."

Natsumi's eyes fluttered open and light blinded her briefly until her eyes adjusted and she recognized her surroundings.

_I'm in the hospital again..._ She slowly moved her hands and feet and exhaled slowly. _No pain, either. Just soreness..._

Her eyes fell on Kiri, who crossed her arms and looked down at the girl.

"Hey." Natsumi murmured.

"Hey,' she says." Kiri shook her head slightly. "You just love scaring all of us, don't you?"

Natsumi's mouth twitched slightly in a smile. "Sorry."

"Sorry." Kiri scoffed. "You don't even know how dangerous that was! Transferring Chakra like that without training in Medical Ninjutsu... you could have killed yourself! What were you thinking?"

Natsumi grunted and forced herself to sit up, rubbing her eyes as she did. Then, she looked at Kiri.

"Did it work?"

Kiri stopped, her mouth open as she went to reply, then shut it again with a sigh. "Natsumi—"

She narrowed her eyes. "Did it work?"

Kiri let out a breath. "...it seems... the wound has recovered and the damage that the poison did was gone."

Natsumi's eyes widened and Kiri held up her hands, shaking her head slowly.

"_But..._ Sena hasn't regained consciousness. They don't know why. They also don't know _how_ you did it, but they're conducting blood tests as we speak to make sure that all traces of the poison are gone."

Natsumi's body relaxed and she stared down at her lap.

_So... it still didn't work._

"You've bought her more time, at least." Kiri smiled softly and ruffled Natsumi's head. "She'd be proud of you... right after scolding you for being so reckless."

_At least I did something..._ Natsumi sighed and she smiled faintly to herself.

"Oh, and... you have visitors."

Natsumi looked up at her. "Huh? Visitors?"

"Yeah, and they've been surprisingly quiet." Kiri nodded and motioned to the back wall, where several chairs were occupied.

Natsumi's eyes widened again as she looked and discovered Team Seven there— Naruto sitting in quiet, pre-explosive anticipation; Sakura, sitting in the center, with her hands resting neatly on her knees as she watched Natsumi; Sasuke, who sat with his face turned away and his arms crossed, with his standard faint scowl on his face. Beside them, standing with his back against the wall as he read a book, was Kakashi. He lowered the book and smiled, crinkling his eyes as he held up a hand in a wave.

"Hey."

Naruto's body trembled as the pressure built up, and then he suddenly jumped to his feet and ran to his sister's side, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"I get back and the first thing you do is try to get yourself killed!"

Natsumi opened her mouth, then closed it again as she met his eyes, which watered slightly as he stared at her. Natsumi's eyes watered and she threw her arms around him tightly, giving him a squeeze.

"You're back!"

Naruto hugged her back, and she pulled away with a smile, then looked behind him at the rest of his team.

"But... what are you all doing here?"

"After you collapsed, we all went out looking for Naruto." Kiri rested her elbow on Natsumi's head for a moment. "Of course, he came here right away. You're lucky you didn't have as bad of Chakra exhaustion as before, but that was still a dangerous thing to do."

"Today we were supposed to begin training again since our mission, but Naruto refused to cooperate until you woke up." Kakashi responded, closing his book to hold it down at his side.

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly and she looked away. "So... you guys have been sitting there waiting a long time?"

"Only for about an hour." Kiri chuckled and stuck her hands into her pockets. "Blondie's been surprisingly patient, too."

Naruto made a face at the nickname, but his expression shifted when Natsumi hugged him again.

"I missed you." Natsumi released her brother and frowned slightly. "You've been gone so long... I was so worried." Her eyes fell slightly and his expression softened. "I saw you hurt... he said... that you were dying... I was so worried..."

"H-Huh?" Naruto blinked. "You saw me?"

"He?" Kakashi asked under his breath, and Kiri met his eyes briefly.

"Who said what?" Kiri asked, looking down at Natsumi.

Natsumi blinked and rubbed the back of her head suddenly, laughing quietly.

_Crap! I can't tell them I saw the Nine-Tailed Fox! They'll think I'm crazy!_

"D-Did I say that?" She laughed and lowered her arm to rest on her lap again. "Sorry, I'm kind of just babbling." She turned back to her brother. "I've just been so worried, ya know... and you were gone longer than I expected."

Naruto chuckled and scratched his head. "Our mission was pretty exciting. At first, I thought it'd be so boring, but Old Man Tazuna turned out to be a good guy, and we met a lot of great people." He grinned, then thumbed at himself. "And! And! You should have seen me! I came up with an awesome plan to rescue Kakashi-sensei, and I was the hero of the day beating up a bunch of thugs! And... well, I did a lot of other cool, heroic stuff, too."

Natsumi smiled as she listened, then crossed her arms loosely. "I wish I could have seen it. I'm sure you were awesome."

"I was." He beamed as he scratched his head again, then looked back at her and his expression softened slightly. "What about your mission?"

Natsumi's breath caught in her throat and she swallowed slightly. After a moment, she spoke slowly.

"Naruto." Natsumi whispered and her eyes rose to meet his. "Please don't take this the wrong way... but I'd really like to talk to Kiri for a moment alone, please."

"H-Huh?" He scratched his head as he looked at her. "What for?"

Natsumi looked to Kiri, who nodded slightly and patted the blond's head.

"Just for a few minutes, okay?" Kiri flashed a smile at him. "And then you can talk your sister's ear off as much as you'd like." Kiri glanced at Kakashi, who looked briefly at Natsumi before smiling and waving his hand and addressing his students.

"Let's give them a bit of privacy." The Jonin looked at Sakura, who nodded obediently, and Sasuke, who only shifted his weight to move from the wall.

"But..." Naruto blinked again.

"Come on, Naruto." Kakashi motioned for him to follow as Sasuke and Sakura stepped outside and Kakashi stood beside the door.

"We'll be quick." Kiri winked and nudged him toward the door. "I swear."

"O-Okay..." Naruto tried to meet his sister's eyes, but Natsumi was staring at the hands in her lap.

Once the door clinked closed, Kiri's smiled faded and she turned to the girl with her voice soft.

"Yeah?"

Natsumi sighed and bit her lip, lacing her fingers together. "About our mission... You haven't told me much about it, other than it was a failure."

Kiri let out a breath and leaned back in her chair, running her fingers through her hair before answering.

"...Yeah. We failed."

"You said before that a second team went out and got the information successfully..." She paused. "But, what about the other part of the mission? What about the prince?"

Kiri opened her mouth, then shut it, and then sighed as she rested her hands on her lap and leaned forward.

"Natsumi, I didn't bring it up before because I knew you were already having a hard time dealing with everything."

"I have to know." Natsumi clutched the hospital blanket. "Please, tell me."

Kiri sighed again, thinking for a long time before she answered. "Once we got back to the village, and you and Sena were being treated, I reported to the Hokage immediately. He dispatched two three-man squads; one to gather intel from the Araki's base and do clean-up, and another to meet with the informant and try to make up for lost time."

"And...?" Natsumi leaned forward and Kiri looked away.

"Well, Aito's group got a ton of great information from the cabin." Kiri clasped her hands together as her expression darkened. "As well as finding his sister's gear and mask they'd kept as a trophy. He's been handling it well outwardly, but I can tell that he's barely holding it together."

Natsumi bit her lip. "And the Prince...?"

"Yuuri led that group." Kiri sighed. "They got to the meeting spot, a day late. What they found was evidence of a major struggle."

Natsumi's eyes widened. "Someone captured our informant?"

Kiri looked up at her. "Not just someone. Yuuri traced it back to the Abe estate. It seems that the Prince's absence was definitely noticed, and they discovered his deception." Kiri crossed her arms. "Best as we can tell at the moment, he's likely being held captive or tortured for information. There haven't been any signs of disposing of a body, so we feel that he's probably still alive."

Natsumi's eyes fell back down to her eyes. "And the information?"

"The kid pulled through." Kiri said after a pause, nodding slightly. "He was smart enough to hide the evidence once he figured out he was being tailed. Did a great job of it, too. Hid it well enough that an average person wouldn't find it, but made it obvious for our people to see it."

Natsumi let out a short sigh. "Well, at least it wasn't a complete disaster..."

Kiri leaned back. "Of course, Yuuri is still pissed about the mission failing, so I've had to enduring hearing her bitch nonstop at home about it, but we've got the information at least."

"What did it say?"

Kiri shrugged. "Some of it was heavily encoded, so our best people are still working on translating it. But, from what we can tell so far, it confirms all of the intel so far and that Lord Abe was definitely working with an enemy for some kind of scheme."

"What about the boy?" Natsumi looked up again. "If they haven't killed him, what are we going to do?"

"What are we going to do?" Kiri repeated and combed her fingers through her hair. "There's really nothing we can do for him, at the present."

Natsumi blinked slowly and then shook her head quickly. "I can't accept that! It was our job to bring him back to the Leaf so he could be under our protection! That means that he became the Leaf's responsibility the moment he made that deal with us! We can't just leave him there! If he's still alive, we've got to rescue him!"

Kiri's eyes widened slightly, and then she sighed deeply and shook her head.

"Natsumi... I know you only just started recently, but I've been ANBU since I was younger than you are. There are times when you just have to accept the orders... accept how things are..." She paused and met her eyes. "What we really needed was just the intel. Putting the boy under our protection was just what had to be said in order for him to agree to give us the information. We got what we needed... what the village needed. The boy... he's not a primary concern."

Natsumi's mouth opened and she froze. "So... that's it?! We've got some papers and we're just going to leave the boy we promised to protect to be tortured and killed?! How is any of that right?!"

"Woah... woah..." Kiri shook her head and held up her hands. "I understand, Natsumi, I really do. But, being ANBU means working behind-the-scenes... it means making hard choices and tough sacrifices for the good of the village, and for the country. I understand what you're saying, and how you feel, but empathizing for his situation is not necessarily the most important issue we're facing. There could be war if we can't decipher the ledgers and put a stop to it. Imagine just how many people would die and suffer then."

Natsumi bit her lip hard and shook her head. "I understand that! But the mission was to get the boy _and_ the intel! They're a package deal! We _promised_ to keep him safe! How could you defend just abandoning him?!"

Kiri opened her mouth, and then closed it once more. "Natsumi..."

"I won't accept it! I have to do something!"

"Natsumi..." Kiri crossed her arms and let out a breath. "I really do understand. It doesn't feel right at all to have to leave him like that... but, looking at it logically, the life of one boy doesn't matter in terms of averting war." Her brows furrowed and her mouth turned downward in a frown. "But there's not a damn thing we can do about it. We swore an oath to obey all orders. We can't do shit for him unless it's handed to us as a mission. We're just expected to sit back and bury our empathy and morals in order to be efficient Shinobi."

Natsumi softened and her shoulders sagged. "I just..." She bit her lip. "This feels..."

"It's wrong." Kiri muttered hotly. "It's absolutely wrong. On one hand, I understand that the information was more important strategically than the boy. But to turn your back on someone you vowed to protect..." Kiri's eyes flashed with anger. "That kind of betrayal is unacceptable."

"We have to do something." Natsumi muttered softly.

"We can't!" Kiri slammed her palms down on her lap in frustration. "It's just like I said... we have to sit around and follow orders. If we were to defy orders or go off on a rescue mission without being told to, we'd be labeled rogue ninja and hunted down like criminals. Do you understand?"

Natsumi pursed her lips, only nodding slightly.

Kiri let out a slow breath. "In order to be a good ANBU agent, you have to learn to shut off your emotions and personal convictions... failing to do so always gets you killed... or it makes you into a traitor. It's damn hard to not lose yourself with this work. It's a real fine line..."

Silence settled between them and Natsumi clutched the hem of the blanket, then rolled it beneath her fingers in thought.

"...Does the Hokage have any intention of rescuing him?"

Kiri sighed. "I don't know. Knowing Hiruzen, he wants to save him, but he's got bigger fish to worry about. Right now, our forces are spread a little thin, so we can't really spare anyone to do recon and an extraction for the prince— not when we're on standby for other missions. I know he's also waiting for the intel to be decoded, so we can't do anything rash at the moment."

Kiri exhaled slowly and crossed her arms. "Currently, we have a team of two ANBU monitoring the estate, but that's all we can do for now. We just have to wait for an opening."

Natsumi pressed her lips together and sighed softly. "I wish we could just go there now..."

Kiri nodded. "So do I, but they're going to be prepared for if... for whenever we _can_ do a rescue. They already know he was betraying them... they're not stupid. They'll expect us to come for him eventually, so we can't rush in blindly."

Kiri smiled faintly and then leaned back in the chair. "Don't worry, Natsumi. Hiruzen might seem callous sometimes, but he's a good Hokage and a good man. I'm sure he's already contemplating how to help the prince."

Natsumi looked up at her and titled her head slightly. "You keep referring to Lord Third by his name... you must know him really well."

Kiri shrugged and crossed one leg over the other. "My parents were Senior ANBU agents, and Hiruzen used them as his confidants and sometimes as advisors." She paused. "Then, when the village was attacked twelve years ago by the..." She went quiet again, then continued. "... I defied orders to stay with the younger Shinobi like Kakashi, and I went looking for the Hokage. I fought alongside Hiruzen then, despite him being mad at me for defying orders."

Kiri shrugged and uncrossed her legs, then recrossed them with the other on top. "And then, after my brother died... and then my parents... I guess he was just kind of like family by then. Like the grandpa I never had."

Kiri laughed quietly to herself and ran her fingers through her hair. "I give him a lot of shit, but it's funny to say that out loud. The Old Man really is closer to being family than what family I have left."

"As always, you're ungrateful."

They turned as Yuuri stepped into the room, letting the door close loudly behind her. Kiri scowled slightly, crossing her arms.

"And what do you want?"

Yuuri ignored her question and stepped closer to the bed, with her icy gaze on Natsumi.

"I just finished speaking to Lord Third. I requested you be removed from the ANBU immediately."

Natsumi's eyes widened and Kiri stood suddenly, knocking her chair back.

"What?!" Kiri clenched her fists. "_Why?!"_

"The ANBU is no place for children." Yuuri sneered and kept her gaze on Natsumi. "Especially not ones who are weak and jeopardize missions."

Natsumi swallowed.

_What? She... she's kicking me out?! After all that I've been through already?! All that extra training and studying...?!_

"You can't do that!" Kiri gritted her teeth. "You can't pin the blame on her! There were three of us on that mission. We _all_ failed it— don't you dare single her out!"

"I can, and I will." Yuuri put a hand on her hip and shifted her attention to her adopted sister. "Believe me, I have plenty to say to you about it, too. But this is about the girl for now."

"She has a name." Kiri glowered and moved to step between Yuuri and Natsumi. "And, there's nothing you need to say to her."

"I thought we got the information we needed?" Natsumi curled her hands into tight balls as she looked at her senior. "Isn't that what was important?"

Yuuri turned her glare to Natsumi. "It doesn't matter if the intel was what was most important. The _mission_ was to retrieve the boy with it. Completely only one part does not count as a success."

"Yuuri, that's enough." Kiri crossed her arms and lowered her voice. "You should leave. Now."

"I'm not finished yet." Yuuri crossed her own arms and stood straighter, scowling more deeply as she had to look up at Kiri. "That girl is responsible for the loss of a potentially valuable witness, _as well as_ derailing what could be one of the most significant missions at present, _and_ leading to the death of one of our best Medical Ninja. She has _no _place whatsoever on Team Yoru, or anywhere in the ANBU! She and that Demon Fox boy should have beenleft in the woods as babies to save us all the trouble!"

Natsumi's face paled and her hands trembled.

_I... I did everything I could to help Sena... to make it right... it's... not my fault._

"That does it!" Kiri gripped Yuuri's arm tightly, dragging her hard out of the room, the door slamming behind them.

Natsumi swallowed at the lump in her throat and a cold numbness took over her body, causing her to shudder.

_Even though I've tried to make it right... to help her... what if... Sena still dies? It won't matter then what I tried to do... it's still my fault... in the end._

Natsumi bit her lip and drew her legs in close.

_Everything she said was right... all these years of training, and I'm still weak. I haven't built up enough Chakra yet... I don't know many Jutsu... I'm sloppy, and I don't think things through._

Natsumi hung her head as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

_I shouldn't have tried to change the plan... the mission was clear. It was easy. I ruined it, and it was supposed to be easy. The Hokage was counting on us... that boy was counting on us... and I made a mess of everything._

She bit her lip hard and her eyes watered.

_Reckless._

_Emotional._

_Useless._

_Failure._

_Liability._

_Weak._

_Pathetic._

Natsumi gripped her hair tightly in her fists as she cried harder in silence.

_Did I really think that I could make it better? Did I really believe that I could undo it? When it was my fault anyway?_

_There's no way she could ever forgive me for this... There's no way that everyone doesn't hate me..._

_Sena's going to die because of me... I killed her..._

Rocking back and forth slowly, she closed her eyes tightly.

_I killed her._

_That boy is probably dead, too._

_I killed them both._

_It's my fault. My fault. My fault._

She forced herself out of the bed and stumbled slowly over to where her things were.

_I don't belong in the ANBU... I don't deserve Team Yoru... I don't deserve to be their friend..._

Natsumi choked on a sob.

_I don't even deserve to be Naruto's sister._

_He would hate me, too, if he knew... if he knew..._

Natsumi shook her head and changed quickly into her clothes, then reached into the bag for her Ninja Tool Pouches.

_It would be best for everyone... if I just disappeared._

The pouch slipped from her shaking hand and Kunai and Shuriken clattered onto the floor. As they fell, one Kunai grazed her forearm. Natsumi's eyes widened and she clamped her hand over the cut as blood oozed out.

_Crap!_

Red spilled from between Natsumi's fingers and her eyes watered.

_It's worse than I thought!_

Moving quickly to her bed, she grabbed at the sheet and wrapped it around her arm, pressing it to the cut tightly. After a moment, she stopped and stared as the red showed in small spots through the fabric and she began to tremble.

_It... It doesn't..._

She loosened her hand and the cloth fell slightly to reveal the red line.

_It doesn't hurt._

Her face paled at the realization.

_I can't feel it at all!_

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Yuuri glared and pulled out of Kiri's grasp once they were in an empty room. "I am your superior—"

"And you're also my _sister."_ Kiri returned her glare, spitting venom in her words. "So, I think that allows me to be able to tell you to shut and listen for a change!"

"Listen?!" Yuuri shoved her backward. "You expect me to listen to you?! You failed your mission! A simple mission, and you couldn't even do that right!"

"Shut up, will you?!" Kiri snarled and straightened, using her height to intimidate her senior. "We were ambushed by the Araki brothers! What did you expect to happen?!"

Yuuri froze and her eyes widened slightly. "The... Araki brothers? All seven of them?"

Kiri nodded. "All seven of them."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Yuuri yelled.

"I put everything into the report! But _you_ only cared about the Pass/Fail status, _as usual!_ You didn't bother to actually read the details!"

Yuuri clenched her fists and let out a hot breath. "That doesn't matter now! Tell me what happened!"

Kiri scowled and pointed to the wall, indicating the room Natsumi was in. "That girl you called weak and useless... she killed four of them! _By herself!"_

Yuuri's eyes widened further and she froze in place. "What?! How?! We've been trying to kill them for years now without any success! And that _one girl_ killed four at one time?"

"You are an idiot for underestimating her! I warned you before about that. I _told_ you that she was skilled!"

"How?!" Yuuri put her hands on her hips. "How did she do it?"

"It was... incredible." Kiri closed her eyes and sighed quietly. "And also, terrifying. After Sena was wounded, Natsumi simply... snapped. I've never seen anyone snap quite like it before. She killed them all so quickly that it was hard to keep up with her movements."

"How is that possible? She isn't faster than either of us."

"Her instincts." Kiri opened her eyes. "Obviously, it must be a skilled passed through her genetics. It's the only explanation as to why she was able to have such inhuman speed."

"But..." Yuuri pressed her lips together with her expression hard. "There's no way an orphan could be that natural gifted."

Kiri crossed her arms and drummed her fingers on her biceps. "You have _no_ clue..."

Yuuri glared. "Regardless of what she did... you still failed your mission. Our witness is gone— untouchable now, if he's even alive. And there's still the matter of us losing one of the Leaf's best medical Ninja."

"As if you even care about Sena." Kiri scowled. "You've hated her from day one, so don't even pretend that you're concerned about her _at all."_

"I don't have to approve of her to recognize her skill." Yuuri gritted her teeth. "Besides, that child is still a problem. She and her brother both. They're a threat to the village, and the Hokage should have never put her in the ANBU. This is proof."

"Maybe there are people in the village who agree with you about them." Kiri exhaled slowly, her face growing hotter in anger. "While you all are sitting back, wishing they hadn't been born, they're great kids despite that. Better than most anyone."

"Coming from you, that's no compliment." Yuuri snapped. "You, my adoptive sister, the _whore_. The one who is more naturally gifted than my own son, all without sharing a drop of our blood. Yet you waste your talents with drinking games and throwing yourself at any man with a pulse that walks by."

Kiri clenched her fists, fuming quietly. "Why do you hate me so much, Yuuri?"

"If it weren't for you, he would still be alive." Fire burned in her eyes and she responded after a moment. "It's your fault that he's dead."

Kiri let out a low growl and glared. "He was killed by Danzo's assassins! There was nothing I could do!"

"That's a stupid excuse!" Yuuri shouted. "It's your fault! You were there, and you did nothing!"

"There wasn't anything I could do! Stop blaming me for his death! Maybe if you hadn't been so cold and distant from your own brother, he would have chosen to confide in _you_ the secret, instead of _me!"_

Yuuri slapped her quickly and stood, trembling. "I will _never_ forgive you for his death. No matter what you say... you played a role in taking my brother away from me."

"He was my brother, too!" Kiri stood still, clenching her fists as her cheek stung. "You know that there was nothing I could have done to stop it. You know that damn well."

"You—!"

"You know what?!" Kiri leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper as her face nearly touched her sister's. "You call me a whore, but we both know the real reason why you weren't home that night_, whore_. Cheating on your husband while he was working... with your own uncle... Disgusting."

Kiri's lips twitched in a smirk as she pulled away and Yuuri blinked furiously, her face a deep red.

"Oh, you didn't think that anyone knew?" Kiri narrowed her eyes. "Maybe mom and dad never figured it out, but I did." She spat at the ground in front of Yuuri's feet. "You disgust me."

Yuuri remained still in a silent rage.

"I wonder if Yuuta is even Fumio's son?" Kiri murmured under her breath. "I've always thought he looked more like our uncle, ever since he was born."

Kiri distanced herself from Yuuri with a dark expression.

"If you even _dare_ to single out, target, or harass Natsumi again, I swear that the entire village will know your little secret before the day is up."

Kiri turned quickly and waved as she stepped out of the room to return to Natsumi.

"Buh-bye, now."

* * *

Kiri opened the door and peered inside, letting out a breath.

"Hey, Natsumi, ignore Yuuri. I handled it, so—" She stopped and stared at the empty room, her eyes immediately drawn to the bloodied sheet, the weapons on the floor, and the open window.

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. _"Natsumi..."_

Stepping back, she ran out of the room once again until she found Team Seven, waiting patiently in the waiting room. They turned to look at her, and she dropped to her knee in front of Naruto and shook his shoulders quickly.

"H-Hey! What're you doing?!"

"Naruto! Quick! Where does Natsumi go when she's upset?!"

He blinked and went still. "W-What...?"

"Tell me now!" Kiri shook him again. "When she's upset, where does she go?! She's in danger!"

The team's eyes widened and Naruto clenched his fist.

"Danger?! What kind of danger?"

"If we don't find your sister _right now,_ you'll never see her again!"

Kakashi's expression shifted and he met her eyes. "You mean...?"

Kiri stood and averted her eyes. "No talking. We need to find her."

Kiri flickered away and leapt from rooftop-to-rooftop, looking down at the village below.

_"Natsumi, where are you?!"_


	57. Chapter 55: First Light

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura looked over at her teacher as they leapt from rooftop-to-rooftop, searching the village. "What kind of danger is Natsumi in?"

Kakashi kept his eyes forward, then glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye, whose own eyes burned with worry. He stopped, and they stood around him.

"Alright," He started, looking around. "We're postponing training until Natsumi's been found. That's our number one priority."

Naruto remained quiet, and Sakura pressed her lips together. _"It must be serious, then, for sensei to say that..."_

Kakashi reached into a pouch on his flak jacket and retrieved four sets of earpieces and held out his hand.

"We'll split up from here in order to cover more ground." He paused as each of his students picked one from his hand and place it into their ears. "If you find her, let us know the location and we'll rendezvous there."

They nodded and Kakashi looked over them. "Alright... go!"

The Genin took off in different directions and Kakashi returned to Natsumi's empty hospital room. He looked around for a moment, picking up the bloodied cloth in his hands.

_"It's as I suspected..."_

He bit his thumb, formed several hand signs, and placed his palm against the bed. A small dog appeared from a puff of smoke and he looked up at Kakashi.

"Yo, Kakashi."

Kakashi held out the cloth to the dog. "Pakkun, I need to track down this girl right away."

"Hm." Pakkun sniffed at the blanket, then pulled his nose back. He jumped to the window sill, sniffing the air outside, then pointed his paw. "I've got it."

Kakashi nodded and followed the Ninja Hound as the trail led outside of the village. Sniffing as he ran, Pakkun shifted course and glanced over at Kakashi.

"She's moving very quickly, but her pace is steady so I don't think she knows she's being followed. Her scent is full of distress."

"Let's try to catch up, then." Kakashi replied, moving faster.

"No sign of her at all." Sakura said quietly through the earpiece. "Has anyone else found her?"

"No." Sasuke replied.

"Not yet." A multitude of Naruto clones responded in unison.

"I've got her trail." Kakashi spoke up. "She's heading North, beyond the village. All of you, stay in the village for now, unless I call you."

"But—" Naruto began to protest.

"I've got her trail now, so just be patient and wait for us there."

Naruto sighed heavily, grumbling. "But, I'm her brother... why do I have to stay behind and do nothing?"

"You heard Sensei." Sakura scolded. "Just do as he says for now. If he's got it handled, then everything is fine."

_"Based off of her direction, it seems like she's headed to the border..."_ Kakashi mused, ignoring his students' squabbling in his ear. _"Although it's unclear why..."_

* * *

_"For having lost quite a bit of blood, she's maintaining a fast pace." _Kakashi and Pakkun moved through the moonlit forest in silence. _"This close to the border, it almost seems as if she's fleeing the country entirely..."_

The forest opened onto an expanse of cliff and the sound of the rushing waterfall flooded his ears.

_"This is..."_ He turned and recognized the darkened landscape. _"Final Valley?"_

Pakkun sniffed the air and pointed with his paw once more. "There."

Kakashi squinted through the darkness and spotted a small figure atop of head of the statue of the First Hokage. The moonlight illuminated her hair and he let out a short breath.

_"So, she came here?"_ Kakashi patted Pakkun's head and pressed the small button of the earpiece. "I've caught up with Natsumi."

"What?! Really?!" Naruto's voice pierced through the speaker, creating a loud squeal that woke Sakura and Sasuke, who began to complain irritably. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, yes." Kakashi nodded as he looked at Natsumi, who continued to stand on the statue. "No need to be panicked. I think she only needed time to herself."

_"_Tch._" _Sasuke gritted his teeth, crossing his arms as he listened. _"What a waste of time."_

Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief on the other end. "Tell her to hurry back, then! It's my turn to lecture her for getting everyone worked up!"

"Yes, yes—" Kakashi's eyes widened as Natsumi stepped forward and plummeted toward the river below. "What the—?!"

"What?! What's wrong?!" Naruto shouted.

_"What is she—?!"_ Kakashi ran towards the waterfall, watching her fall with his brows furrowed. _"I won't make it in time!"_

A second figure emerged from the forest on the opposite side of the border, leaping from the cliff to catch Natsumi out of the air before gently landing on the water's surface. Kakashi stopped, his eyes wider as they followed the black-cloaked figure. It walked over to the bank at the base of the cliff, then laid Natsumi down gently. Glancing up at Kakashi to hold his gaze momentarily, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the red mask, and then the figure disappeared back across the border quickly.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Naruto kept repeating as Kakashi had been ignoring him. "What's going on?! Natsumi's safe, right?"

Kakashi sighed softly and descended the cliff with Pakkun in tow, then knelt beside the unconscious girl and pressed his fingertips to her neck.

_"She's alive, after all..."_

"Heeeey!" Naruto whined. "Sensei!"

"Yes, she's safe." Kakashi responded finally and rested his arm on his leg, remaining seated in a squat beside her. _"Although, I don't understand why she..."_ His eyes wandered back up to the opposite cliff. _"...Or who that was."_

"Then hurry up and come back already!" Naruto nagged.

"Alright, alright." Kakashi replied flatly and Pakkun sniffed the girl gently. Kakashi reached over gently, examining her forearms and finding it covered in blood that oozed from dozens of horizontal cuts and slashes. _"...Just as Kiri suspected, then..."_

Natsumi's eyes burst open and she gasped for air, letting out a silent scream until Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder gently. Her eyes widened in recognition and her lip quivered as she sat up.

"I didn't..." She gasped, her eyes watering. "I'm..."

"You're safe now."

"I didn't want anyone to find me..." She confessed in a whisper, hanging her head. "I thought... it would be better if..." She buried her face in her hands and drew her legs in close. "...I didn't think anyone would look for me..."

Pakkun sat beside her, glancing between the ANBU symbol on her shoulder and Kakashi for a moment.

"You must have had a hard time of it..." The dog muttered, and Natsumi blinked in surprise, and then nodded slowly as she bit her lip.

"...that place... what they did..." Natsumi began slowly, shuddering as she closed her eyes. "...all those masks..."

_"The Araki brothers..."_ Kakashi nodded knowingly, but remained quiet.

"...and then Sena... and..." she swallowed the lump in her throat, staring down at her hands, which were covered in blood. "...I was... scary. I killed them. Even the one that was begging for mercy... I... I..." She shook her head and bit her lip as she whispered. "...I cut them into pieces... so many little pieces. I... didn't even think about it. I... it was..."

She swallowed again and shut her eyes tightly. "...I enjoyed it."

She glanced up at the Jonin, who had looked down at her arms, and she hung her head again as if reading his mind.

"...it was an accident, at first." She murmured. "The Kunai slipped... and then... I realized that I couldn't feel anything." She paused and her hands trembled as she stared down at the cuts. "No pain at all... I... got scared. I thought... maybe I was dead. So... I kept cutting and cutting... trying to see if I could feel it..."

Her eyes spilled over and she shook her head, choking as she clenched her fists. "I couldn't feel anything... I couldn't... none of it."

_"So, that's why..."_

"And Sena..." Natsumi's cheeks ran with hot tears, hiccuping as she cried. "It's all my fault... I tried to make it better... to make it right... but in the end... it didn't make any difference. My friend is still going to... die... because of me."

Kakashi's expression softened, thinking to himself as a familiar feeling settled over him. _"This feeling... it's totally consuming... no wonder she went to such extreme lengths..."_

"I couldn't feel anything..." Natsumi muttered to herself under her breath repetitively. "I couldn't feel..."

Kakashi placed a finger against one of the cuts and pressed gently down, and she winced in pain.

"What about now?"

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stared down at the wounds.

_I can... feel. _Natsumi looked up at him as her eyes welled again. "...It hurts." She hiccuped, then smiled slightly as she started to cry again quietly. "...It hurts."

She looked back up at the Jonin, who smiled slightly and patted her head.

"It may be painful, but it's proof that you are alive." Kakashi reached into the pouch on his back, retrieving a small decorated medical kit, opened it, and began to clean off her arms. "As long as you're alive, there's bound to be pain and the feeling of guilt... it can seem hopeless, but they're powerless as long as you can find even just one source of light to chase the darkness away."

Natsumi blinked and watched his expression as he slowly began to bandage her arms.

_He's... talking from experience..._

"Even though giving in to that darkness may seem like the best option, you've got to find that light and cling to it, fighting to keep it no matter what pain you might be suffering."

He smiled and met her eyes, then returned the medical kit to his pouch. "There. All finished."

She glanced at her arms again, and each of the ugly cuts was covered.

"I'm no medical ninja... but these should do for now."

_...Just who did he lose?_

Natsumi swallowed and touched the bandages gingerly with her fingertips.

"...Thank you." She whispered, her cheeks flushing slightly as she kept her eyes turned away. "...For looking for me. And... for listening."

He patted her head again, then handed her a cloth from one of his pockets, gesturing toward her face. She wiped off the blood quickly and pressed her lips together.

_I never expected that someone like him would know what it felt like..._

"I just..." She swallowed again, then let out a short sigh. "...I didn't want to talk to Kiri about any of this... I know she's been busy and worrying so much about everything else. I didn't... want to be even more of a burden than I already am."

"You're not a burden." His hand moved from her head to rest on her shoulder. "There are many people who care about you. You've made some good friends, so you should try relying on them a little more. There's also Naruto, too. He may be clueless at times, but your brother is someone you can count on."

Natsumi balled her fists and looked down at her arms.

"Naruto..." She bit her lip and looked up at him. "Please... don't tell Naruto about any of this. I... don't want him to know that I... What I..."

She stopped, and Kakashi nodded slowly.

"I understand."

"...I don't... I don't want him to hate me..." Natsumi muttered and Pakkun nudged her with his nose, and she reached out to gently pat his head.

"He would never hate his own sister." Kakashi smiled, then looked up as the sky lightened as the sun started to rise. "Ah... we should head back to the village now. I know several people who will be very happy to see you."

"Ahem." Pakkun cleared his throat, looking at Natsumi. "If you'd like... you can hold me on the way back, if it will make you feel better." He held up a paw. "Or you could touch my paw pads, just this once. They're extremely warm and supple."

Natsumi giggled under her breath, gently touching the pad and smiling. "...Thank you. You're sweet." She picked him up, holding him carefully in her arms.

Kakashi stood and held out a hand, helping her to her feet. She wobbled and frowned slightly.

"...My legs... they're like jelly."

"That's not unusual. You've just experienced something very intense. I can carry you back."

She blushed faintly. "W-What?" She shook her head. "N-No! I'm fine."

Her legs trembled as she took a step, and the Jonin lifted her into his arms.

"It's alright. It's a ways back, so you can rest along the way."

She opened her mouth to protest, then shut her mouth again once Pakkun nodded in agreement.

"I guess I could..."

"Besides, considering how worked up your brother gets, you'll need your energy if you're going to face him."

She nodded slowly and held the dog closer as they left. Closing her eyes, she sighed.

_Naruto, I'm sorry for worrying you... I'm such an idiot..._

"Hey, Sensei!" Naruto interrupted, shouting again in Kakashi's ear. "You're on your way, right?! I wanna talk to Natsumi!"

"Hm?" Kakashi glanced down at the girl in his arms, then chuckled as he saw she had already fallen asleep. "You'll just have to be patient and wait until we get back."

"Hey! No fair!"

"Naruto, be quiet!" Sakura shouted. "Some of us are trying to take a nap here!"

"Both of you, be quiet." Sasuke muttered irritably.

Kakashi chuckled again, moving quickly through the forest as the first light shone through the trees.

_"I was lucky this time... if that person hadn't come along... I could never face you again, sensei."_

* * *

Kakashi set Natsumi down gently in front of the village gates as the afternoon sun shone brightly above them. Natsumi set Pakkun on the ground, scratching under his chin.

"Thank you for cheering me up." She smiled. "You're the best dog." She lowered her voice to a whisper and giggled. "And I'm normally more of a cat person."

"Stay safe, kid."

The Ninja Hound poofed away in a small cloud of smoke and Natsumi stood slowly, pursing her lips as she looked at the village gates, hugging her arms close and touching the bandages there.

"...Do I have to go back?"

Kakashi patted her head, smiling faintly. "Everything will be fine. Besides, I'm sure Naruto isn't sitting around waiting patiently."

She nodded slowly, feeling her stomach twisting into knots as they walked through the gates together. After some time, Natsumi spotted Team Seven sitting on a bench. Naruto's eyes widened and he ran up to her.

"Hey! Hey! Where did you go?!"

Natsumi let out the breath she'd been holding and managed a faint smile. "Sorry for worrying you again... I don't like being a burden..."

"Hmph." He crossed his arms. "Well, next time you plan on running off to be alone... make sure you take me along! I'm your brother, ya know! We're supposed to stick together!"

"Alright, I will." Natsumi nodded and her body relaxed slightly. "Although... I'm not planning on there being a next time."

"Good." Naruto nodded, and then grinned. His smiled faded slightly when he noticed her bandaged arms. "What happened?! Are you okay?! Did someone attack you?" He cracked his knuckles and narrowed his eyes. "I'll make them regret it!"

Natsumi glanced at Kakashi from the corner of her eyes before she looked back at her brother.

"Naruto, I'm okay. I swear." She hugged him, then pulled away. "It was... an accident. A stupid mistake."

"Huh?" He narrowed his eyes at her, then sighed. "Fine. But if someone does try to hurt you, don't hide it from me, okay? I won't let them get away with it."

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay."

_Even if the one who hurt me... was me?_

"Well, that worked out well." Kakashi smiled and stuck his hands into his pockets as he looked over his students. "Now... who's ready to begin training now?"

Naruto's mouth hung open and he waved his arms. "Hey! Hey! I've been up all night!"

Sakura sighed and crossed her arms. "That's because you refused to rest at all, idiot."

"It's not my fault!" Naruto protested. "I can't be expected to sleep when my sister's in trouble! It's not fair!"

Natsumi giggled under her breath at their bickering, her smile faltering as she touched the bandages again.

_I promise, Naruto... I'll get better. I'll get stronger so that I'll never be the reason for anyone else to get hurt... and I'll work even harder so you won't ever have to worry about me._

"Natsumi!"

Natsumi turned just as Kiri threw her arms around her and wrapped her in a tight hug, lifting her off of the ground.

"Kiri!"

Kiri set her down, squishing Natsumi's cheeks in between her hands.

"Never ever _ever_ disappear like that again, got it?!"

"Yes, Kiri." Natsumi nodded, her words mushed together and she smiled, shaking off Kiri's grip. "I'm fine."

Kiri's eyes fell on the bandages and her smile twitched for a moment.

"I'm okay." Natsumi smiled softly.

Kiri sighed deeply and hugged her again. "You just love giving me heart attacks, don't you?"

"How did you know?" Natsumi murmured into her ear. "...You sent him to find me, didn't you?"

Kiri met her eyes, then sighed softly and lowered her voice.

"It's not hard to tell, if you've tried it before." Kiri whispered back, then pressed a finger to her lips when Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "It was a long time ago, so don't worry about me, 'kay?"

Natsumi nodded and Kiri stood, putting a hand on her hip as she nodded to Kakashi. "Looks like you're still a better tracker than me."

"Hm?" Kakashi shrugged. "I guess so."

"At least I'm still a better swordsman." Kiri chuckled to herself.

"Are you?" Kakashi chuckled, tilting his head to the side slightly, and Kiri crossed her arms.

"See, this is exactly why we didn't get along well as kids." Kiri made a face. "Kakashi the prodigy just couldn't handle competition."

Natsumi smiled and turned to look at a wagon as it passed and her eyes widened slightly.

_Is that...?_

The wagon stopped suddenly and a girl hopped down and smiled at Natsumi, waving as she approached.

"Hi!"

Kiri turned and grinned. "Oh, Sonoko! You're leaving already?"

_It's... that girl from before._

Natsumi froze in place, watching the girl walking toward her as images flashed in her mind from the cabin.

Sonoko stopped in front of Kiri and nodded. "I'm fully recovered now, so my father came to get me."

Natsumi blinked as Sonoko turned to her, bowing deeply.

_What is she doing?_

"I was hoping to run into you before I left." Sonoko straightened and smiled. "After I awoke in the hospital, Kiri visited me and told me everything. You really saved my life back then... I owe you so much."

_Me...? I saved her?_

The man stepped down from the cart, patting the horse's back before he stood besides his daughter and bowed at the redhead.

"I was sure that I would never see my darling daughter again... but because of you, she's alive and well, and we were able to be reunited." He straightened and looked down at the small urn he held in his left hand. "Not only that, but my wife's remains were recovered so that she can receive a proper burial, according to her wishes."

He bowed his head. "Thank you, very much. You've done so much for an old man like me, and I wish that I could repay you."

_They're... thanking me._

Natsumi blinked again, then quickly shook her head and held up her hands. "N-No, that's not necessary! I really didn't do anything that great..."

Sonoko took Natsumi's hands and squeezed them. "When I escaped... I was so afraid that my life would be over that day... but you came along, and now I get to return home with my father. Kiri told me all about how you got me here as fast as you could, even risking your own life. My father and I will be forever in your debt."

"We don't have much to offer as a reward, but we would be honored if you visited us as a guest sometime." The man bowed his head again. "Whenever you like, just stop by. It's the least we can do."

_Did I... Do I really deserve this much praise?_

Natsumi swallowed the lump in her throat, and Kiri chuckled and patted her back.

"She'd be honored."

"Oh, of course, you're invited as well." Sonoko looked at Kiri. "The three of you are the reason that my father isn't alone now... and I get a second chance at life. You're my heroes."

"Woah!" Naruto gaped at his sister, then grinned. "My sister's a hero! How cool is that?"

_Hero?_ _Am I...?_

"Huh?" Sonoko looked at Natsumi, and her eyes widened slightly. "Did... I say something wrong?"

Natsumi sniffed and touched her cheek as a slow, hot tear streaked down.

_She's... alive. And smiling. And calling me a hero._

She nodded after a moment, and laughed quietly to herself as she wiped her cheeks.

"I'm just... It's so great that you're alright, and that you can go home with your dad again." Natsumi sniffed again, unable to control her tears as she smiled. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

Sonoko beamed and hugged Natsumi tightly. "It's all because of you!" She pulled back, then glanced behind her at the cart. "I wish I could stay longer, but we've got to get back to the farm in time to plant the next fields, or else there won't be a good harvest this year."

"Just let us know if you need anything, miss." The man bowed his head a final time, holding the urn close to him. "Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts."

Natsumi waved as they left, and Kiri patted her head with a wink, talking softly.

"See? Everything's fine, Natsumi. There's always something good around. You just have to look for it."

"Say, say." Naruto leaned closer to Natsumi before she could reply. "I wanna know about how you became a hero. I'll bet it's an awesome story, right? You gotta tell me about it, right?"

"U-Uh..." Kiri scratched her head. "Well..."

A shadow passed over from above and a large vulture swooped down, landing roughly on top of the blond's head and nearly knocking him down as he screeched loudly.

"GAH! There's a giant bird on my head!" Naruto waved his arms frantically, but the creature only held onto his hair more tightly with his talons. "Get off! That hurts, I say! Go away!"

Kiri blinked and put her hand on her hip. "Keinan? What are you doing here?"

"Keinan?" Natsumi looked at the vulture, who wore a scarf around his neck with the symbol of the Leaf emblazoned on it.

"Aito's Ninja Animal Summon." Kiri explained.

"Aito says to come right away!" The bird screen again loudly, flapping his wings.

"GAH! The bird is talking now!" Naruto waved his arms again and the bird tapped on his head with his beak.

"Quiet!" The vulture's beady eyes rested on Natsumi. "The message is that Sena is awake now, and she's asking to see you."

Natsumi's eyes went wide and Kiri's mouth opened slightly.

"Sena... is awake?" Kiri muttered to herself. "Really?"

The bird nodded and screeched again, pushing off of Naruto as it took to the sky again.

Natsumi's hand rose to cover her mouth, trembling as tears streaked down her face again.

_Sena's awake? She's okay?!_

Natsumi turned to her brother quickly, opening her mouth as he grinned and crossed his arms behind his head.

"What're you waiting for?" He chuckled. "Go see her!"

Natsumi nodded and ran quickly off, wiping her face.

_He was right... there was light..._


	58. Chapter 56: Pilgrimage of the Snake

Natsumi stood at attention in front of the Hokage, who stood with his back turned to her as he looked out of the large window at Hokage Rock.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Third?"

"Natsumi." He nodded in acknowledgement and turned to face her, blowing tendrils of smoke out of his nostrils as he held his pipe in one hand. "Yes; I have a mission for you."

"A mission?" She repeated quietly. "What kind of mission?"

"Are you acquainted with the woman known as Oto?" The old man asked, watching her carefully.

Natsumi blinked and nodded after a moment.

_Why... would he be asking about that?_

"Yes, sir, I am."

"I thought so." He nodded to himself again, returning his pipe to his mouth. "In keeping with the customs of her people, she is about to embark on a pilgrimage to one of their sacred shrines. Due to her vast knowledge of this village's secrets, I'm assigning you as her escort."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_Another shrine?_

"...Why me, sir?"

"She asked for you specifically." Hiruzen answered after a moment. "More like demanded, actually."

_Just what does she have planned?_

Natsumi nodded. "I'll do it, sir. It's no trouble."

"Very good." He turned and glanced back out of the window once more. "The journey should take approximately one week, and once you return, I will have another mission lined up for you to take of the upmost importance."

_One week alone with Oto-sama?_ Natsumi pressed her lips together. _She's already difficult to be around for one hour. One week with her, and who knows how much of her strangeness will rub off on me?_

"Is there a problem, Natsumi?" He raised his brow at her, and she blinked and shook her head quickly.

"No, sir! It won't be a problem at all. I won't let you down."

"Very good." Hiruzen nodded. "You're to meet Oto at the village gates tonight at sunset, then. Prepare accordingly."

Natsumi bowed her head.

_Sunset? Leave it to Oto to make even the beginning of a mission seem suspicious._

"One more thing..."

Natsumi looked up at the Hokage, whose expression shifted to serious. "...Yes, sir?"

"While the journey itself should be an easy one, Oto's reputation could cause her to become a target. Strange things happen surrounding that woman, so be on guard should anything arise."

_No kidding._

Natsumi nodded again and bowed slightly. "Of course."

"Good luck." He nodded, and Natsumi stepped out of his office and let out a deep breath.

_This is my first mission since..._ She clutched her hands into fists. _I've got to redeem myself. I refuse to let anyone down again._

* * *

"Wait, so he assigned you to be Oto's bodyguard?" Kiri leaned back from where she had been hunched over the garden bed and wiped her forehead with her forearm.

"Basically." Natsumi nodded and set a wilted stalk into the basket beside her with a shrug.

Kiri let out a slow whistle.

"I can't believe you've got to be alone with her for a whole week. I'd go crazy." She paused. "Are you sure I can't at least tag along? You'll never know what kind of stuff she might pull. She's no ordinary old lady."

_I wonder how much she'd freak out if she knew that Oto has had me complete one of her tests before._

"Hey!" Sena looked up from the garden bed on the opposite side of the yard, smiling as she scolded. "You guys could work and talk at the same time, at least!"

Kiri pointed a dried tuber at Sena.

"I've told you before, I'm not good at this gardening thing! Cut me some slack!"

Sena laughed and crossed her arms. "All we're doing today is just pulling up what's dead. That's not hard at all." She rolled her eyes. "And, treat that plant with respect! It may be dead, but it once provided delicious sustenance for you."

"Respect a plant." Kiri muttered. "It's almost like you like plants better than most people."

"In fact, I do." Sena laughed to herself. "Less talking and more working. Tomorrow I want to get everything replanted and hope that there's still enough time left for a decent harvest before winter comes."

Natsumi smiled and sat cross-legged, taking a break as she wiped her brow and smeared dirt there.

"Sena, wouldn't it just be easier to get all of this from the grocery store instead of breaking your back doing all the work yourself?"

Sena's eyes widened slightly. "The... grocery store...?"

Kiri rolled her eyes. "Oh, _now_ you've done it."

Natsumi blinked. "Done what?"

"I... can't buy stuff from the _grocery store_, Natsumi!" Sena shook her head quickly and paled. "I'd have no idea if my food was grown lovingly or not! It changes the flavor!"

"Oh, boy..." Kiri sighed and crossed her arms.

"Also, I wouldn't know if they used harsh pesticides or not, or if they sprayed on any wax to fake how vibrant and fresh the produce was!"

"Yeah, yeah." Kiri muttered. "I know. You wouldn't know what kind of fertilizer they used or not either."

"Hmph." Sena turned her nose up, still smiling faintly. "Exactly. I only use my own special compost. It's superior than all the rest. Way better than that garbage at the grocery store was grown in."

"She's a food snob." Kiri held up her hand to whisper to Natsumi, laughing to herself. "She won't even eat at restaurants. She says that other people just don't know how to cook properly, either."

"Well, it's true." Sena laughed. "Everything is too salty or too sweet. Food should be a journey for the palate- an exciting adventure chock full of temptation, shyness, bliss, warmth, and love. Food isn't just for eating, you know."

"Sure," Kiri rolled her eyes with a slight smirk. "And air isn't just for breathing."

"Speaking of air..." Sena crossed her arms. "You know who makes the oxygen for the air you breathe?" She paused and grinned. "Plants. Respect them."

Kiri smiled faintly, shaking her head as she continued to work.

_Spending time together like this... it's almost as if it never happened._

Natsumi smiled as she looked at Sena

_It's even harder to believe when she smiles so brightly like that._

Her eyes fell to Sena's neck, where a wide ribbon was tied around it. Her smile faded and her stomach twisted at the sight.

_Except... for that ugly scar._

Sena caught her staring from the corner of her eye, raising a hand to cover the ribbon with a faint smile before she continued to work.

"You just got released from the hospital yesterday." Natsumi said softly. "You should be resting."

Sena glanced up at her with a smile and shrugged.

"I feel fine. I have tons of energy, and my Chakra is fully restored. I can't just sit around and do nothing on such a nice day." Sena closed her eyes as her smile grew. "Besides, nothing is more relaxing than getting my hands dirty in the garden."

"How'd your brother take it, hearing that you'll be gone for a week when he's just gotten back?"

Natsumi shrugged. "I haven't told him yet. I'm sure he'll be busy training, anyway, and not have time to miss me."

"You should be spending some time with him, then, instead of helping out here." Sena set a handful of rotten vines down. "Kiri and I can handle it here."

"I was going to tell him later..." Natsumi scratched her head and laughed sheepishly. "And I don't mind helping out. I wanted to spend time with you, too."

_Especially since I almost lost you just a few days ago..._

"Natsumi's just stalling because Naruto's still with the rest of his team." Kiri winked and chuckled as she looked up at Sena. "After all, Kakashi's there, and she's avoiding him."

Natsumi's face flushed deeply and she shook her head quickly. "I-I'm not!"

_"Oh?"_ Sena glanced toward Natsumi, then back at Kiri. "Why?"

"Oh, something about having fallen asleep while cradled gently in his warm arms." Kiri chuckled again, holding her hands up to shrug as she teased.

"D-Don't say it like that!" Natsumi's flush deepened and she looked away. "...you make everything sound so lewd..."

"Oh, I see now." Sena giggled.

"The whole situation was just embarrassing." Natsumi crossed her arms, mumbling. "I cried like a baby in front of him, after all... and then, falling asleep like it..." She buried her hands in her face. "I acted like a little kid!"

"Well, you _are_ a kid." Sena smiled and shrugged slightly. "But, I do understand how you feel. You don't need to feel embarrassed."

"Easy for you to say..."

"If you're really that worried about it, I could go with you." Kiri put a hand on her hip.

Natsumi laughed under her breath and shook her head.

"And let you make it even more awkward?"

Kiri scoffed and placed a hand on her chest. "What? Me? Would I do that?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely." Sena laughed and answered in unison with Natsumi.

"Yeesh." Kiri pouted and crossed her arms. "You guys really have no faith in me at all."

"We just know you well." Sena smiled, then looked up at the sky briefly. "We should take a break for now. I can whip up something for us to eat."

"Ah!" Kiri grinned and wiped her hands on her pants. "I've missed your cooking! I'm starving!"

Sena stood and wiped her hands together.

"Are you going to stay and eat with us, Natsumi? I'm thinking about making parfaits."

Natsumi shook her head slightly. "Thanks, but I really should go see Naruto. I can't put it off too long or he'll be upset."

She nodded and gave Natsumi a gentle hug. "Thank you, then, for helping out. And, have fun with your brother while you can."

"I will." Natsumi smiled and returned the hug, and Kiri looped her arms around the both of them.

"Group hug." Kiri loosened her grip and mussed Natsumi's hair. "Be careful on your mission, yeah? There's no telling what that old bitty's getting you into."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Natsumi smoothed her hair down. "But I'll be careful anyway."

"Good." Sena gently nudged her toward the gate. "See you later."

"See you." Natsumi gave a short wave and gave them a final, long look.

_Who knows how much will change in just one week?_

* * *

Natsumi drew in a deep breath and clutched the bag in her hands as she walked.

_I know I said that I was fine before... but the closer I get, the more I feel embarrassed. How can things be anything but awkward now that I've cried hard like that, snot and all?_

She sighed again and slowed her pace as the forest opened and the third training grounds sprawled out before her.

_It's been a long time since I was last here..._

Natsumi looked around and pressed her lips together.

_Where are they, anyway?_

"Gaaah!"

Natsumi turned her head towards the river and ran towards the sound, stopping to laugh under her breath as she approached and saw Naruto climbing out of the water.

"Sasuke!" Naruto stood on the bank, his clothes soaked entirely, and pointed at the Uchiha with a glare. "Don't think you've won yet! I'm not done!"

"Just quit already." Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets on the bank, turning to face away from the blond. "You're an embarrassment."

Kakashi turned to look over his shoulder from where he and Sakura stood, watching the match and he lifted his hand in a wave. "Ah, Natsumi. Hello!"

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly and clutched the bag tighter in her hands.

_Don't be awkward. Don't be awkward._

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and looked up at his sister with a grin. "Natsumi!"

Natsumi let out a breath and returned his smile, and he ran over to her.

"What're you doing here?"

"I brought a snack." Natsumi lifted the bag up for him to see. "I hope I'm not interrupting, though."

"You brought me food?!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he reached out for the bag, only for Natsumi to pull it away.

"It's not just for you, ya know!" She laughed. "I got a little for everyone."

"How thoughtful." Kakashi smiled, and the rest of Team Seven approached her. "Right now is a good time for a break, anyway."

"So what's in there?" Naruto kept his eyes on her bag with a glint of greed in his eyes as they sat around the posts and started to eat the boxed lunches they had brought.

"Something good." Natsumi smiled and pulled out the box and opened it.

"Dango!" Naruto quickly ate one and Natsumi laughed.

"You're not supposed to have your dessert first." Natsumi held the box away from him. "Eat your lunch first."

"Geez. You're such a nag." Naruto muttered and opened his lunch to take a bite.

"Well, I am your older sister." Natsumi stuck out her tongue. "It's kind of my job."

"Not that again!" He narrowed his eyes at her. "We're twins! We're the same age!"

"I was still born first."

"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms as he ate. After a while, Natsumi held out the box to him with a giggle.

"Oh, fine. Here."

His eyes lit up and he grabbed a dumpling, popping it into his mouth enthusiastically.

Natsumi watched as Naruto chewed happily for a moment, then swallowed.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?" He stuffed another bite into his mouth, turning to her. "What?"

"Actually, I came to visit so that I could tell you I've been assigned a mission."

"Really?" He swallowed and grinned. "That's great!"

"And... well, I have to leave tonight."

His expression fell slightly. "What?! Tonight?"

She nodded. "I'll be gone for a week."

"Hmph." He made a face and crossed his arms. "That's not fair. We haven't had a lot of time together since we got back, ya know."

"I know. I'm sorry." Natsumi scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. "Lord Third already said that he'd have another mission for me once I get back, so I think I'll be really busy for a while."

"Hmph." Naruto took another bite, chewing in frustration. "Darn that old man..."

"Well, we'll be busy with our own missions, too, Naruto. Don't forget that." Kakashi waved his hand and looked at his student. "You're a fully-fledged Ninja now. You can't expect to have all the free time you used to."

"I know that!" Naruto snapped and made a face again. "I just don't see why she can't be assigned to do a mission with us sometimes."

"Heh..." Natsumi blinked. "Well, as nice as that sounds..."

_He has no idea that I'm ANBU, or what kind of missions that we have to do..._

_"He doesn't realize what he's asking..."_ Kakashi chuckled and shrugged. "Well, perhaps in the future."

"Here." Natsumi held out the box to Sakura, who smiled and waved her hand.

"Thanks, but..." Sakura paused. _"I can't just say I'm on a diet in front of Sasuke!"_ She rubbed her head. "Oh... alright."

She took one and ate it slowly. _"Oh, but it's so good though... I guess having a few can't hurt." _

Natsumi smiled and ate one herself, holding out the box to Kakashi, who took one, and then to Sasuke.

He narrowed his eyes at the sweets for a moment and then looked away. "I don't want any."

Natsumi put a hand on her hip. "What? Why not?"

"I hate sweets."

"Hate sweets...?" Natsumi set the box down in front of her and crossed her arms. "No one hates sweets. That's like saying you hate breathing."

She held out the box to him again. "Have one."

"No."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes, leaning closer as she waved the sweets in his face. "Eat it."

"No." He shoved the box away with a scowl. "You're annoying."

"You're the one who's annoying." Natsumi brought the box closer to his face, leaning even closer as she narrowed her eyes. "I took the time to get desserts for everyone and you're just being ungrateful. At least have one."

"Leave me alone."

"You're so irritating." Natsumi picked up a dumpling with a small skewer and lunged forward, sitting on his chest suddenly to pin him down as his eyes widened and he struggled.

"Get off!"

"Eat it!" Natsumi stuck the dessert into this mouth as he protested then clamped her hands over his mouth and nose, forcing him to swallow before he shoved her off and took a gasp of a breath.

"Hah." Natsumi sat up with a smirk and crossed her arms. "Gotcha."

Sasuke coughed slightly and scowled deeply, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You're so annoying."

"Right back at you." Natsumi laughed and skewered a dumpling for herself, chewing triumphantly.

Sakura's eyes widened and she froze in place as she watched, her face paling slightly. _"D-did she just...?! She was on...?! S-She..."_ Her eyes fell on Natsumi. _"H-How dare she touch Sasuke!"_

Naruto laughed loudly and pointed. "Sasuke, I didn't know you were so weak that a girl could pin you down."

"Shut up, idiot."

Natsumi laughed, returning to sit next to her brother as she nudged him. "It was like taking candy from a baby." She covered her mouth to muffle a laugh. "Or, well, kind of the reverse of that, actually."

_"And she's acting so casually about it!"_ Sakura blushed slightly. _"How could she just...?! She really doesn't think of him like every other girl our age, then?!"_

"Here, Sakura. Have some more, since mister grumpy isn't going to have his share." Natsumi held out the box to her with a slight giggle as Sasuke glared again at her and turned his face away.

Sakura reached out for one, hesitating. _"Or... what if she secretly does like Sasuke, too?! And she's offering me sweets so I'll eat them and get fat so that she can have all of Sasuke's attention to herself?!"_

She drew back her hand after a moment and laughed, rubbing her head. "A-Actually, I'll pass. I'm starting to feel full."

_"If that's what she's doing... then I won't fall for it!"_

"Hm? Alright." Natsumi set the box down and took another for herself. "If you're sure."

"More for us!" Naruto stuck several into his mouth at a time, swelling his cheeks with them as he laughed to himself. "But you're missing out."

"You know," Natsumi glanced back at Sasuke. "Sena says 'a person who doesn't like sweets is one whose heart is only capable of bitterness.'" She shrugged and looked away. "I guess she was right."

Kakashi sighed and looked over the Genin. _"Who would have thought that she would antagonize Sasuke the same as her brother?"_ He looked at Sakura and sighed again. _"Although, it seems like she may have accidentally made an enemy out of Sakura..."_

Natsumi let out a short sigh and glanced at her brother from the corner of her eye. "Unfortunately, I should probably go home and start packing for my mission. I don't know exactly where we're going yet, so I need to make sure I'm prepared."

"Aw, already?" Naruto made an exaggerated pout.

"Sorry." Natsumi smiled and hugged him. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? And then I'll treat you to Ichiraku's when I get back, I swear."

"Deal!" Naruto chuckled. "Good luck on your mission!"

"Thanks." She stood and wiped her hands on her pants, then waved to the group before she ran off. "See you guys later!"

* * *

Natsumi stood at the gate in silence, clutching the straps of her pack as she waited.

_I hope I haven't forgotten anything. I don't even know what to expect of this trip._

Her eyes lifted to watch the crimson and violet sky darken as the sun sunk lower on the horizon.

_All I do know is that things are never as they seem around Oto, and that I need to be wary. I just wish I knew what to be on the lookout for._

"Oho... you're as punctual as ever, Natsumi."

Natsumi turned to smile faintly at the familiar wrinkled face.

"And you look just as elegant as ever, Oto-sama."

The old woman chuckled and blew a small ring of smoke out of her mouth and stood beside Natsumi.

"Are you ready, miss Uzumaki?" Her eyes narrowed slightly and glinted mischievously. "This is going to be quite the trip."

Natsumi nodded shortly and followed Oto as she began to walk beyond the gates, which closed behind them. After a while of walking, Natsumi glanced over at the woman.

_Her movements aren't making a sound at all... it's almost as if she's gliding instead of walking._

"You have questions." Oto chuckled and looked over at the girl from the corner of her eye.

_Around you? Always._

Natsumi smiled faintly. "Why did you ask for me as your escort specifically?"

Oto chuckled. "My dear, there are few in the world that an old woman such as myself trusts. Few know anything of my clan or our traditions, and the only one I trust to keep those secret is one who has already passed the beginner's trial and proven herself."

_I knew it. It's because she sent me to that ruin, three years ago._

"Besides, I do enjoy your company. Few Shinobi are willing to speak with me at all, much less enter my company willingly or frequently. I enjoy your visits and your thirst for power. Quite a Hebihime trait."

"Does this journey have anything to do with that trial from before?"

Oto chuckled and blew long tendrils of smoke from her nostrils. "You might assume that, however, this time, it's just a pilgrimage."

_Huh. Weird._

"So..." Natsumi lifted the ANBU mask off of her face and set it to the side of her head. "What's the purpose of the pilgrimage, anyway?"

"It's a Hebihime tradition." Oto explained. "For those who left the Caves to live away from the clan, it is our duty to return to one of the shrines periodically to prove our loyalty and restore our gifts."

"Do a lot of your people choose to live on the outside?" Natsumi watched her as they traveled, and the last traces of light vanished from the sky and the first stars twinkled amidst the darkness.

"Not many did. It was seen as a taboo, to turn from the Great Snakes in that way and live a life centered around anything but their divine existence." Oto's expression shifted slightly and became unreadable. "However, a select few were granted the privilege of living on the outside, when the Great White Mother had need of them to gather information for a longer period or for other purposes. That is why the pilgrimage came about."

"Oh." Natsumi listened quietly.

_I want to ask how her clan disappeared, but I don't want to bring up a sore subject._

"Why did some people choose to live on the outside? If it was taboo?"

Oto scoffed under her breath. "Weakness."

Natsumi blinked. "I don't understand..."

"As time passed and new generations came about, there were those who were weak and full of fear— lacking the most important qualities of our clan. They began to grow fearful of becoming one with the Serpent's flesh, or of the consequences of failing the trials. The Hebihime grew fewer in number, and some girls fled before they came of age for the first of the trials. Some cowardly mothers even fled during their pregnancies, to avoid the Great Snakes entirely. It was a shameful time."

Oto shook her head and scowled to herself as she thought.

"Many of the mothers who fled took their sons with them. It wasn't a terrible loss, since the Great White Mother preferred the girls, who were better suited by nature for her gifts, however the boys were useful in other ways... caring for the Great Serpents and becoming one with their flesh."

Natsumi shuddered slightly.

_So, matriarchal society that uses the male members as human sacrifices and servants. That's not creepy at all._

"However," Oto smirked faintly and blinked her dark, slitted eyes. "Quite some time ago... there was a boy born with extraordinary potential. He was only the third male to be born with sacred markings. I expected great things from him."

"Sacred markings?"

Oto lifted a hand and traced from the outer corner of her eyes, over her lid, and down to her inner eye and the bridge of her nose.

"Periodically, a child— typically a female— would be born with colored markings around the eyes. That child was always exceptionally gifted and was held in favor by the Great White Mother."

"Gifted how?"

"Excellent stealth, and of suppression of any... pesky unnecessary emotions. Unafraid... collected, intelligent, cold..." Oto chuckled again. "The ideal weapons to be used by the Great White Mother."

_Creepy._

"...It sounds as if they were born snakes trapped inside human bodies." Natsumi murmured.

Oto laughed and nodded, blowing smoke around them that seemed to softly through the night air. "Yes... that's quite the accurate description. Snakes in human form... to be born that way was the greatest honor."

"Well... what about that boy? The one born with the markings?"

"Oh, he was such a cute child." Oto chuckled to herself. "I trained him myself for a time, and taught him his first Jutsu. He excelled at it, even as a toddler. He was quite the prodigy. He fancied calling me 'Granny Oto' for some time, too." She let out a breath. "There was a time when I almost wished he was my own child."

_That's right... she does have family. She's never talked about them much, though. I know she was married, and had children of her own. Did they have a falling out?_

"What happened to that boy? Did he become as powerful as you thought he would?"

Oto's expression darkened faintly. "...His parents became increasingly fearful of my involvement, particularly once I suggested that he take the beginner's trial early. They forbid me from training him any further. It was such a shame, considering how little else remains of our people..."

Natsumi swallowed and looked at the ground in silence.

_Even if they were creepy cultists, I don't think anyone deserves to be wiped out like that._

"But..." Oto continued, quietly. "Yes. That boy did become an exceptional Shinobi. He may not have been chosen by the Great White Mother to receive all of her blessings in full, though I suppose it could be said that he is the pride and joy of our people. At least of what remains."

_She's never talked so openly with me before about her past... I wonder if this trip is making her nostalgic?_

"Of course..." Oto chuckled. "He's also a male, and a disgrace in many ways. To say that he is the pride of our clan is also an insult. It's a pity that the truth is also an insult"

_Yikes. The cult of misandry strikes again._

"Oto-sama... how many...?" Natsumi stopped and closed her mouth. _I shouldn't ask something like that._

"How many of my people have survived?" She glanced over with a wink and a smirk. "Perhaps as many as yours."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_That's right! That book from before..._

"How many is that?"

"There's no way to know." Oto chuckled.

Natsumi opened her mouth again, then closed it.

"You want to ask what happened to my clan."

Natsumi nodded slowly, and Oto's pace slowed.

"Since I am in a good mood... I'll tell you a bit more." Oto glanced from Natsumi back to the moonlit road again.

"I was... out of sorts when it happened." She exhaled and a large cloud of smoke surrounded them. "I was in hibernation, recovering from one of the final trials. Hidden away in a deep chamber, I was left in isolation for one month. When I awoke once more, I found everything was simply... gone."

The old woman paused and pressed her lips together.

"Bodies were strewn around and blood covered everything. I searched every tunnel and hall for any survivors, but found nothing. Even the Great Snakes were absent from the cave at the time, and so I left."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and Oto let out a breath and another cloud of smoke.

"It wasn't long after that and I had become well-known amongst the black market. My knack for assassination was in high demand, of course, but what piqued the most interest was my skill for intelligence gathering." She laughed loudly to herself. "I could have made a fortune, playing those Senju and Uchiha for fools for all eternity, fueling both sides of the feud and making a profit from both, giving them only a little tip here and there. Oh, it was splendid, to have them in the palms of my hands."

Oto sighed and brought the pipe back to her lips.

"Though, as with all things, it came to an end eventually, and that Tobirama wizened up and took me on as an adviser of sorts. For a price, of course. Since then, I've been living far simpler than I'd imagined initially, oh, but all of the things I have learned..." She chuckled. "Have more than made up for it."

"Wait..." Natsumi slowed, then stared at the woman. "That means... you've been alive... since the founding of the Leaf Village?"

The corners of the woman's mouth twitched in a slight smirk. "You wouldn't dare ask a lady her age, would you?"

Natsumi blinked and swallowed.

_I wonder how many people in the village actually know any of this about her?_

They walked along in silence before Natsumi spoke again.

"...Oto-sama?"

"Yes, child?"

Natsumi looked at her sideways, noticing how the old woman's skin reflected the spotted moonlight, glinting almost with the translucence of scales.

"Why tell me all of this? Why have me complete that trial before? What's the point of it?" Natsumi paused, speaking softly. "Why me?"

Oto smiled, patting her head before she sucked deeply on her pipe.

"Several years after I joined the Leaf, I made my first pilgrimage. On the return trip, I met a quiet man, who fancied himself a scholar. He was captured by my beauty immediately, and I admired his docile nature. It wasn't more than a few months and we married. He was happy enough just to stay at home and take care of our children while I did as I pleased, working both for the Hokage and through underhanded dealings with my connections on the black market. It was a good marriage."

She tapped the pipe to her lips as she walked.

"We had a son first, and then two daughters. The boy, he had his father's nature, and was too gentle to become a Shinobi. He took an interest in carpentry and woodcarving instead. The girls were strong-willed, but were born with too little Chakra to be of much use. The oldest became a seamstress, and the other, a teacher." She paused and a tendril of smoke swirled from between her lips. "And then, our fourth was born."

"She was a beauty like me, but with her father's collected, obedient nature. And, she had a passion for knowledge. She found no greater pleasure than learning new Jutsu or following my every command. She was the strongest, and so I decided to bring her up in the Hebihime ways, as much as I could outside of the caves."

"Mio was her name." Oto took in a short breath and smiled. "Ah, what a good girl. Completely obedient, and she was desperate to please me. She learned the ways of a blade quickly, and was fascinated by each new recipe for poison I introduced to her. My husband disapproved, though he remained quiet as always... At least, until I determined that she was ready for the first trial."

Natsumi blinked and pressed her lips together as Oto spoke.

"What happened?"

Oto's expression darkened slightly. "...She was weak. She failed the trial, and disappointed me. I'd hoped at least one of my children would have inherited the aptitude, however, I was unlucky."

Natsumi's eyes widened.

_Failing the trial... that means..._

Natsumi gulped, whispering. "She... died?"

"Tch." Oto blew a large cloud of smoke again. "She was weak. She didn't even make it through the fifth room. After all the training I'd given her, my favorite child... But my husband, he could never forgive me for it. It was the first and last time I'd ever seen him angry."

"What happened?" Natsumi murmured as a chill settled into her.

"He decided that it would be best to break all ties with me, and he packed up, taking our remaining children with him, and left the village. He returned to live with his mother and his sister's family. That was one of the last times that I saw my children."

"That's... horrible." Natsumi bit her lip and balled her hand into a fist inside of the pocket of her cloak.

_Although... she was responsible for the death of her own child... and she's not even remorseful in the slightest about it._

"I suppose that's why I spoil you so much, my dear." Oto reached out and stroked Natsumi's cheek with one of her slender fingers. "You remind me of my Mio in so many ways..."

Natsumi stared at her, unable to speak, and Oto lowered her hand once more.

"...At least... you remind me of how I wish Mio had been. If only she'd had your strength and will..."

_So... I'm the replacement for her daughter? The one that she... killed?_

Oto met Natsumi's eyes and laughed. "Oh, don't make that expression, child. You know as well as I do that there is only one way to succeed in the trials. If you're lacking in what it takes, you'll never reach the end."

"But she was your own daughter..." Natsumi mumbled.

"She made her choice." Oto blew a small puff of smoke that formed the image of a young girl's face. "I gave her the choice to take the trial or not, giving her warning of what would happen should she fail. She insisted that she do it, and that she would succeed."

Oto quieted for a minute and the face in the smoke dissipated.

"Mio made her choice. Even if I had objected, once she drank from the fountain and entered the first room, I could not have intervened."

_Then... what happened to her body?_

"I'm certain that the Matron took care of her. She always had the habit of giving the failures who had impressed her most a nice resting place." Oto spoke quietly. "I'm sure she earned that rite, at least."

Natsumi softened slightly and she looked away.

_Maybe I misjudged her... it seems like she misses her daughter._

They continued in silence for another hour and Natsumi looked back to the woman.

"When should we get to the temple?"

"Hm? Oh, as soon as the clouds clear up." Oto glanced up at the black sky, and Natsumi's gaze followed hers.

"The clouds?"

After a moment, the thick sheet of clouds that had been blocking out much of the moonlight shifted and revealed a deep, vast darkness covered in brilliant stars. Natsumi smiled in awe at them and Oto chuckled.

"Now, child, which stars should we follow?"

_Stars?_

She thought for a moment, and then nodded to herself.

"The serpent, of course."

"Of course."

Oto's mouth twitched in a smirk and she drew out the constellation in the dirt with the end of her cane. Then, she twisted its handle to reveal a hidden blade, and cut her palm with it. She traced the shape of the constellation in blood, squeezing it from her hand until it dripped and pooled into the outline.

"Hold onto my robes, dear."

Natsumi nodded again, reaching out to clutch the long sleeve of her dress as Oto spoke, each word a guttural hiss. The blood on the ground became red smoke that enveloped them, and, when it faded, Natsumi blinked and realized that they were standing in front of the mouth of a cave, carved masterfully to look like the open jaw of a serpent.

_We're here?! Just like that?_

"H-How...?"

Oto chuckled and patted Natsumi's head. "There's still so much you have yet to see, little Uzumaki."

A twig snapped in the woods behind them, and Oto smirked slightly without turning around.

"I never expected that you would be here... though I can't say I'm surprised."

Natsumi shuddered as a cold chuckle approached from behind.

"And I expected you'd have died decades ago, Granny."


	59. Chapter 57: Disciple of the Snake

"Sorry to disappoint." Oto laughed to herself and blew out a slow tendril of smoke as she turned to look at the man. "As you can see, I am very much alive."

Natsumi froze in place as a chill prickled down her spine.

_This feeling in the air... it's as thick as if I'm breathing in poisonous tar..._

She gulped and felt herself begin to tremble.

_This person is incredibly strong... and their Chakra alone... it's terrifying._

The man stepped out from the shadow of the trees and scowled slightly at the old woman.

"You haven't aged a day..." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"And you've become so old." Oto chuckled and smirked faintly. "What happened to that cute, smooth-faced child that I used to know, Oro-chan?"

"Tch. Devil woman. Don't use that name."

_Oro-chan...? _Natsumi's heart pounded as the intense, dark feeling clawed at her skin. _This is the boy Oto was talking about? His presence alone is... nightmarish._

"Pity. You used to be so sweet, following me around like a little puppy, calling me 'Granny.'" Oto closed her eyes momentarily and leaned against her cane with both hands, her pipe resting between her lips. "My, how things have changed."

"Indeed they have..." He glanced at the girl beside the old woman. "What have we here, Oto?"

"Hm?" Oto looked at the girl from the corner of her eye. "Ah... Natsumi, dear, no need to make that face. You have nothing to fear from him. He's about as harmless as a little snakelet. Why don't you say hello?"

_Harmless?_

Natsumi gulped again, then nodded and slowly turned around.

_Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I can trust Oto..._

Her eyes rose to the man's face and the blood drained from her face in recognition.

_T-That's...!_

Her trembling returned and her eyes widened.

_Konoha's traitor... the number one rogue Ninja... the one who conducted countless human experiments, even on newborn babies... the one we're told to run on sight from..._

"An Uzumaki?" He chuckled and licked his lips, his tongue flicking out like a snake's before he looked back at his old master. "Quite the lucky find you've got there."

"Quite." Oto patted Natsumi shoulder. "Natsumi, dear, this is my old student. I'm certain you've heard of him before."

"Orochimaru..." Natsumi muttered under her breath, unable to move.

_I'm in the presence of one of the most dangerous Shinobi in all the nations..._

"A little young for the ANBU, isn't she?" Orochimaru fixed his eyes on her owl mask. "And... dripping with fear."

"I wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating her, Oro-chan. Natsumi isn't just some Uzumaki child."

"Oh?" He stepped closer, crossing his arms as he smirked slightly down at her. "Then, she's _that_ Uzumaki girl."

"Correct." Oto kept a hand on Natsumi's shoulder, tightening her grip possessively. "She's quite the prodigy herself, you know. With a large appetite for knowledge and a thirst for strength and power."

"Is that so?" He bent slightly to meet the girl's eyes directly.

_I feel like I'm drowning and burning alive all at the same time._

Natsumi swallowed, opening her mouth before shutting it again.

_I'm in a nightmare. That's the only explanation as to how this is happening._

"So... you desire power?" He smirked. "Are you honestly the type to seek power at any cost?"

_I want to move... I want to run away as ran as possible. I don't want to be in this presence anymore, with his expression like that._

"She's already successfully completed the beginner's trial."

Orochimaru chuckled and looked from Oto and back to the girl.

"How surprising... perhaps she does have potential." His lips curved in a smirk and he held out his hand to her. "If it's power that you seek, I can give it to you. You won't have to bother with the obstacles or whims of this crazy old bat. The path to power doesn't have to be complicated... What do you say?"

"Natsumi has the natural aptitude to become Hebihime, if her training is guided properly." Oto scoffed under her breath and her tone darkened. "She's not one of your pathetic puppets, Oro-chan. She has no need for synthetic power, given out by one who never attained true power for himself."

"Tch." Orochimaru glared at the woman. "Arrogant old woman."

"To attain true power, my dear, there can be no shortcuts." Oto looked at Natsumi and kept her hand firmly on her shoulder. "You may attain some power by taking the easiest route, but it will always come at a heavy price." Oto chuckled. "Just look at him."

_It's as if they're... arguing over me?_

Orochimaru continued to glare at the old woman, then turned his attention back to Natsumi. "Let the girl decide, then." His lips curved in a wide smirk. "What use has this hag been to you, anyway?_" _He paused and his slitted eyes stared into her own unblinkingly. "If you truly seek power, I can turn you into the finest weapon, and your name will be as feared as mine."

_He wants... to train me?_ Natsumi gulped. _But why?_

"My, my, Oro-chan. Just a moment ago you were saying she was dripping in fear... and now suddenly you're trying to seduce her into being one of your little experiments." Oto held her pipe out of her mouth and blew a thick cloud of smoke around them. "If you're so keen on having her, perhaps you should find an Uzumaki girl of your own, then."

He chuckled, keeping his eyes focused on the girl. "We may clash in terms of methods, but your judgement is always reliable. If you think she has potential, then she does." He reached out to touch the girl's cheek, and she shuddered. "Her Chakra is so great, I can feel it emanating from her... remarkable."

Natsumi blinked at his cold touch and she bit her lip, stepping back from him as she regained control of her body to slap his hand away.

"D-Don't touch me!"

Oto laughed under her breath as Orochimaru looked at his hand with a slight smirk.

"I see she has the Uzumaki's fiery stubbornness... excellent." He extended his hand to her again. "You seem like an intelligent girl... come with me, and you'll have more power than your pretty little self could ever imagine. This hag has nothing left to teach you."

"You're wrong." Natsumi clenched her fists, shaking her head slowly. "I was able to kill the Araki brothers because of her. And that's just the beginning."

"The Araki brothers?" Orochimaru met the woman's eyes. "You failed to mention that."

"A wise woman never reveals the strength of her hand." Oto's mouth twitched in a smirk. "And, I did warn you to not underestimate her."

"I must admit, Granny, you never fail to find those who are completely loyal to you."

"I could say the same of you, if the rumors I've heard are true about your little village." Oto's eyes narrowed and darkened. "Now, if you'll excuse us—"

"Not so fast." Orochimaru locked eyes with the girl once more. "The fire in your eyes... there's plenty of hate, there... and darkness... and also curiosity."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and he leaned closer to her.

"It almost reminds me of myself."

Natsumi shook her head again and took another step back. "I-I'm... I'm nothing like you."

"So, you won't leave the old crone's side?" He lowered his hand to his side once more. "You think you can trust her? You think that she doesn't have ulterior motives for bringing you along?"

"I do trust her." Natsumi furrowed her brows. "She's helped me become this strong already... and she's never betrayed me."

Orochimaru laughed shortly and lowered his voice to a silky, dark whisper. "Let me tell you a secret... no Hebihime can be trusted— not even by her own sisters. You're a fool to put your complete faith in this woman. I'm giving you this warning for your own good."

"Better than even considering trusting someone like you." Natsumi muttered under her breath.

_Oto may be crazy, and she may have nearly gotten me killed before in that trial, but she's not someone who would betray me._

"The girl's made up her mind, Oro-chan." Oto tightened her grip on Natsumi's shoulder, and her body took on a faint blue-green glow. "Now, leave her be."

Orochimaru scowled and stood straight. "You dare to challenge my strength? You're no match for me."

"I suppose we'll never know, since I won't waste my effort on a snakelet like you." The glow faded and Oto turned Natsumi toward the cave. "Now, leave. You should know already what happens when a male tries to enter a Hebihime sanctuary, so put the idea out of your mind."

"Tch." He glanced down at Natsumi and his lips curved slightly. "Should you change your mind... come find me, Natsumi Uzumaki of the Leaf."

He flickered out of their sight and Natsumi let out the long breath she'd been holding in.

_He's finally gone._

"He's as obstinate as ever." Oto chuckled and released Natsumi's shoulder. "For a moment, I was worried that he might actually make an attack."

Natsumi swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at the woman sideways as she rubbed her sore shoulder.

_Not that I would ever trust a word he says..._

"Come, Natsumi. The shrine awaits." Oto turned and started down the long, slanting tunnel, vanishing into the darkness there.

_But... I have to wonder... why exactly did she bring me along, if it was so easy for her appear here in an instant?_

"Come, Natsumi. We're wasting time." The woman's voice called out from the darkness, echoing in the distance between them.

_Still..._ Natsumi turned to look to the spot that Orochimaru had been standing in. _Why give me a warning like that at all? What was he doing here in the first place?_

Natsumi turned and followed Oto, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the nearly pitch-blackness, slowly her pace once she caught up. She followed in silence, watching the back of Oto's head as he moved deeper inside of the cave.

_And... just what am I to her?_

* * *

"Oto-sama, what kind of Jutsu was that?" Natsumi stopped beside the woman as they came across a pair or large stone doors, covered in mysterious writing.

"Jutsu?" Oto caressed the stone door with her fingertips, reading the inscription intently. "What Jutsu?"

"The one from before, when you were glowing." Natsumi watched her, then looked at the carvings in front of her.

"That wasn't a Jutsu." Oto chuckled. "It was a display of the gift bestowed upon me by the Great White Mother herself. Very powerful, very ancient. Only the most devoted and powerful Hebihime were granted such a gift." She chuckled. "It's a power that Oro-chan has been seeking since he was young, but he failed to impress the Great White Mother, and she rejected him."

_If someone like him is seeking that power... it must be amazing._

"Um... Oto-sama..." Natsumi turned towards her. "That power... how could I get it?"

"You?" Oto smirked faintly. "There is only one way... and I am certain that the risks are greater than even you would be willing to take."

Natsumi swallowed and glanced down momentarily.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

"But—"

"Natsumi," Oto took out a strange dagger and placed it against her palm, then her eyes rose to the girl's. "To enter, you must provide your blood."

Oto sliced her palm, reopening the cut from before, and blood oozed out, then, rested her hand against the stone door.

"Copy this sigil exactly, my dear."

Oto lowered her hand and gestured to the sigil and Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_T-That...!_

"I-It looks just his eyes..." Natsumi clenched her fists. _That creepy Orochimaru..._

"Hm?" Oto chuckled. "Well, this sigil is designed after our sacred markings... so, of course they look the same."

Natsumi pressed her lips together, hesitating as Oto held out the dagger for her to take.

_This is what I get for associating with a cultist._

She nodded after a moment, taking the dagger to cut open her own palm, and winced as the cut began to bleed. She copied the sigil on the door in front of her, and Oto nodded in approval.

"Good. Now watch."

The woman blew smoke over the sigils, and they glowed with a crimson light before the blood sizzled and evaporated, and the doors swung open.

_Woah._

"Come along."

Oto led her down a spiral corridor, looping like the coils of an enormous snake, until they reached a large, round cavern. Oto stood in the center beside an alter, lighting the incense and bowing her head for a moment.

Natsumi looked around and carefully eyed the large metallic statues of serpents that formed a ring around the cavern; three were golden, three were silver, and three were bronzed.

"Oto, they're not going to come to life like in the trial... right?"

The woman chuckled and glanced at them. "No need to be worried. They're just going to keep you company as I pray and meditate."

"Here?" Natsumi looked around.

_Not much of a shrine..._

"No, not here." Oto gestured to a stone door across the cavern. "Only fully-fledged Hebihime may enter the shrine, so you will wait for me here."

Natsumi looked at the door, then nodded. After a moment, she glanced back the way they came.

"Uh... what should I do, if—"

Oto shook her head slightly and smirked.

"He can't get in. All Hebihime sanctuaries have protections against any man that tries to enter. Even as powerful as he is, he cannot enter. Attempting to do so would mean a fate worse than death... at least for him. He knows this." Oto patted her shoulder. "You don't need to fear him."

_Easy for you to say_.

"Now, wait here. The ritual only takes an hour."

"Alright." Natsumi stood beside the alter and nodded.

"Good girl. I'll be out in an hour." Oto smiled and went over to the new door, drawing the sigil again before it opened and she passed through.

_I wonder what kind of prayers snake worshipers do._

Natsumi thought for a moment, then shook her head.

_It's probably something creepy, so it's probably better I don't know._

She sighed and leaned against the alter, closing her eyes momentarily before she examined the inscriptions there.

_I wonder what all of this stuff means..._

Her eyes wandered down to the sides of the alter, where the sigil had been carved.

_That's strange..._

She leaned closer, realizing that the eyes of the sigil were hollow.

_Holes?_

Lifting her hands carefully, she placed them into the empty spaces and felt around.

_Maybe there's some kind of tribute or offering in here... some kind of cool artifact, at least._

Her fingers caressed a raised inscription and she pursed her lips.

_What's the point of having writing where no one can read it?_

A mechanism clamped down on her hands and small, needlelike points stuck into the back of her hands. She cried out and tried to pull her hands free.

_I'm stuck!_

After a moment, the mechanism released her hands as she pulled again, and she fell back and stared at her hands.

_What was that?!_

A set of snakelike bite marks marked each hand, and, as she watched, a seal formed around the puncture wounds and her body shuddered.

_What is this?!_

Loud creaking echoing around her and she groaned as she rolled her eyes.

_Oh, shit._ Gritting her teeth, she shut her eyes and exhaled. _Oto lied. Of course she did..._

Natsumi glanced over her should and dodged as a bronze snake sprung to life and lunged at her, snapping its jaws.

_Crazy old woman... I should have known she was hiding something._

A second snake snapped at Natsumi, who back-flipped and landed on the head of another statue.

_At least it's not all of them, this time._

A third snake blinked its eyes from across the cavern, and the three lunged at her simultaneously. She formed a hand sign and let out a breath.

_Looks like I've got to just fight my way through this, then. At least, I can distract a few of them while I focus my efforts on one at a time._

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Nastsumi's eyes widened as nothing happened.

_What's going on?! _The serpents drew close and Natsumi dodged again, standing beside the alter again. She formed the hand seal once more, and again, nothing happened.

_No! Not again! What's wrong with me?_

Dodging again, two of the snakes froze as another set awoke and lunged at her.

_They're switching up?!_

Natsumi formed a series of signs, pressing her hands to the ground.

_Earth Style Wall!_

The serpents snapped down, and Natsumi rolled out of the way.

_I can't infuse Chakra! _She looked down at her hands again. _It's these seals! They're preventing me from using Jutsu!_

Rolling again, she hid behind another statue to catch her breath.

_How am I supposed to fight them without using Chakra?!_

She drew a Kunai and turned her head to look at the three snakes eyeing her.

_I'm dead. I'm so dead._

They lunged again in turn and Natsumi blocked a fang with the Kunai with a metallic clang.

_Well, stabbing or cutting them is out of the question. They're just metal!_

Continuing to dodge, Natsumi let out a breath.

_I've got to try to pace myself... Oto will be gone for an hour... So, I can assume that this will last just as long. If I want to make it until then, I have to be careful._

Natsumi dodged, leaping over the head of one serpent as it froze and she avoided a strike from another as it awoke.

_There's got to be some kind of trick to this... maybe a pattern?_

Natsumi bit her lip and ducked, smirking to herself as two snakes' heads crashed into one another.

_So far, only the bronze and silver snakes have been active._ She eyed the gold statues suspiciously. _So... the question is... what triggers them?_

As she blinked, one golden snake blinked at her and lunged, and she dodged quickly with her eyes wide.

_It's faster than the others!_

Snapping after her, Natsumi kept just out of range of its mouth.

_Think. Don't get eaten. Think._

Ducking again, she flinched as a silver snake snapped and nearly grabbed her leg.

_That was close!_

The bronze snake swiped its tail at her, only to strike the silver as she moved out of the way. The gold serpent quickly evaded the collision and coiled its body around her, trapping her. Its jaw opened and froze in place before it could devour her.

Natsumi exhaled and quickly looked over the golden scales, pressing her lips together until her eyes fell on a small scale underneath the serpent's chin.

_What's that?_

Leaning closer, she traced the small number with her fingertips and blinked.

_One? That doesn't make sense._

She leapt out of the coils to dodge the silver's strike, eyeing under its chin as she moved.

_Four?_

It froze as well, and the two were quickly replaced with the remaining bronze snakes.

_Six... Five..._

Her eyes widened slightly, and she counted quietly in her head, continuously evading them.

_That's it!_

She backflipped to avoid a bite.

_The numbers indicate how many minutes they'll be active for..._

Natsumi watched them continue to switch out, nodding herself after a while.

_The bronze snakes are the slowest, but are active the longest. The silvers are average, and are only active for two to four minutes... and the gold snakes are the fastest, and each one has been alive for only one..._

She leapt backward to rest on the head of a rigid snake to catch her breath.

_As long as I'm careful, it won't be too hard as long as I keep this in mind. I can't beat them like this, but at least I won't die._

The statue she stood on activated and she quickly evaded its attack.

_Probably._

She breathed carefully, minimizing her movements as she fell into a rhythm, counting down to herself when the next switch would take place.

_This isn't so hard, until the gold ones activate._

She caught her breath again, resting atop a statue as the two silver and one bronze snake entwined themselves together trying to catch her.

_As long as I conserve my energy to save it for the golds, I'll be fine. Especially since they only come out one at a time._

Natsumi exhaled again and laughed under her breath as the snakes tried to untangle themselves.

_Well, that takes care of them for a while._

A slow mist filled the cavern and Natsumi blinked.

_What's this?_

Crystals embedded in the ceiling shifted from clear to an eerie green and Natsumi looked up at them.

_What's happening now?_

The golden snake blinked and met her eyes from across the cavern with a hiss, its eyes changing from dull gold to the same green glow as the crystals.

_...Well... that doesn't seem good._

The snake beneath Natsumi blinked awake, its eyes the same green, and Natsumi quickly retreated to a safe distance.

_Two at once, now?_

A third hiss and a hot breath snorted behind her and Natsumi's eyes widened.

_Nope. Not good at all._

She jumped directly up as the three golden serpents struck at the same time, turning to her to follow quickly.

_I'm dead. I'm very dead._

Leaning sideways, she narrowly missed a bite and glanced at the number on the serpent's chin again.

_It's changed!_ She dodged and glanced back at the glowing green number in its place. _Twenty?!_

Natsumi slipped inside of the small opening of the knot where the three frozen snakes were entangled, breathing heavily as she shrunk down.

_I can't take on all three at once, and especially not for that long... not without Jutsu._

Natsumi bit her lip as the snakes hissed angrily and bashed their heads against their their frozen kin.

_What kind of test is this, anyway? All the others had some kind of trick to them... but this is different. It's as if it's just meant to kill me..._

Her eyes widened slightly and she stared down at the seals on her hands in silence.

_No... that can't be right... Oto wouldn't do that to me. She's crazy and reckless, but she's not..._

Natsumi narrowed her eyes, moving back until her back was pressed again the snakes and she exhaled slowly.

_...Either way... she's got some questions she needs to answer._

She closed her eyes momentarily and let out a sigh. Her eyes burst open as the three snakes continued to strike the entangled snakes. Covering her ears, Natsumi winced as each strike rung out in a loud echo in the small space. The knot dented and cracked gradually, until the metal tore open and left her exposed.

_Uh oh._

Natsumi leapt over the head of a gold snake as it snapped at her, running along its back, avoiding the jaws of the other two.

_Don't slow down. Don't let them get you._

She huffed and was struck by a thick tail, crying out as she was thrown against the wall. She blinked and trembled as she stood, supporting herself with the wall as she coughed and spat out blood.

_This is impossible... there's no way I can survive this._

The snakes hissed simultaneously, their green eyes glinting as they reared their heads up.

_I can hardly move... _Natsumi coughed again, dizzy, and touched her forehead. When her hand drew back, it was wet with blood. _My head's bleeding, and I think at least two of my ribs are cracked._

She managed to avoid a bite and glared at the serpents as they watched her.

_They're just playing with me now..._

Natsumi held up her Kunai, spat out more blood, and then narrowed her eyes.

_I'm not going to die without a fight._

The snake in the middle seemed to laugh at her, leaning closer until its breath blew in her face and its tongue flicked and touched her cheek.

"Do I taste good?" Natsumi gritted her teeth and parried the tongue away. "Do I?"

The snake hissed and narrowed its own eyes, then widened its jaw, swallowing her whole.

"Taste this!" She stabbed the Kunai into the metallic throat in an attempt to slow her descent as she slid down, the metal scraping and slicing until she landed in a pile of bones.

_So, this is its stomach?_ She shuddered and tried to cut her way out, the Kunai's tip only breaking off. _This is pointless..._

Looking up, she scowled.

_It's too smooth to even try to climb back up... and its just a hollow metal snake, brought to life with a Jutsu. There isn't an alternative exit._

The seals on her hands took on the same green glow as the crystals and spread over her arms, a burning sensation coursing through her body as it grew. She cried out in pain as it continued to spread and the smell of burning flesh filled her nose.

_This must be how it digests._

She cried out again, beating on the sides until the pain dizzied her and she collapsed onto the bones.

_...Can't... move..._

Her eyes watered and slowly spilled over.

_Oto... did you know this would happen?_

She curled into a ball as screamed as the markings now covered her body.

_Why? Why did you set me up to die?_

_Why? After all the hell you've put me through over the years for my training... After doting on me?_

She clenched her jaw and balled her shaking hands into fists, the pain mingling with the heat of anger growing in her chest.

_Why, Oto? I trusted you... I hung onto every word you said, because following you made me stronger._

_You promised me time and time again that you would make me strong. You assured me that I would achieve my goal. All that time I spent by your side, running errands and even reading from forbidden scrolls... all because you told me to..._

_Was all of that time meaningless? Was my trust in you really a mistake? All those times you said you saw so much potential in me... all those times you complimented me and talked about how proud you were of me... was it all a lie?_

Natsumi coughed blood and cried out silently as the seals burned into her.

_It can't end like this... I can't leave Naruto alone._

Natsumi glared and clenched her fists, containing a scream as the pain surged again.

_I'll make you pay for this..._

She trembled and sat up with a glare.

_Every bit of this pain I feel right now... I'll give it back to you tenfold._

The snake's stomach clenched tighter, pressing against her as the seals drained her Chakra.

_Nobody betrays me like this... nobody._

Her skin took on a pale violet glow, bubbling over the surface of her skin. With a growl, her nails elongated to points and her eyes shifted to a glowing crimson.

_I'll make you pay..._

The stomach tightened and shrunk again and Natsumi let out a loud cry- half scream, and half growl. Chakra bubbled out of her skin as she was forced into a smaller and smaller ball, until it burst outward, burning away the seals and breaking apart the snake in an explosion.

The two remaining gold snakes blinked quickly and hissed angrily, snapping at her.

"You're really annoying me!" Natsumi ran at the first one, building up her Chakra in her first as she struck it. It was thrown back into the second, where they hit the wall and were stunned. She punched them again and again, growling as she did.

"I. Don't. Even. Like. Snakes!"

The serpents shattered and metal shards clattered on the floor.

Natsumi panted heavily and staggered backward. Each of her wounds healed and the power waned. Her breathing became heavier and legs gave out, and she fell onto her hands and knees and blinked as she caught her breath.

_What kind of power was that?_

Her body shook and she fell forward.

_What is this? I'm healed, but I feel completely drained... I can't even move..._

* * *

The stone door opened and Oto passed through, moving slowly as she entered the cavern. The glow of the ceiling crystals faded as she crossed the threshold and looked around.

"My, my... what a mess."

She walked over to the alter and set her hand on it, speaking a few hissing words under her breath. Each of the metallic serpents repaired themselves and returned their original spots, statues once again.

Oto walked over to where Natsumi had collapsed and exhaled a small cloud of smoke. "So, you've survived."

Natsumi's eyes opened slowly and she balled her fists, forcing herself up, her body still fatigued and trembling.

"They'll keep me company, huh?" Natsumi muttered bitterly and turned toward the old woman. "Well, they kept me company, all right... we had a great time."

"Very few have ever defeated even a bronze serpent before... let alone all three of the golden elites."

Natsumi tightened her jaw and glared at her. "You tried to kill me!"

"Yet, here you are." Oto chuckled.

Natsumi's eyes widened. "Y-You... you really did try to kill me, didn't you?!"

"Well, child... the pilgrimage requires a human sacrifice to be complete." Oto's eyes darkened. "And the requirements of the proper offering are complicated... you made a fine candidate."

Natsumi took a step back, clenching her fists until they were white. "You... you... you snake!"

"Thank you." Oto smirked faintly.

"Y-You're sick!" Natsumi pointed, her voice rising. "You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you?! You never meant to keep your promise to make me strong... you were just grooming me so that I could become your sacrifice!"

"Natsumi, Natsumi, Natsumi..." Oto tapped her cane against the ground softly. "I haven't lied to you. I have made you strong."

"You brought me here as a _human sacrifice!_"

"Well, of course." Oto breathed out tendrils of smoke. "Not just anyone will do for the job... it had to be someone close to me... someone who trusted me deeply... and someone with a large amount of Chakra. You met each of the requirements."

"I almost _died!"_

"You're very focused on the _almost,_ aren't you?" Oto walked slowly around her. "Very few have ever survived this before... I'm quite impressed. It only proves that I was right about you."

Natsumi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "No offense, but I don't give a _damn_ if you're impressed or not."

"Well then..." Oto turned away, closing her eyes as she smirked. "I suppose that means you don't want your reward, then."

Natsumi drummed her fingers on her forearms. "_What_ reward?"

"Gifts from the Great White Mother, reserved only for those able to survive the sacrificial offering."

Natsumi pressed her lips together tightly and turned to face away.

_I don't really want anything else to do with Oto after this... but after nearly being killed by her schemes... again... I'm also really entitled to some kind of compensation._

"...Fine."

"A wise decision." Oto chuckled and moved over to the alter, and pressed the tip of her cane in the center of the inscription to activate a hidden mechanism. A secret door on its side opened, and she retrieved a sword from the opening and brought it over to show the girl. "Isn't this lovely?"

Natsumi made a face and looked over the weapon.

_That's it? I get a sword?_

"Not much of a reward." Natsumi muttered with a short sigh.

"Oh?" Oto waved her hand over the sword, quietly speaking in hisses before she blew smoke onto the blade. An inscription appeared and the blade turned black. "This is a special sword, though. It will grant you a most useful power."

_So... a magic sword?_

Natsumi sighed again and turned her face away, mumbling to herself. "Still not very impressive."

"We'll see what you think of it in a moment, then."

Oto quickly gripped Natsumi's shoulder and thrust the sword through her chest before she could react.

Natsumi's eyes widened and she gasped, gripping Oto's arm as she stared in shock.

_She stabbed me!_

The darkness of the blade transferred to Natsumi, giving her skin a grey tone. The inscription disappeared, and Oto quickly pulled the sword out and flicked the blood off.

"What about now?"

Natsumi staggered back, clutching at the wound in her chest.

"Y-You... really want me dead that badly?"

"Has your faith in me completely gone?" Oto replaced the sword back to the alter and watched as Natsumi sunk to her knees, gasping. "What a shame."

Natsumi coughed and furrowed her brows as her blood darkened and change form, becoming smoke.

_What's going on?_

The smoke returned to her body, healing the wound. Her color returned and she took in several long breaths.

"I'm not dead..." Natsumi murmured and stood slowly.

"Of course you're not." Oto smiled and blew out a cloud of smoke. "How do you feel?"

"What did you do to me?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Oto reached out to pat her shoulder. "You'll thank me in a minute."

_I really doubt that._

"Repeat exactly what I say." Oto held the pipe away from her lips and spoke in a hiss.

Natsumi blinked. "Uh... I'm pretty sure no human can make that sound."

The woman laughed quietly and repeated the sounds.

"Try."

"Fine..." Natsumi sighed, then copied obediently.

_Now what?_

Her heart stopped briefly and her skin turned greyish once more. She lifted her hands to look them over, and the Hebihime sigil appeared on her hands where the seals had been before.

"What's this?"

"Be still, and you'll see." Oto swung her cane at Natsumi, who flinched.

"Hey!" Natsumi glared. "You've already tried to kill me twice today! Isn't that enough?!"

Oto chuckled. "Watch closely, dear."

Natsumi's eyes lowered as Oto swung again, and her eyes went wide.

_I-It passed right through me!_

Her body retained its natural form, but was shadowed and gaseous now.

_I'm... made of smoke?_

She looked back up at the woman, who only nodded slightly.

"Now you possess an ability that was rare even amongst the most elite Hebihime."

Natsumi carefully waved a Kunai through her hand.

_I'm... untouchable._

"In this state, no physical attacks can harm you." Oto explained. "It's both activated and deactivated by speaking the same words as before, and has no set time limit, as long as your Chakra is not depleted." Oto walked around her in a slow circle, looking her up and down. "Although, you cannot make an attack while in this state, and you are susceptible against Yang Release techniques."

"Amazing..." Natsumi lowered her arms and looked at Oto. "It's like I'm invincible."

Oto's eyes narrowed. "Do not begin to feel arrogant about it. Should a battle drag on too long while you are in this form, you risk having its weaknesses discovered. It's best used quickly, in close quarters, and right before you resolidify and deal the killing blow."

She paused, then continued. "There were others, when I was your age, who let this power go to their heads. They relied too heavily on it, and it ended in their deaths and dishonored the Great White Mother."

Natsumi repeated the serpentine words, and felt herself again.

_I'm solid again._

"You're welcome." Oto returned the pipe to her mouth, her eyes glinting as she watched Natsumi.

Natsumi scoffed and recrossed her arms. "This was the least you could have done to make up for trying to have me killed, and I still don't think it makes up for it at all."

"I suppose that's fair."

"_Fair?_" Natsumi shook her head and met the woman's eyes. "...I appreciate what you've done for me up until now... but, once we return to the village... that's it. I'm not coming to you for anything again."

"Fine." Oto chuckled, then turned and began to walk toward the exit. "You can say that, but you'll be back. You'll always come back."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes. "_No,_ I won't."

Oto glanced over her shoulder with a faint smirk.

"I know you too well, child. You'll get restless of only advancing at an average pace, and you'll seek out more power. Don't feel bad, dear. It's just your nature." She turned to look back at the spiraled path ahead of her. "In time, you'll either find yourself back at my doorstep, or you'll go to Oro-chan. You know more than I do that you can't resist the temptation of forbidden knowledge."

Natsumi bit her lip, balling her hands into fists.

_You're wrong. I'd never trust someone like him... or someone like you, ever again._

"Don't try to deny it." Oto tapped her cane against the ground as she walked and her smoke took the form of a snake that rested on her shoulders and watched Natsumi intently. "Even now, you're too eager to use that power in a true fight to continue to be angry with me."

Natsumi's cheeks flushed and her brows furrowed. "You're wrong."

Oto chuckled. "...If you say so, Miss Uzumaki."


	60. Chapter 58: Song of the Snake

Natsumi walked beside Oto in silence, keeping her hands in her pockets underneath her ANBU cloak as she looked at the woman from the corner of her eye and scowled.

_Her expression is completely blank, but her eyes are smug. She really has no remorse for what she's done to me and put me through._

She looked upward at the midday sun, partially eclipsed by dark, thick clouds.

_That's a big storm rolling in..._

Oto slowed to a stop and placed her hand against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"This is a good place to stop."

"Stop?" Natsumi repeated and looked at her.

"Yes, stop. So that we can set up a shelter before that storm comes any closer." Oto chuckled and tapped her cane on the ground.

"Why not just teleport back to the village the same way that we did to get to the shrine?" Natsumi put her hand on her hip, turning to face her.

"It only works at night, and then only when the skies are clear and the stars are visible. It's impossible to do at midday."

Natsumi sighed quietly.

_Of course it is. That would be too convenient._

"Step back, dear." Oto waved her hand at Natsumi. "This will only take a moment."

Natsumi took several steps back and watched as Oto closed her eyes and took in a long, slow breath. After a moment, she released a large cloud of smoke and formed a series of hand signs.

"Yin Style: Double Smoke Sanctuary."

The smoke cloud shuddered and darkened, swirling in a singular column before it split into two, then formed two egg-shaped masses. The smoke solidified and Oto turned to look at Natsumi over her shoulder.

"All finished now." She stepped toward one of the egg formations and peeled a section back as if it were a door. "These will do nicely... don't you agree?"

Natsumi looked over the second pod, pressing her lips together.

_I hate to admit it, but that was pretty cool._

Thunder boomed in the distance as the sky darkened, and Oto nodded shortly.

"Let's rest here for a bit, now. I'm quite exhausted."

"Sure." Natsumi lifted her hand to peel open her own pod and stepped inside, only to step out again and look the woman over. "Oto, you look terrible. Are you alright?"

"Hm?" The woman looked down at herself and held a hand. Her skin was graying rapidly and her movements became stiff. "Oh, this?" She lowered her hand and chuckled. "Don't worry, dear. Just a minor side effect of the pilgrimage. It'll pass soon."

"Okay... if you say so..."

"Ah, but... don't disturb me for the next twenty-four hours, do you understand?" Oto smiled and leaned against her cane as she stood. "I need plenty of rest, and you should rest, too. Receiving that gift can be... taxing on the body the first day."

"Okay..." Natsumi crossed her arms and Oto disappeared inside the pod.

_I'd say that this was odd and creepy, but I'm not really in the mood to question it._

Natsumi stepped inside of her own shelter and sat down inside, thunder sounding closer until a heavy downpour broke out and she sighed.

_Looks like we're going to be here a while... I just want to go back home._

She sighed again, then lay on her back with her arms crossed behind her head.

_I might as well sleep while I have the chance. I've been awake over a full day now, and survived all those attempted assassinations, after all._

Her eyes closed slowly and sleep overtook her quickly.

_All of a sudden... I'm so... exhausted._

* * *

_Falling._

_Falling faster and faster._

_Heart pounding._

_Screams stolen by the wind._

_Shut my eyes tightly, bracing for the impact as I get nearer to the ground._

_Except... I sink through it._

_Sinking._

_Slowly sinking._

_Smoke swirling around me._

_I can hear it. A thousand voices whispering._

_But I can't make out the words._

_Sinking. Sinking._

_Until I land softly on a hard floor, my feet setting down gently and without any sound._

_The voices in the smoke grow louder, and I can hear them chanting now._

_But I can't make out the words._

_They're in a language I don't know._

_The smoke takes form around me, and I see an enormous cavern._

_Deep grooves and channels have been carved into the floor, forming sigils and writing that I can't understand._

_Glowing crystal dot the ceiling, mirroring the constellations, with the Serpent glowing the brightest._

_An enormous white snake is coiled in the center of the cavern._

_Finely dressed women are seated on cushions in a circle around the snake, each playing their own instrument._

_The rhythm is hypnotic... almost otherworldly..._

_I feel dizzy, and a strange chill sets in._

_Figures appear all around me out of the smoke- young women all dressed in the same black and red kimonos, with their hair made up elegantly and small kanji painted on each of their cheeks._

_'Sacrifice' on the left cheek._

_'Rebirth' on the right._

_An older woman enters and smiles at the girls, and gives a brief speech._

_Her voice is distorted, as if listening through water._

_The girls bow, and the woman steps away from the doorway._

_Young girls enter, and each wears a silver kimono with a red ribbon in their hair._

_Each holds the hand of a young man that they lead into the room._

_The boys blink, heavy lidded, in a sedated trance as they are led to the young women._

_Each boy is paired with a black-clad girl, and stands in place without any expression._

_The young girls stand in a ring near the outer walls, holding glowing crystals in their hands as they begin to chant._

_Their small voices echo, and the light from their crystals shine brighter._

_The young women bow slightly their partners, and they begin to dance around them, joining their voices in song._

_Softly, slowly they sing together with their voices rising higher and higher._

_I move around the space, watching everything carefully as I try to figure out what is happening._

_I look long and hard at the snake, sitting in silence as it observes._

_Then, it meets my eyes._

_I'm shocked, and I step back, nearly bumping into a dancing woman._

_We don't touch. Instead, she passed through me entirely._

_"Join them." The serpent hisses._

_And suddenly, I am now one of the dancers._

_The fine, black silk is comfortable on my body and I move perfectly in time with the music._

_I continue to sing, not knowing the words, but understanding them all the same._

_These are the worshipers, and the serpent is the deity._

_"Hear us, oh mother." We chant._

_The music gradually grows faster, and the dance mimics it._

_"We who are loyal, grant us your powers."_

_Faster and faster we dance, nearly dizzy._

_My movements are crisp and sharp. I'm graceful. I'm elegant._

_And yet, all feels cold._

_There is no joy to this. No warmth in the song. No heart in the beat. No soul in the steps._

_It feels wrong, but the movements and music are hypnotic._

_I am compelled to keep going. To dance faster and sing louder._

_We all stop suddenly, drawing daggers from the folds of our gowns, and slit the throats of our partners._

_Against my will, my mouth moves to the boy's throat._

_I take a single, long drink, then shove him to the ground to watch him bleed._

_One after the other, the other boys are thrown to the ground._

_Their blood fills the channels and pools in the sigils._

_The serpent hisses in approval, and the blood illuminates brightly._

_"You who are loyal, receive my gifts." It hisses._

_Electricity fills the air, crackling red around us._

_The blood burns and the stench fills my nostrils._

_The room is silent for a moment, and then the same writing and symbols appear on our skin, glowing crimson._

_It fades in time, and my body tingles._

_Yes, I feel the difference._

_My Chakra has swelled, and my chest feels... lighter. Colder. Emptier._

_My mind is clearer._

_I exhale, and I feel my anxieties and attachments fade._

_I simply... am._

_We turn toward the giant snake, bowing deeply._

_"You honor us, mother."_

_The snake seems to smirk as it nodded to itself._

_"Now... only one of you may keep this gift."_

_We look around at one another, narrowing our eyes as we hold our daggers up._

_"The last one to stand will gain the compounded power of the others."_

_"Yes, mother."_

* * *

Natsumi sat up, breathing heavily as her wide eyes adjusted to the darkness of the pod.

_W-What kind of dream was that?!_

She shook her head quickly, making a face as she looked down at her clothes, soaked in sweat.

_No... it didn't feel like a dream. More like... a memory._

Her eyes narrowed and she turned toward where Oto was sheltered beside her.

_Could it be... her memory?_

She stood and stretched, pushing open the pod and lifted her hand to block out the sun.

_It's morning already?_

Natsumi sighed and stepped outside. Her stomach growled and she clutched at it with a frown.

_I haven't eaten in a long time... I guess I should find something, then._

She pulled off her cloak, then dug through the contents of her bag until she found a fire starter. After some searching, she collected brush and sticks and arranged them carefully.

_They're still a little damp from the rain, but these were the driest I could find._

A few minutes later, the small flame flickered and Natsumi sat back for a moment. Her stomach growled again and she sighed.

_Alright, while the fire grows, I should find something to eat._

She stepped lightly through the forest, listening and watching carefully for movement. A deer leaped out from the underbrush, running from her quickly and she stopped.

_Well, that's too big for just one person, anyway._

Making a face, she continued to walk.

_I don't recognize these woods at all. Just where did that old woman bring us?_

Natsumi stopped at the edge of a still pond and broke into a grin at the fish swimming in the clear water.

_Fish sounds good._

She retrieved a small hook from her pouch, tied it to wire, and stuck a fat beetle to it as bait, then tossed it into the water. Humming, she smiled to herself as she sat beside the water.

_Come on, you fat little fishies. I promise I won't hurt you... I just want to asphyxiate you, slice open your bellies, take out your guts, and then sear your flesh and shove it down my throat._

She laughed under her breath, then wiggled the line gently to coax a fish closer.

_Fishing sounds really violent when I put it that way._

The fish snapped its mouth on the bait and Natsumi tugged the line, pulling it out of the water as she stood.

"Got you!"

She held it up to poke its belly as it thrashed and dangled from the hook.

"You're a pudgy one, aren't you?"

Lowering her hand, she pressed her lips together.

_Naruto and I used to fish like this all the time when we were little... but we haven't in so long._

Sighing, she began walking back to the camp.

Natsumi stopped and shivered, her eyes wide.

_It's that Chakra again..._

Trembling, she stepped back several steps.

_He's at the camp... but why?_

Natsumi pressed her back against a tree.

_Oto's there... and she handled him before and made him leave... everything will be fine. In a minute, he'll—_

She bit her lip hard.

_Except, she's still sleeping! And my mission is to guard and escort her..._

Natsumi swallowed the lump in her throat and shut her eyes tightly.

_I can't fight him! The difference in our power is obvious. I'll be dead before I can blink!_

Letting out a slow breath, she cursed under her breath.

_But I can't just stand here and refuse to do my mission. If I go back to the village with her body, when I don't even have a scratch, I'll be suspected for sure._

Balling her shaking hand into a fist, she took a step away from the tree.

_I don't want to risk my life for a woman that nearly had me killed several times, and then stabbed me herself... but I also can't ignore my mission._

She ran towards the presence, muttering to herself.

_I can't believe I'm doing this. This isn't even bravery— it's completely stupidity. This is stupid. I'm stupid. I'm the stupidest person in the world._

Natsumi stepped out of the trees and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the dark-haired man reaching out to touch the second egglike shelter.

_I know I resolved myself to do this... but now I can't move!_

"I was wondering where you'd run off to, little Uzumaki." He smirked, lowering his hand as he looked over his shoulder.

Natsumi balled her fist tighter, digging her nails into her palm to clear her head as she shook. Her eyes darted to her pack, where her sword was propped against it.

_Idiot. I should have brought that with me._

"Y-You should leave." She murmured, and he laughed.

"Where's that determination from before?" Orochimaru turned to face her, watching her carefully. "You're not so confident when the old woman isn't around."

_Of course I'm not! You're leagues ahead of me in terms of power._

"I'm not stupid." Natsumi muttered and slipped her empty hand behind her back.

_If I can just summon my Ninjato, at least, I won't be completely defenseless..._

"Tsk tsk... thinking of attacking an unarmed man?"

Natsumi's eyes widened and she shuddered again.

_He's behind me! But how?!_

He released the tight grip on her wrist, chuckling to himself as he stepped away.

"Even if you look unarmed, I doubt that you're not a threat." She pressed her lips together, speaking softly, and took several steps away from him.

_Being near him makes me feel sick to my stomach. Why did he show back up, anyway?_

She let out a breath, slowly walking to the fire in a curve, keeping her back from turning to him.

_Even if he's just talking right now, I can't let my guard down. Obviously, there's something here that he wants._

Unhooking the fish carefully, Natsumi placed it on top of the small, flat stone over-top the flames after gutting it.

_Remember to breathe. Try not to look afraid. Try to figure out why he's here. Act natural._

Pressing her nails in her palm again, she bit her lip.

_Hah. That's going to be impossible._

"I'm surprised to see you survived the sacrifice." Orochimaru chuckled as he watched her intently. "It's typical for the accompanying party to never come back out of that place."

"It wasn't for lack of trying on her part..." Natsumi muttered and gripped her knees tightly to distract herself from her nerves. "First it was those snakes, then the sword..."

_I still can't believe she stabbed me._

She glanced over at Oto's pod from the corner of her eye with a glare.

_Devil woman._

"I did warn you not to trust her, did I not?" He stepped closer, and Natsumi bristled as he closed the distance. He looked down at her from across the flames with a faint smirk. "Yet you refused to listen."

_He does have a point there. He did warn me._

She narrowed her eyes.

_Look at me. I'm arguing with myself. This is ridiculous._

"And I'm sure you did it out of the _kindness _of your heart."

_What am I doing? Am I really having a conversation with this man?_

Natsumi took a stick and prodded the fish begrudgingly.

_Although... as long as Oto is in there... I have no backup, I can't run away, and I'm not nearly strong enough or stupid enough to attack him first. I could ignore him, but he might get irritated. So... it seems like my only choice is to talk to him._

He laughed and crossed his arms. "Perhaps I had my own motives, though the same could be said of that woman."

_Oh, don't worry. I don't trust her the way I did before._

"What did you get out of surviving the sacrifice, I wonder?" He narrowed his eyes as they glinted curiously. "Despite their nature, the Hebihime were said to always value power and skill, and reward it accordingly."

_Sure; like I'm about to divulge information about my abilities to a known enemy._

"Not feeling chatty, anymore?" He smirked and held out his arm, and snakes appeared from his sleeve, lashing out at Natsumi.

Her eyes widened and she leapt to her feet quickly. The snakes passed through her torso and the man's eyes narrowed slightly as he chuckled.

"So, you've received that power, then."

The snakes retracted and vanished, and Natsumi touched her stomach as her heart pounded.

_I did it without using the words at all... through instinct alone..._

She swallowed and let out a short breath.

_That was close._

Orochimaru sat cross-legged and kept his eyes on her as she breathed slowly and regained her composure. After a moment, Natsumi reluctantly sat back down.

_I hate this. I hate you. Go away._

"You... know a lot about that cult." Natsumi spoke up, turning her eyes away to stare at the fish. "...For not being part of it."

He laughed and crossed his arms. "Oto was right about you... you are curious."

Her cheeks warmed and she frowned, her mouth moving on its own.

"If you're going to insist on staying here,making me uncomfortable, and throwing snakes at me, you might as well have the courtesy of answering my questions, you annoying snake perv."

Natsumi covered her mouth quickly.

_Why did I say that out loud?!_

Orochimaru laughed louder, then leaned forward slightly to meet her eyes. "There's that fire again!"

He chuckled and his voice hissed behind his inhuman smile. "Your impulsive tongue reminds me of someone I know."

"Don't associate me with any of your _friends_."

"Hahaha! Oh child, he's not a friend. At least not anymore. You would get along well; He's a lot like your brother."

She glared furiously with a burning gaze. "Don't _ever_ talk about my brother. Don't even think about him. And if you _ever_ go near him..."

"You'll what, kill me?" Orochimaru cut her off. "That snake-tongue of yours is going to get you in trouble someday."

He paused, smiled, and chuckled to himself. "But much like a true Hebihime, you should not be underestimated either. Make sure your strikes are as precise and lethal as your words and you will do fine."

Natsumi sat frozen, but her tension eased as she muttered to herself in thought. "Precise and lethal..."

_Wait, is he giving me advice? Am I actually listening to him?_

_And... how does he even know anything about Naruto, anyway?_

"Well if it's answers you seek then I don't mind sharing. However, nothing is free in this world. We'll just say you owe me for not killing you and sharing my knowledge. That sounds more than fair, doesn't it?"

_This is weird. I don't like it. He's too cooperative and... nice?_

"...Fine." Natsumi sighed, and shut her eyes briefly.

_I am so not telling anyone about this. It's too weird._

"What are you even doing here?"

"As it would happen, there are answers that I seek as well... and I am confident that woman has them."

_I knew he wanted something._

Her eyes darted back to the pod, then back to him. "Well, she's sleeping, and told me not to disturb her."

"I'm aware that there is a waiting period." He narrowed his eyes at the egg momentarily. "However, that knowledge is worth patience."

_It... seems like he knows more about what's going on than I do. A lot more, actually._

"How do you know so much?" Natsumi lowered her eyes, shuddering slightly. _He looks too much like a snake. It's creepy._ "She told me that the snakes favored women only, and that the boys were only good for being eaten."

"Perhaps that was true before, but a nearly extinct cult can't be picky, can they?" He chuckled. "The Hebihime value strength... even if it resides in a male... even if it's an outsider. As long as you are able to prove yourself in the trials, you can receive power."

The corners of Natsumi's mouth twitched upward. "Oto told me that you were rejected, though."

"Tch. That irritating old hag." He rested his hands on his knees. "I didn't need to waste my time on those foolish customs in order attain power."

"Obviously, you do." Natsumi turned the fish over. "Or else you wouldn't have gone to the shrine at all."

He smirked. "You're smart. You'd make a fine specimen for my research."

She clenched her jaw, remaining silent.

_Dream on._

He paused and watched her unblinkingly. "As I am, I'm stronger than any of those fanatics... stronger than even Oto. I didn't need their trials to gain power... but there is one thing that I do need. And, naturally, there was only one place to find it."

"From what I've heard... you're too strong to be interested in having the smoke form ability." Natsumi muttered to herself, thinking.

_If he wasn't there for that purpose, then what else is there at the shrine that he could possibly want?_

"Tell me, little Uzumaki, do you know what eternal life is?"

Natsumi blinked and sat up straight, staring at him.

_Why would he ask me that?_

"I-It doesn't exist." She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. "And if it did, it would be a curse."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Is that so?"

She paused, prodding the fish again.

"Life only has meaning if you give it a purpose... that purpose is all of the people you care about, and all of the precious memories you make with them. If you lived forever... then all of the people you loved would die." She bit her lip, and skewered her meal with a stick. "Then, you wouldn't have a reason to live anymore."

She shook her head, looking into the empty eyes of the fish.

"One lifetime can be hard enough to handle on its own. Living forever would be masochistic, I think. It'd be just a cycle of loving, and then having to lose them, then starting over. No one in their right mind would want a life like that..."

"Life has no meaning... not when it's so fleeting. One lifetime is never enough. That is why so many die with regrets and unfulfilled dreams." Orochimaru's mouth widened with a grin and he held up his hands as he spoke. "Imagine having the ability to have an unlimited amount of time... to be able to master an infinite number of Jutsu, to explore every bit of the world, or to learn every secret there is."

He leaned forward to meet her eyes. "Now, wouldn't a life like that have more meaning than struggling for decades before succumbing to age and withering away?"

Natsumi shook her head. "No. That sounds horrible. That kind of life is empty and selfish."

She blew gently on the fish before taking a small bite. "All that knowledge and strength is meaningless if you hoard it. It's meant to be shared, just like a book is supposed to be read. Leaving it on a shelf to collect dust takes away its value and purpose. That's what living forever would be like."

"And what if you are too weak to save those you care for in your lifetime?"

"That's why you give it your all and don't give up... that way, you won't have any regrets."

_It's no wonder he's not well liked. His crimes and ethics aside, he's twisted and insane._

"Besides, it doesn't matter either way what I think about eternal life. It's just fiction." She took another bite and her eyes rose as he laughed.

"Are you sure about that?"

She blinked and lowered the fish from her mouth.

"Um... yes?"

_Of course immortality isn't real. If it were, more lunatics would already have done it to themselves._

He laughed louder, and Natsumi frowned and put a hand on her hip.

"What's so funny?"

_Why doesn't he just leave? He's creepy and really annoying. If it was anyone else, I'd already have chased him off or defeated him. But, he's one of the Sannin..._

Orochimaru's laughing trailed off and he grinned, leaning forward as his eyes narrowed.

"You may be intelligent, but it seems you lack in common sense."

Natsumi bristled and clenched for jaw momentarily. "What?"

"My dear girl, it seems you haven't pieced it together yet."

"Pieced _what_ together?"

"Just how old do you think Oto is?"

Natsumi shifted where she sat on the earth uncomfortably. "She's..." Her eyes widened slightly.

_She's been around since the Leaf was first founded..._

She sat in silence and glanced at Oto's pod from the corner of her eye.

_But... how?_

"You've finally figured it out." He leaned back, crossing his arms as he smirked slightly. "What was it that you believed her pilgrimage was really for? You couldn't have believed that she was merely coming to pray as a devoted worshiper."

She bit her lip with a scowl.

_That's exactly what I thought at first... but if it's connected to her extended life... then the purpose for the sacrifice is to steal their lifespan?_

Natsumi clenched her hand into a ball tightly.

_So, she wasn't just intending to sacrifice me out of insane loyalty to a cult... but she was going to use me to extend her own life. I can't forgive her for that..._

"...That _snake..._" She muttered under her breath and tightened her jaw. _And I was the idiot who fell for it._

"Yes, Oto betrayed you. It's likely that she selected you as her next sacrifice the moment that you first met. Since that time, she has manipulated you completely until you trusted her enough to obey her whims."

_I'm such an idiot! Why did I ever trust her in the first place?_

"That anger and hatred that you're feeling... you should use them. Let them be the tools you use to grow stronger." Orochimaru held out a hand. "And I can show you how."

Natsumi furrowed her brows and moved backward.

"No. I made the mistake of trusting Oto; I'm never going to make that mistake with you. You're just as bad— if not worse." She paused and placed a hand on her lap, glancing toward her sword from the corner of her eye. "You do horrible experiments on people... even babies that you kidnapped, I've heard. I'd never trust someone like that."

He chuckled.

"I can't deny those accusations, but I can assure you, I wouldn't lie to you as Oto has." He lowered his hand and recrossed his arms. "You're a special girl, miss Uzumaki. That is why I've decided to extend to you this offer of complete honesty, should you join me."

_Special?_

She shook her head again. "I'm special? Why? Because I'm an Uzumaki?"

"So, you're aware of the talents you posses?" He grinned slightly, with his eyes only reflecting greed. "Yes, you are special. You're just the type of person I've been looking for."

"You mean, you're only interested in me for your own benefit. Just like Oto."

_Why are the Uzumaki so special?_

"I can't deny that I have my own reasons, however, I think in time you'll come to understand that our goals are not so different, and that our alliance could benefit both of our ambitions."

"You're crazy." Natsumi glanced at her sword again, inching her hand closer to is slowly. "You both are crazy. And selfish. And dangerous. The only thing I want to do with either of you is to stay away."

"What a shame. We would have worked well together."

_No, we wouldn't._

"Pity." She flexed her fingers slightly, sitting up straighter.

_No, it isn't._

Natsumi palmed glowed and the Ninjato appeared in her hand as she stood. Her eyes widened and she stared at the serpent wrapped around her throat, while several others hissed and readied to strike.

Orochimaru chuckled as he held his arm out, with his snakes waiting for the command.

"Well, well, well. Someone's feeling brave." He smirked broadly. "Or rather, foolish."

_How did he...?! That fast?!_

She pressed her lips together tightly and scowled.

_I don't even stand a chance against him._

"You never were one to play nicely, Oro-chan."

Natsumi's eyes widened further at the voice, and Orochimaru scowled and narrowed his eyes as a silvery snake wrapped around his own throat and met his eyes.

_Is that...?!_

"Tch. Meddlesome wretch." Orochimaru glanced over his shoulder at the woman behind him, his eyes widening slightly. "You—!"

"You have no business here. Leave." Oto glowed faintly blue again and narrowed her eyes at him, which now bore red colored markings around them. The rest of her features were the same, with the exception that her deeply wrinkled skin was smooth and taut.

_She looks younger!_

"Tell me what you did, Oto, and I'll go."

Oto glared and her snake hissed. "It wouldn't do you any good now, even if I did tell you. The Preservation method was lost long ago. I'm afraid the answer you seek doesn't exist."

"Don't lie to me, woman!" Orochimaru's serpents tightened around Natsumi's neck. "It's simple; you'll tell me, or I'll kill this girl."

"It is simple." Oto chuckled, and exhaled a large cloud of smoke around them. "You'll release Natsumi, and then you'll leave. If not, even if you kill her, you will still be bitten. My bite is not venomous, no. However, it will seal your Chakra, Oro-chan. Then, you'll have nothing."

"Why, you—!" He returned her glare and met her gaze with equal intensity.

"The girl. Release her. Now."

After a moment, his serpents retreated back into his sleeve and disappeared, and Oto's retracted in turn and the light around her form faded.

"Good boy." She chuckled and walked around him to stand beside Natsumi. "And, goodbye."

"For now." Orochimaru looked from the woman to Natsumi, then flickered away.

Oto sighed and smiled faintly to herself, running her fingers through her hair.

"Ah, it's been a while since my last pilgrimage. I nearly forgot how refreshing this feels."

Natsumi looked her over, blinking several times.

_I'm not imagining it... she really is younger._

Oto met her eye and the corner of her mouth twitched in a smirk. "Curious?" She started to away and motioned for Natsumi to follow.

Oto snapped her fingers and the shelters vanished into smoke and exposed a strange gray mass. Natsumi stepped closer and covered her mouth.

_She... shed herself?!_

Gently, Natsumi touched the face of the form, and the dry husk crumbled at her touch and fell into an ashen pile on the earth.

"What—?! How—?!" Natsumi turned to the woman and studied her face. "How...?"

"When the Golden Elite swallowed you, and the seal spread over your body... it was really siphoning your Chakra and your life, and transferred it to me." Oto picked up her cane from the ground, then retrieved a small mirror from a hidden pocket in her gown to examine her reflection. "For a typical sacrifice, my body is restored to that of approximately twenty years old. However..."

Her eyes rose to look at the girl. "You are still very much alive, and even managed to break the seal on your own. The transfer was incomplete, though I still received enough to put me back into my early forties. Quite an impressive testament to how much Chakra you truly possess."

Oto put the mirror back and returned the pipe to her lips. "I knew I was lucky, finding an Uzumaki."

"So, he was right." Natsumi frowned. "You really did have this in mind the whole time, didn't you?"

"I would deny it, but you wouldn't believe me." Oto chuckled and waved her hand. "My legs gave out months ago, making it impossible to walk. I've been making due by maintaining a smoke form on my lower body at all times, but it's taxing on my Chakra reserves and on my body as a whole. My only other option was to make a pilgrimage, which is exactly when I decided it had to be you."

"Glad to be of service." Natsumi muttered, turning her face away as she crossed her arms.

"Don't complain; we both benefited from this." Oto leaned against her cane out of habit and blew out smoke. "My body has been restored and I can walk with ease now, and you have a new power."

"So, you think that I should be grateful and just forget that you tried to kill me?"

"Ideally, yes. However, it's ultimately up to you." Oto gathered her things into her small pack, and put it on. "While you wrestle with that, we should be going. It will take four days to get back to the village."

Natsumi let out a long, hot breath, then quickly packed her own things and slipped the backpack on.

"Fine." She grumbled. "Let's go, then."

* * *

Natsumi glanced sideways at the woman.

"...Was that a lie, too?"

"Hm? Breaking your silence after these four days?" Oto chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"Before, when he wanted to know how you got younger. You said that it was impossible for him to do it that way." She paused. "...Was that a lie?"

"That?" Oto laughed. "No, child. That was the truth. The technique was lost when my people were destroyed. It wasn't something recorded and passed down... only the Great White Mother's sacred seven Matrons knew it, and all seven have to take part in the ritual for it to work. Two of the Matrons I have confirmed to be dead, and only one so far that I have confirmed as living. The others, I have been unable to track down to confirm either way. Even if the surviving Matrons were to tell me the ritual, it is impossible without all seven."

"Who knew immortality would be so... complicated?" Natsumi sighed under her breath and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. "And violent..."

"The natural law of this world is balance, child." Oto stopped and drew the Yin Yang symbol in the dirt. "For darkness, light must also exist. For life, there must also be death. And, even defying death— or, rather, postponing it— a balance must exist there, as well. I cannot regain my youth or extend my life without another's youth and life being taken in exchange. It may be a dark affair, but it's spiritual and in balance all the same."

_Still, human sacrifices are wrong, even if the explanation makes sense._

"Ah, we're almost back." Oto looked ahead as the village gates came into sight. "I daresay I've missed it, somewhat."

Natsumi sighed again, a faint smile forming.

_I'm finally home... this week has been exhausting._

"Once we return, I understand that you'll have to report to Hiruzen." Oto's tone lowered and her expression turned serious. "You must be aware of a few things to bear in mind, without my telling you."

"Like what...?"

Oto slowed her face and met her eyes directly.

"You cannot, under any circumstance, reveal the true nature of the pilgrimage. You may not reveal any secrets that I have shared with you about my people. Above all else, you mustn't mention meeting my former disciple at all. Do you understand?"

Natsumi opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again.

_If anyone were to find out that we saw him, a Rogue Ninja... we could be under suspicion as traitors as well._

"...I understand."

"Good." Oto smiled and patted her shoulder, walking once more. "All things considered; this pilgrimage was a success. I'm quite pleased with how it turned it, though it's a shame that you aren't in the same opinion."

They passed through the gates, and Natsumi gave a short wave at Kotetsu, keeping her voice low so that only the woman could hear.

"I meant what I said before. After this, I'm going to stay away from you."

"Of course. If that's what you want." Oto chuckled and patted her shoulder again. "Goodbye then, Miss Uzumaki. I do look forward to seeing how you make that power your own."

Oto flickered and vanished, and Natsumi sighed deeply.

"That woman..." She grumbled, and crossed her arms, looking up at the stone face of the Third Hokage on the monument.

_Guess I shouldn't keep you waiting, should I, old man?_

Biting her lip, she started towards the Hokage's office.

_Now, if only I can figure out what I'm going to say..._


	61. Chapter 59: Desert Blossom Pt 1

"Who would have thought that our next mission would have been this?" Sena smiled faintly and looked around at the tall dunes of the desert around her, nudging Natsumi's side. "It's not often that Leaf Shinobi get to come to the Land of Wind, even with our alliance."

"Not that there's really much here." Aito groaned, lifting his shades slightly to frown at the sand. "It's just one, huge, sandy wasteland. Oh, and it's full of quicksand, pitfalls, and giant insects that are completely dangerous. Don't get me started on the sandstorms, either. And, did I mention all of the _sand?!"_

He scratched his hair and clothes beneath his cloak furiously, then shook his head quickly. "Ugh! It's so annoying! It gets everywhere and always takes _weeks_ to get off!"

Sena and Natsumi shared a look, then laughed.

"If you hated the desert so much, you didn't have to volunteer to come with us, ya know." Natsumi crossed her arms as a breeze blew sand into her face and knocked back her hood. "We could have gotten someone else as our third."

"Ugh." AIto sighed heavily, slouching forward as he trudged along. "I wish. But, even if I hadn't volunteered, the Captain probably would have assigned me anyway. She's still pissy about my performance on my last mission."

"Plus, out of everyone else on our team, he's the one who's been here the most." Sena whispered and held back a laugh. "So, he didn't have much of a choice anyway."

"_Why_ does it always have to be _me_ that comes to this hellhole?" Aito pouted and whined. "I'm not cut out for this environment. It dries my skin out."

"Now you sound like Ahmya." Natsumi laughed and took a sip of water. "You know, you never did tell us exactly _what_ happened on your last mission. Why is the Captain so mad at you?"

Aito straightened and blinked, laughing sheepishly as he rubbed his head. "A-Ah... well... you know..."

"_Nooo_, we don't." Sena smiled and tilted her head. "That's why we're asking."

Aito laughed again, trailing off before his head hung in defeat. "...Fine. I'll tell you." He looked between the girls and pointed to them. "But this _will not_ get repeated to anyone else, got it? She promised to skin me alive, turn my body inside-out, burn it, and then seal my soul inside of a _used_ feminine hygiene product if anyone found out."

Natsumi snorted and covered her mouth. "That's... harsh."

"I swear to secrecy." Sena giggled and covered her own mouth. "I swear on my garden."

They looked at her, and she blinked and held her up hands to shrug.

"What? My garden is the thing I value the most, really."

"Weirdo." Aito smiled faintly, then let out a breath. "Okay, here goes..."

He kept his lips shut tight for a while as he walked, then blurted. "I said that we were a married couple when we were undercover!"

Natsumi and Sena blinked, then laughed.

"Really? _That's_ what made her so mad?" Natsumi laughed and clutched her stomach.

"Actually, that's not too surprising." Sena cleared her throat and stifled a laugh with a cough. "She doesn't even treat her own husband warmly, and we've all seen how she treats her son."

Aito crossed his arms and made a face. "...You don't get it. We were almost found out, because they didn't believe that a real wife would act so coldly... I... I had no choice but to make it look convincing."

The girls stopped, and turned to him slowly.

"Aito... what did you do?" Sena asked quietly.

He covered his face and turned away. "I... don't wanna say."

"Nope. Too late." Natsumi leaned closer. "Spill."

He muttered under his breath, and Natsumi frowned.

"Sorry. We didn't get that."

He muttered again, and Sena sighed.

"You'll have to speak up a little bit more."

"I groped her ass, okay?!" He covered his mouth again, his face red.

The girls froze in place.

"You... didn't." Sena stared at him.

"I... did." He dragged his palms down his face. "And, that's not all."

Natsumi opened her mouth, shut it, and then cleared her throat. "...It couldn't possibly be any worse, could it?"

"I... also called her 'pumpkin."

"That's not that—"

He held up his hand, cutting Natsumi off.

"And then I..." He swallowed and lowered his arm. "I... might have said that she was PMSing and being irritable and over-emotional."

"Aito!" Sena covered her mouth, paling slightly before she laughed. "You _never_ say that to or about a woman! Especially if it's true!"

"I know!" He clutched his head. "I know! I made that mistake with my sister once! But I didn't see any other choice at the time!"

"Well... did it work?" Natsumi replaced her hood and turned her face away from the wind. "Was your cover saved?"

"Yes." Aito crossed his arms. "They saw her genuine fury as she slapped me probably twenty meters, and determined that we really must be married. The rest of the mission went great, and we got all the intel we needed. Plus, a little more, because the guys we were spying on took me drinking and spilled a bunch about their own marriages. They even got drunk enough to reveal secrets that we hadn't even been assigned to collect."

"No wonder she's been in such a bad mood since, though." Sena nodded to herself. "I thought the mission might have had a hiccup or that you hadn't gotten all the information you needed, but that definitely explains it."

Natsumi patted his arm. "Don't worry... your secret's safe with us. She'll get over it... Maybe." She paused. "Actually, she probably won't, and there will probably be a target on your back for as long as she's Captain of Team Yoru."

"Yup. I know." Aito groaned louder and itched his head, sand falling in clumps out of his hair. "This is just the beginning of my punishment..."

"Not to complain..." Natsumi looked over at Sena. "But, how much longer until we get there? I'm almost out of water, and I think my feet are burning from this sand, even through my shoes."

"Soon." Aito answered, and drank a long gulp of his own water, pouting as the last drops poured into his mouth. "Thankfully."

"Define 'soon.'" Natsumi laughed. "Because when Naruto says 'soon,' he usually means in a few hours. And usually it's about chores."

"About an hour." Sena smiled and pointed at the map, holding it up to show her. "We can make it until then."

"Maybe you can, but I'm still thirsty." Aito put his empty canteen away. "There's got to be a cactus around here somewhere."

"Cactus?" Natsumi blinked. "Why?"

"They're succulents— they store water." He lifted his shades again, squinting as he looked around. "And some are even edible."

"Ahem." Sena frowned slightly. "Cacti _don't_ actually have water in them. It's a substance that's very acidic and high in toxic alkaloids. They don't undergo photosynthesis the same the way regular plants do, so the moisture they accumulate inside of their pulp isn't water that's safe to drink, and it can make you very sick. Especially if you drink it on an empty stomach."

"Pfft." AIto waved his hand. "I've done it before in a pinch. It works fine. Besides, cacti even produce fruit that's edible, too."

Sena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, even if you've done it before, it's really not _fine._ Cactus contains Malic acid and Oxalic acid, which are both toxic to humans. They bind to the calcium in our bodies, and end up clogging up your kidneys, to summarize. When your kidneys aren't working properly, you start to die. As someone who has studied survival techniques, you should already be aware that it's a myth to get water from cacti."

"Pfft." He waved his hand again. "It'll be fine."

"Hmph." Sena sighed and made a face as she muttered. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She turned to Natsumi. "Cactus fruit _is_ edible, though, and does provide some water through its juice. Ignore this idiot."

Natsumi laughed and nodded. "Okay."

"Found one!" Aito slid down a dune partway, grinning as he stopped beside a short, bulbous cactus with serrated spikes.

"Don't you even thi—" Sena held up a hand, narrowing her eyes and stopping herself as he cut into the plant and began to drink. "What an idiot."

"Come on, guys! It tastes great!" Aito laughed. "Have some!"

"Moron." Sena shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I hope you do get sick! That'll teach you!"

"Party pooper!" Aito plucked a small fruit from the cactus, sniffing it before popping it into his mouth. "Mm... this is good, too!"

"Well, cactus fruit is edible, at least." Sena mumbled, smiling faintly as she looked at Natsumi, then led her over to the plant to pluck a fruit of her own, turning it over as she examined it with a slight frown. "I'm not familiar with this species."

"Is that a bad thing?" Natsumi picked another fruit and looked at it. "It's kind of pretty, actually." She brought the fruit to her lips, and Sena clasped her wrist quickly.

"Wait."

"Huh?" Natsumi lowered her hand and Sena loosened her grip. "I thought you said cactus fruit was edible?"

"They usually are." Sena narrowed her eyes at the small fruit. "But I've also never seen this kind before. Plus, it's always good to check before eating, just to be safe." She paused and rolled the fruit over in her hand, mumbling. "Size of a cherry... brightly colored skin... Skin is perfectly smooth and soft, unlike other types. No rash or irritation from touching the skin..."

Sena took a small knife, cut the fruit in two, and placed the flesh side of one half against her forearm. "No reaction in a patch test, either..."

"So, does that mean it's safe?" Natsumi looked between her friend and the fruit.

"Likely." Sena sniffed at the creamy white interior of the flesh. "Although, there's no way to know if it causes any kind of reaction when eaten, though. Some plants seem harmless like this, but react poorly when combined with stomach acid." She dropped the halves onto the ground. "So, I wouldn't eat it, just in case. There are plenty of well-known cactus species that have edible fruits, and we're close enough to the village that we're not in desperate need of food."

Natsumi nodded, and Aito snatched the fruit from her hand and ate it before she could throw it down.

"Man, you guys are wasting so much food." His words were mangled with his mouth overstuffed.

"Aito!" Sena's mouth opened. "Stop eating it!"

He swallowed and frowned. "What? Why? It tastes almost like a strawberry, but with a grainy texture and an aftertaste that reminds me of pepper. It's great."

He reached for another fruit, and Sena slapped it out of her hands. "I _just_ finished saying that we don't know if it's safe to eat or not. How many did you eat, anyway?"

He scratched his head and laughed. "Uh... I don't know. I wasn't counting."

"Oh my gosh." Sena let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes as she shook her head. "I really don't know how you've survived all these trips in the desert all this time."

"If you're such an expert on the desert, maybe _you_ should have been the one sent on all those missions here." He chuckled and started to walk away. "Come on; we're getting close. One good sprint and we should make it there."

"Men." Sena rolled her eyes again, smiling faintly at Natsumi. "And Kiri wonders why I've sworn off dating."

Natsumi giggled and nodded, following her as they started to move again. "Guys are trouble, that's for sure."

"Hey! I heard that!"

* * *

"Stop." Sand Jonin held up their weapons and stood in front of the trio with a hardened glare. "State your business."

Sena cleared her throat softly, retrieving a letter from her pocket and holding it out to them, then removed her sunglasses to meet the men's eyes directly.

"We're the Leaf Shinobi that Lord Hokage sent to meet with the Kazekage. The meeting was agreed to, and we have proper identification and authorization to enter the village. Please let us pass."

"We'll see about that." One man narrowed his gaze, muttering as he took the letter from her and looked it over. "Hmph."

He passed it over to the other guard, and Natsumi looked up at the tiered wall before them, where other Shinobi glared down at them with their weapons readied.

"Everything checks out." The second man begrudgingly handed back the letter. "We were given your descriptions in preparation for your arrival."

He glanced up at the Shinobi atop the bottom tier, and motioned to them. They leapt down and stood around the group.

"You'll be escorted to Lord Kazekage now. They'll be keeping an eye on you for the duration of your stay, so stick closely by them to avoid getting lost or running into trouble."

They nodded, and Natsumi pressed her lips together tightly as she looked over each of their expressions.

_Translation- even though we're allies, here on official business, they don't like us or trust us. So, we have to be babysat._

"Thank you." Sena gave them a friendly smile, and a gruff man gestured to follow him.

"Let's go. Lord Kazekage is expecting you."

"Right to business, then. Lead the way!" Aito grinned, then froze in place and clutched at his stomach as it let out a loud, distressed grumble. He groaned and doubled over, the color draining from his face as he chuckled and held up a finger. "A-Actually... where's the nearest bathroom?"

The men shared a look of disgust and Sena smacked her hand to her forehead. "I _told_ you that eating unknown fruit was a bad idea. But did you listen to me? Of course not."

His stomach gurgled again and he pouted. "Sorry."

"Come with me." One man scowled, gripping Aito's shoulder as he led him away.

"You two, follow me." Another motioned to the girls, who nodded.

"Sorry about this." Natsumi smiled sheepishly. "I hope he doesn't cause you too much inconvenience."

"I told him not to eat it." Sena mumbled to herself and crossed her arms. "This is what he gets for being careless."

"Cactus fruit?" One of their escorts glanced at Natsumi, who nodded. The man looked at the others, nodding slightly. "I see."

Walking through the narrow passage of the northern entrance, Natsumi's eyes widened as the village sprawled out in front of them.

"Wow!" She grinned and looked around. _It's so cool!_

"All the buildings look so natural, like they formed on their own." Sena smiled. "And, look at how the rock formation makes the perfect barrier around the whole village? It makes such a cute valley."

_This is my first time in a new country and a new village. It's completely different, but I like it._

"I can't wait to tell Naruto about this. I got to visit one of the other Shinobi villages before he did. He's going to be so jealous."

"You're not here to sight-see." One of their escorts watched them from the corner of his eye.

"Of course." Sena nodded, walking closely to Natsumi. "Still, it's an honor to even be here. Is it what you imagined it'd be?"

"Hm..." Natsumi looked upward for a moment in thought, then smiled. "Not at all. It's better."

A group of children ran by, chasing after a stray ball, and the girls lifted their hands to smile and wave at them. The children stopped and narrowed their eyes at the strangers, grabbing the ball before running out of sight.

"Huh. Weird." Natsumi lowered her hand and frowned slightly. _I guess they're shy and don't like strangers much._

"Oh, look. That's the Kazekage's Administrative Palace." Sena pointed to a large domed building ahead. "It's even bigger than I thought it would be."

"Administrative Palace? That sounds fancy." Natsumi followed where she pointed. "And it's huge."

"I hope Aito is doing alright." Sena sighed quietly as they drew closer to the large structure. "It is his own fault for not listening, but I still feel bad."

"Well, he knows better now." Natsumi held in a small laugh. "At least I hope so."

They followed the Shinobi through the streets quietly, looking around. The people they passed stopped talking amongst themselves as they passed to stare at the girls, then whisper once the pair went by.

_I get the feeling that we're not wanted here._

She met Sena's eyes, who nodded slightly.

_She senses it, too. This tension in the air..._

Natsumi watched the civilians and Shinobi as she passed, recognizing the expression they each shared. Several mothers ushered their children indoors quickly, and a few of the men crossed their arms and met her eyes with a glare.

_Every single person so far is the same. We're definitely not wanted here._

She let out a soft breath.

_Hopefully the Kazekage is friendlier. I don't want this meeting to go badly._

Facing toward the grand building ahead, a pair of Genin stood partially in the shadow of a smaller building, watching the strangers intently. She met the boy's eyes briefly, then quickly turned away and pressed her lips together.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sena whispered and looked at her. "Your face is all flushed."

"H-Huh?" Natsumi touched her cheek, heat spreading through her face.

_I'm... blushing?!_

"You didn't eat any of that fruit when I wasn't looking, did you?"

Natsumi shook her head. "N-No. Of course not. I'm fine."

"Okay." Sena smiled faintly. "As a Medical Ninja— and your friend— don't be afraid to speak up if you're not feeling well, okay? It's your first time in this climate, so it's normal to feel overheated or fatigued."

"Really, Sena, I'm okay."

Natsumi lowered her gaze, and her eye darted back to the shadows, where the pair walked out of sight. She shut her eyes tightly for a moment, then forced herself to concentrate on the path ahead.

_What's wrong with me? I don't blush... and my heart is beating faster._

Biting her lip, she stuck her hands in her pockets.

_Maybe Sena's right, and the heat is affecting me._

"This way."

The man leading their escort opened the door into the Administrative Palace. He led them through the halls, passing more people who eyed them with suspicion, until he finally stopped in front of a door and knocked softly.

"Lord Kazekage, the Leaf Shinobi have arrived."

"Bring them in."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly at the girls, then opened the door and motioned for them to enter. They stepped inside the rounded room and stood before the stern-faced man who sat behind the desk. He stood and met their eyes, and two of the men escorting them stood behind the Kazekage at the back of the room.

"Lord Kazekage." Sena bowed her head slightly, and Natsumi copied her. "Thank you for meeting with us. It's an honor."

"Hmph." He crossed his arms and looked them over. "There was supposed to be a third."

"A-Ah." Sena scratched her cheek nervously. "He um... well, he's not feeling well at the moment."

The man raised a brow, and Natsumi spoke up.

"He ate some unfamiliar cactus fruit just before we arrived." She explained, clasping her hands behind her back. "We apologize for any inconvenience it's caused."

"I see." He looked at one of the men behind the girls, and then back at them. "What is the purpose of this meeting?"

Sena cleared her throat quietly, taking a scroll from her pouch to hold it out for him.

"Lord Third sent us to personally invite the Hidden Sand to the Chunin Exams that will be held in the Hidden Leaf."

"Chunin Exams?" One of their escorts took the scroll, opened it to verify its contents, and then passed it to the auburn-haired man to looked over. "In the past, the invitation was extended through a messenger hawk."

Sena nodded. "Lord Third wished to demonstrate good will and friendship to you to show just how much the Leaf values our alliance. So, he had us deliver the invitation personally."

"You're young to be delivering a simple message through such a dangerous region." He eyes shifted from Sena to linger on Natsumi.

"If I may say so..." Natsumi met his eyes directly. "Isn't it true that, in the Shinobi world, it isn't age that matters— it's skill?"

"Hm. You're confident, at least." He handed the scroll to a subordinate and recrossed his arms. "But do not underestimate the desert. Even the best of our Shinobi have lost their lives to it."

"I didn't mean any disrespect." Natsumi bowed her head slightly and pressed her lips together. "I apologize if it sounded that way."

_Crap. I hope I didn't offend him._ She looked at her friend from the corner of her eye. _I should have kept my mouth shut and let her handle the diplomacy._

After a pause, the Kazekage nodded. "Very well. You may report back to your Hokage that the Hidden Sand will accept his invitation."

Sena smiled. "Of course. I know he'll be pleased to hear that. We'll be sure to have everything ready to welcome you for your arrival."

"Was there anything else?"

Sena shook her head. "No, sir. Nothing except friendly greetings from the Leaf."

"Lord Kazekage. Excuse me." A new man entered the office to stand beside the Kazekage and whisper to him.

"I see." The Kazekage turned his attention to the two Leaf Ninja as the man backed away. "Due to a change in the wind, a large sandstorm is heading this way."

"Oh." Sena paused. "We'll be sure to leave right away then, so we don't get caught up in it."

"Unfortunately, your departure will have to be delayed. The storm has grown larger than we anticipated, and we expect it to last overnight. It will be here very quickly." The assistant turned to the girls, then to the Kage.

"Very well." Rasa let out a short breath. "Prepare some rooms for our guests, then. Make sure they are comfortable."

"That's very generous, Lord Kazekage." Sena smiled faintly. "Thank you."

"If we're finished here, it would be wise for you to go to your rooms before the storm is upon us." He nodded to their escort again, and Sena and Natsumi both bowed their heads.

"Thank you. It was an honor meeting you." Sena straightened.

_Well, he didn't seem overflowing with friendliness, either._

Natsumi was ushered out into the hall their escort and stood close to Sena.

"So, now we just sit and wait, I guess?"

She nodded. "I'm sure Aito would appreciate if we checked in on him, too."

"Come on." A man motioned for them to follow. "The quicker we move, the sooner we avoid the storm."

"Right." Natsumi nodded and turned to follow them.

"Um... Excuse me."

They turned toward the new voice to see a girl approach them. She had blue eyes and brown, braided hair and she looked at the two foreigners nervously.

"Um... I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you said your friend was sick?" She bit her lip nervously and kept her hands in the pockets of her overalls as she spoke. "After eating cactus fruit?"

Sena nodded. "That's right."

Natsumi rubbed her head. "Y-Yeah... he's not going to die from it, is he?"

The girl blinked and quickly shook her head. "Oh, n-no! At least... I don't think so." Her cheeks warmed and she glanced away momentarily. "Well... what did the fruit look like?"

Sena touched her thumb and forefinger together to create a small circle, then held it up. "About this big, with soft, orange skin with yellowy veins and the top of it by the stem was purplish, I think."

The girl covered her mouth. "Oh."

"Oh?" Natsumi gulped. "Is it that bad?"

She shook her head again "N-No... I mean... I was sure that's the one you meant." She smiled faintly. "Normally, every part of the Byōsu cactus is medicinal and not harmful. However, the fruit itself is such a powerful laxative that only a few drops of its juice are given at a time."

Natsumi and Sena blinked. "Laxative?"

The girl nodded. "Yes." She paused. "Exactly how many did your friend eat?"

Sena looked to Natsumi, who laughed and scratched her head again.

"Uh... well... I don't know exactly... A lot? We tried to stop him from eating them without knowing what they were."

"Tried to." Sena let out a sigh. "But he'll be alright, won't he?"

The girl giggled and nodded again. "He'll be alright. But he'll be horribly miserable for the entire time you're here."

"Well, at least he'll be fine." Sena smiled faintly, containing a laugh. "Poor Aito."

"My family runs an apothecary." The girl took another step forward. "We have ingredients to make a tea for him that will reduce the side effects and help him recover faster, if you'd like some."

"Really?" Natsumi smiled. "That would be great!"

"Yes, please." Sena nodded. "As stupid as he can be sometimes, he's still a good friend and I hate seeing him so sick."

The girl's smile widened and she motioned for them to follow her. "Come with me then. The shop isn't far, and we'll have plenty of time to make the tea and treat him before the sandstorm blows through."

"Ahem." The man cleared his throat, resting a hand on his hip as he stared down at the girl. "We've been charged to escort them."

"Oh." She pursed her lips, clasping her hands as she looked at the men. "But, we have just enough time to get the tea before the storm is here, so I can escort them. It's really no trouble."

"Our orders are from the Kazekage."

"Please, allow me to do this. I don't think Lord Kazekage would like for our guests and allies to be so sick." She widened her eyes as she pleaded. "Their friend is in no condition to travel the way he is anyway. If I don't treat him, they'll be forced to stay longer until he's well, and it might look bad on the Hidden Sand if we don't help him."

The men looked amongst themselves and sighed.

"Fine." He waved a hand, shooing them off. "Go then. But make it quick. We'll be the ones in trouble if you don't get them inside in time and they get stuck in the storm."

The girl grinned and nodded quickly. "Thank you! I promise to not let you or Lord Kazekage down!" She turned to Natsumi and Sena, still beaming as she took their hands and pulled them along with her. "Follow me! This won't take long at all!"

"Thank you." Sena smiled as she was led. "We really appreciate this."

"It's really no trouble." The girl smiled at them, releasing their hands once they had left the building and stepped out into the streets. "We normally don't get a lot of visitors, and I always like to help out however I can. You'd be surprised how many people fall prey to the Byōsu unintentionally."

"It's really lucky that it's not deadly." Natsumi let out a breath. "I'd hate to have to explain what happened to him."

"It _can_ be lethal." The girl nodded. "However, that's mostly because it can cause terrible dehydration. As long as your friend drinks plenty of water, he'll be fine. But for any travelers passing through the desert that pick the fruit, thinking it's a source of water..." She shook her head. "Those people don't usually survive."

Natsumi shuddered. "...What a way to die."

"Oh, I'm Maisa, by the way." The girl giggled and clasped her hands behind her back. "It's really nice to meet you."

"I'm Natsumi."

"I'm Sena."

Maisa smiled and navigated through the city. Each person they passed cast a sideways glance, some of them moving further away. Natsumi frowned slightly as she caught their eyes and turned her eyes to Maisa.

_As much as it bugs me, I have to ignore them. Even if they don't like us much, we're strangers in an unfamiliar place, so we have to stay calm and friendly._

Her mouth twitched in a faint smile at the sight of a small clay pot beside a house that held vibrant blue blooms. An old woman sat beside the flowers on the step, squinting at them as they passed before raising a hand in a small wave.

"Oh, Maisa-chan." The woman rested her hand on her knee, squinting at Natsumi and Sena. "Who is that you're with?"

Maisa stopped and waved at the woman, and then pointed to the girls. "Granny Saori, these are Sena and Natsumi. From the Hidden Leaf. They just finished meeting with Lord Kazekage."

"Oh?" The old woman smiled at them. "I've always wanted to visit the Hidden Leaf, ever since I was a girl. I hear it's beautiful, with green everywhere."

"It is." Sena stepped toward her with a smile. "And in the spring, the trees are filled with white, purple, and pink blossoms. There are so many petals in the wind that it almost seems as if it's raining flowers."

"Ah, that sounds so lovely." The woman smiled to herself, shutting her eyes for a moment. "If only I could see it for myself."

She sighed and lowered her gaze. "I wonder how Sayaka is doing..."

"Sorry to hurry off, Granny Saori, but there's a sandstorm coming and we have to go. You should get inside."

"Oh my." The old woman blinked and picked up the small potted plant as she stood shakily. "You girls be careful now, alright?"

"We will!" Maisa waved again and continued forward.

_Well, I guess not everyone is unfriendly._

Natsumi smiled and glanced over her shoulder to see the old woman step into her home and shut the door behind her.

"What a lovely woman." Sena walked beside Maisa. "You seem really close to her."

Maisa nodded. "Granny Saori is one of the oldest people in all of Suna, and she's always lonely. Ever since I was little, she's always been kind to all the kids, making candies and sweets and spoiling us." She touched her stomach and sighed. "It's been a long time since she's been able to make them, though. She has terrible pain in her hands that prevent her from doing much on her own, and my Granny is the one who makes her pain-relieving teas. I'm the delivery girl, so I see her regularly."

She sighed. "But, she's always so lonely that I feel bad on days that I don't see her."

"She doesn't have any family?" Sena frowned slightly.

Maisa shook her head as she lowered her voice. "Her husband died in the Second Shinobi War, and her only child was disowned officially by the previous Kazekage. She was banned from having any contact with her."

Natsumi's eyes widened. "Why?! That's awful."

"Her daughter, Sayaka, did something taboo." Maisa's voice softened to a whisper. "She fell in love at first sight with a Leaf Shinobi, and they eloped. As a result, she was exiled from Suna. Of course, she moved to Konoha to be with her husband, and that was the last time Granny Saori ever saw her. I'm sure by now, Sayaka is probably has her own children and grandchildren to spoil... ones that her own mother doesn't even know they exist or not."

"How terrible..." Sena stared down at her feet.

_I don't understand why there has to be so much tension between the villages like that... splitting up a family like that is wrong._

Maisa stopped in front of a small domed building and pointed. "Here we are."

"Granny! I'm back from my deliveries!" She called out into the shop as they entered, and looked around. "Granny?"

Sena's eyes widened as she looked around at the shelves covering each wall, filled with tinctures, oil, and jars of herbs. Herbs hung from the ceiling to dry and clay pots filled with succulents and desert flowers were positioned everywhere.

"Wow!" Sena moved over to examine a vibrant white flower with purple tips. "I've never seen a rose like this before! It's beautiful!"

"You like it?" Maisa leaned close to the flower to smell it with a smile. "It's a hybrid my Granny created. She crossed a desert lily and a desert rose."

"Oh I see!" Sena's eyes grew wider and she gently reached out to stroke one of the petals. "That explains the unusual shape of the petals. And it smells lovely, too." She looked up. "What's it called?"

"It has no name yet." An old woman said from a back room, and then stopped in the doorway as she spotted the two Leaf Shinobi. Her lips pressed tightly together.

"Granny, this is Sena and Natsumi." Maisa stood straight and gestured toward them. "They're from the Hidden Leaf."

"Yes." The old woman said sharply. "I see that." She looked Sena up and down once more. "So, you're a botanist?"

Sena turned to the woman and smiled faintly, shaking her head. "Oh, no. I wouldn't call myself that. I'm a Medical Ninja, but my passion is Botany. I have a large garden at home and I've even created a few hybrids of my own, but nothing like this." She glanced back at the flower. "It's amazing."

"It is, isn't it?" The woman admired the blooms stiffly and looked at her granddaughter. "Maisa, I'm sure there's a reason you brought them here."

"Oh!" The girl blinked. "That's right!" She nodded. "Granny, their friend had the... misfortune of eating some Byōsu. I wanted to give them some tea to help him."

The woman studied the girls again for a long time before finally speaking. "Your friend is an idiot."

Natsumi laughed quietly under her breath and scratched the back of her head. "Sometimes he is..."

The woman went quiet again and then waved her hand. "Do it quickly so you can send them on their way before the storm hits."

"Yes, Granny!" Maisa nodded quickly. "Thank you!"

The woman sat down at the against the far wall as she watched Maisa bustling around the shop quickly to gather different ingredients. Once she was finished, she put them into a large mortar and began to crush them up into a fine powder.

"What herbs are you using?" Natsumi watched curiously.

"Some dried blackberry, psyllium seeds, some ginger, orange peel, and chamomile." Maisa added a few bright red, glossy petals and crushed them finely as well. "But the main ingredient is Byōsu petals."

Natsumi blinked and pointed at the mixture of herbs. "Isn't that what got him into this mess in the first place?"

Maisa laughed softly. "The Byōsu fruit, yes. But, lucky for your friend, the petals of the Byōsu flowers are the perfect remedy against the fruit's effects."

"Amazing." Sena muttered under her breath as she watched the girl work. "The plants of this region are really something."

"I've always been fascinated with herbalism, ever since I was a child." Maisa smiled and finished grinding the herbs, setting down the pestle as she retrieved a small jar and transferred the mixture inside. "My mother could throw together a remedy for just about anything and cure a man who was half-dead. She was the one who made me interested in medicine first."

"She sounds really great." Natsumi smiled.

"She was the best." Maisa nodded and held out the jar to them. "All done now. There's enough in here for twelve cups of tea. Have him drink one cup every hour. By the time he's done with the last cup, he should feel almost back to normal."

Sena took the jar and nodded. "Thank you. We really do appreciate this."

"It's no trouble!" Maisa grinned and stuffed her hands into her overalls. "I just hope your friend has learned his lesson about eating unknown fruits."

Natsumi laughed. "Me too."

Maisa turned to the old woman, who was only half paying attention to the catalog she was reading.

"Granny, I'm going to walk them back to where they're staying tonight."

"Hmph." The woman shrugged slightly. "Fine. But hurry back."

Maisa led them out of the shop and sighed once they were several meters away.

"I'm really sorry about my Granny." She lowered her voice as they walked. "She's always wary of strangers, but especially of foreign Ninja. I'm sorry she was so unwelcoming."

"It's alright." Sena smiled and held the jar close. "It hasn't even been a full generation since we were last at war, and Konoha and Suna were on opposite sides. I understand if people are nervous with us being here."

Maisa nodded slowly. "A lot of people here don't trust anyone outside of the village. Most everyone, actually."

"I'm sure there are a lot of people in the Leaf who feel the same way." Natsumi added and put her own hands into her pockets. _After all... they blame Naruto for what the Nine-Tailed Fox did..._

Maisa nodded again and shrugged. "I understand it, I do... but..." She sighed. "I think it's so sad that people can't try to forgive and move forward, after all this time. Plenty of people here lost family to the war, but that's true for the Leaf as well. After all this time, people still prefer to point fingers and hold grudges instead of making amends."

_Just like with Naruto..._ Natsumi pressed her lips together. _They'd rather blame him for everything than move on..._

"Unfortunately, that's just human nature." Sena frowned slightly. "It's easy for us to give in to negative emotions and fall into bad habits, and difficult for us to get out of that place."

As they walked, the breeze blew harder and Maisa looked upward.

"It should hit us full-on in the next hour, so be careful and don't go outside until it's over."

"How long will it last for?" Natsumi looked around, but didn't notice anything out of place. "The Kazekage said we should stay overnight."

Maisa nodded. "That sounds about right. This one will be pretty big, so I expect that it will last until sometime tomorrow, unless the winds change."

"Not that Aito is in any condition to travel at the moment." The corners of Sena's mouth twitched in a smirk. "So, it's actually good for us that we can stay for a bit."

Natsumi looked around as they walked and she blushed slightly as she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye.

_It's him again!_ She averted her eyes just as the boy looked at her from an adjoining street. _This place is so big... why does he have to be here?_

"Natsumi, are you alright?" Sena put a hand on her forehead. "You're really flushed. Is the heat getting to you?"

Natsumi shook her head quickly. "I-I'm fine."

Sena put a hand on her hip. "Okay, if you say so. Just remember that you promised me before to let me know if you didn't feel well."

"We're here." Maisa stood beside an ovular building and gestured. "This is where visitors are usually housed, although we don't get many."

"Thank you for walking us here." Sena smiled and tilted her head. "And, thank you especially for the tea. We'll return the favor somehow."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Maisa waved her hand. "We are allies, after all. It wouldn't have been right of me to ignore you... Plus, I've wanted to meet Ninja from other Villages for a long time to see what they were like. I was happy to help."

"Thank you." Natsumi nodded with a sly smile. "To be honest, I was feeling a little uncomfortable having an escort like that. I'm glad you insisted on taking us with you."

"It was my pleasure." She stepped away from the pair and waved. "It was very nice meeting you. I'm sorry to have to leave so soon, but I've got to get back before my Granny starts to worry. Her lectures always last for hours if I'm late."

"Thanks again." Sena waved. "I hope we get a chance to see you again before we leave tomorrow."

"I'd like that." Maisa waved again, then ran off.

"I wish she lived in the Leaf Village with us." Natsumi sighed quietly. "We could all be good friends that way."

"Me too." Sena nodded. "But, being long distance friends doesn't sound too bad, though."

"No, it doesn't."

They went inside and found their room, settling in as the wind pounded against the shutters and groaned loudly outside. Natsumi sat at a small table and plucked a fruit from the bowl sitting in its center, eating it as she thought.

_Maybe if we do become friends with her, people in both villages will ease up in time, and we'll become even closer allies. Maybe then Granny Saori would be able to see her daughter again._

"Natsumi, I'm going to go over to Aito's room and give him the tea." Sena held up the jar. "I'll be back in just a moment."

"Okay." She took another bite and turned to look at a small painting on the wall of a desert landscape at sunrise.

_Maybe us coming here was fate. I have a good feeling that everything will work out well for Suna and Konoha. _


	62. Chapter 60: Desert Blossom Pt 2

Natsumi lay on her back on the futon with her arms behind her head. The howling wind of the sandstorm pounded on the shutters and she sighed after a long time.

"Sena? Are you awake?"

Sena blinked slowly and opened her eyes, then yawned. "Yes. I've been half-asleep for a while now, but I'm not used to all this noise, so I'm having trouble falling asleep all the way."

"Me too." Natsumi stared up at the ceiling, pressing her lips together tightly. "Can I... ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?" Sena rolled over onto her stomach to look at her, propping herself up with her elbows as she rested her cheek in her hand. "You look so serious right now."

"W-Well..." Natsumi closed her eyes briefly. "Have you... ever had a crush? Or thought a boy was cute?"

Sena giggled and smiled. "Where did that come from? You've never been very interested in this subject before."

"I-I know." Natsumi turned her face slightly and puffed her cheeks. "I don't know why, but it just... popped into my head. And I was curious."

"So, that's it?" Sena watched her expression with a smile. "I guess there have been a few guys I've thought were attractive over the years. I never developed crushes on them, but I think that's just because it wasn't meant to be in the first place."

"I see..."

Sena giggled and waved her hand as she spoke softly. "You know, I'm not the best person to talk to about this subject. Kiri has a lot more experience with the opposite sex. Why not bring this up around her?"

"I..." Natsumi let out a breath. "She... she gets a little too intense about this subject, and then she starts telling lewd stories. I'm not interested in _that_ discussion..." She paused. "I'm just... curious about the little stuff. Like crushes and how to tell if you like someone."

Sena laughed and nodded. "Yeah, Kiri isn't the one to talk to about that stuff." She rested her chin on her arms and settled down comfortably on her stomach. "Well, I think it's obvious how to tell if you like someone."

"It is?" Natsumi rolled onto her stomach, mimicking the older girl.

"I guess only having a brother around has kind of gotten in the way of learning about this stuff." Sena shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I've always had Kiri there to give me a less-than-child-friendly education on romance, so I shouldn't expect you to know it."

She looked up and tapped her cheek. "If I had to start somewhere, I'd say that the signs that you find someone attractive are about the same as the ones that indicate a crush." Her eyes lowered and she held up several fingers, lowering them as she listed them off. "Heart rate increase, blushing, thinking of them often, and finding it difficult to speak around them. At least, those are the four biggest ones. Having a crush on someone is like that, too, except that the symptoms are much worse."

"But... that's a horrible way to put it." Sena laughed to herself. "I made it sound like a disease."

_Blushing... increased heart rate..._

Her cheeks warmed slightly.

_So... is that it?_

"You're about at the right age to start taking an interest in boys. At least, a more serious interest in them. Most kids have little crushes while at the Academy, but once we hit a certain age and we're able to better understand our own feelings, we start noticing other people more."

"I... I'm not sure I really get it."

"Hm..." Sena held her cheek in her hand again. "It's like this... as you've gotten older, you're better at reading people's body language and expressions, right?" Natsumi nodded and she continued. "Well, it's like that a little bit. We can grasp our own emotional complexities, understand our quirks, and accept our flaws as we get older, and then we start to be able to understand other people for the same things. A crush develops when we first acknowledge another person for their looks, personality, and talents. But, falling in love is deeper than that. It's all of that, plus accepting each of their quirks and flaws, and caring about them despite that, and helping each other to be a better person."

Natsumi blinked and thought for a moment. "I thought you said you didn't know much on the subject? But you sound like an expert."

"I'm no expert, trust me." Sena laughed, then sat up and reach for her pack and met Natsumi's eyes. "What I'm about to show you... you can't tell _anyone_ about, okay? Not even Kiri?"

Natsumi nodded slowly, sitting crossed legged.

_Keeping a secret from Kiri? It must be something really serious._

"Here." Sena took a magazine from the bottom of her pack, and placed it into Natsumi's hands. "The latest edition of Teen Heart Magazine."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she looked quickly up at her.

"Sena...! Why do you...?"

Sena put a hand over her lips and winked. "It's our secret, remember?" She laughed quietly and lowered her hand. "I've never been good and befriending people, and I'm even worse when it comes to boys. I'm just... not naturally very feminine, plus, I always feel self-conscious about how differently my mind works. Relationships always seem natural for everyone else, but for me, I feel like the part of my brain that handles that..."

She paused and bit her lip, lowering her voice to barely a whisper. "Well... I almost think that part of my brain was broken when I was in that accident."

Natsumi stiffened and her stomach knotted.

_That's right... she was found by Leaf Shinobi when she was younger than me, trapped in a terrible rockslide. She was so injured that she nearly died, and she lost all her memories of her life before then..._

"I've been too self-conscious about it to try to tell Kiri how I feel, so, when I was your age, I developed the guilty pleasure of hoarding all these magazines and reading their relationship sections." Sena sighed slightly and ran her fingers through her short hair. "I have hundreds hidden carefully at home. Luckily, Kiri's never spotted them, despite how much she loves to snoop through my house. It sounds really cliché, but those magazines actually are a really good source of relationship advice."

Sena turned the pages to the middle section. "Girls from all over write to Miss Teen Heart, and she responds to them here. That's where I've gotten all my information from." She looked away, blushing faintly, then turned back to her friend. "You can... laugh at me if you want to. I know these magazines are silly."

"Sena, this is great!" Natsumi smiled and her eyes quickly skimmed the page. "Why didn't I ever think of reading this stuff before?"

Sena giggled and moved closer to sit beside her and read over her shoulder. "You're not going to laugh?"

Natsumi shook her head and lowered the magazine. "It's not something I expected you to like, but it makes me happy to know that I'm not the only one who doesn't know about this stuff."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." Sena laughed and nudged her side, then looked at her from the corner of her eye. "Are you sure there isn't more of a reason behind your question? It was really out of the blue."

Natsumi shrugged, scratching her cheek as she blushed faintly. "Well... the topic just kind of popped into my head on my own, and then I started to think. My mind hasn't wanted to shut off, so I couldn't sleep, and I was just laying there thinking about it the whole time."

"Anything in particular?" Sena's lips twitched in a faint smile. "I'm sure Miss Teen Heart has some good advice in here, whatever it is."

"Do you remember... when we were first assigned that mission before?" Natsumi bit her lip, slouching slightly.

"The information retrieval." Sena's hand lifted on its own to touch the ribbon around her neck. She blinked, and lowered her hand to rest it on her lap. "What about it?"

Natsumi shrugged. "I-It kind of sounds stupid, putting it into words and saying out loud... but, when we were shown the picture of the informant... I thought he was cute."

"I know."

"What?" Natsumi blushed and her eyes widened. "H-How?"

"You still haven't mastered masking your emotions yet." Sena winked. "You tried, but I noticed anyway. I didn't say anything before because I kind of thought your reaction was adorable and I didn't want to point it out and make you embarrassed in front of the Hokage and the Captain."

"Gee, thanks." Natsumi crossed her arms and made a face.

"He _was_ pretty handsome." Sena giggled and nudged her again. "And a prince, too. It's not as if you have bad taste."

Natsumi sighed deeply.

_I wonder if he's even alive now... he was captured, so he could have died weeks ago from torture... after all... we totally failed that mission._

"To be honest," Sena continued. "When you first brought up the subject, I thought you were talking about... _him._"

Natsumi blushed and waved her hands. "W-What?! W-Why?!"

She laughed and put an arm around Natsumi. "Maybe it was silly of me, automatically assuming you were talking about him like that, but it's what I thought of first."

Natsumi's blush deepened and she turned her face away, muttering. "I should have never said anything about it before."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to tease." Sena patted her head. "I've just known Kiri so long that a little bit of her has rubbed off on me." She paused. "_But,_ if you do have a specific question in mind, we might be able to find some good advice in here."

"Hmm..." Natsumi pursed her lips. "I guess... if you've already figured out that you think a boy is cute, what do you do next?"

"Hmm..." Sena tapped her cheek. "I guess that's up to the situation, and what you want to do. If the person is a good friend, trying to force your affection on him could chase him away. If it's someone you don't know well, the only thing to really do next is to try to get to know them better and see if it develops into a crush or relationship on its own."

"What if... it's a complete stranger?" Natsumi muttered, staring at the opposite wall. Sena leaned close with a wry smile and Natsumi jumped and blushed. "W-What?!"

"I thought so." She giggled, and poked the girl's arm. "You thought one of the guys we passed today in town was cute, didn't you?"

Natsumi flushed a deep red and shook her head. "N-No! I..."

"It's okay. I won't tease you or tell anyone." Sena held her finger to her own lips.

Natsumi sighed and slouched slightly. "...I guess in this situation, it's kind of pointless to ask about this stuff, right? I mean, it's not like I'd see him again, even if I were to walk up and introduce myself."

"Maybe." Sena shrugged. "I know what Kiri would do, if she were in your position... but, I'm not sure what to tell you." She smiled. "This could be a good opportunity to test the waters, so to speak."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, even if you did introduce yourself or flirt, and if you did get rejected, I'd say you'd be pretty safe from embarrassment because you wouldn't be likely to ever see him again. You could kind of have a trial run, I guess, to figure out how to talk to boys."

_I guess she has a point... even if I do see him again, and even if I did try to talk to him, and I end up humiliating myself, it's not as if anyone would ever find out. I could just pretend like it never happened._

"That might be impossible." She hugged her legs and drew them close. "The meeting with the Kazekage may have gone well, but we didn't exactly get a warm welcome from anyone else. I don't think anyone really wants us here."

"It's like Maisa said; there are a lot of people from the previous generation who haven't moved on since the Third Great Ninja War." Sena lowered her gaze to the floor, whispering. "Some lost people they loved, and can't move beyond grieving and pointing fingers, and some, I think, just like to fight. As much as I'd like to believe that the Leaf is better than that, I'm also not naïve enough to believe that there aren't people who think that way."

Natsumi nodded and kept silent.

_There's so much more going on than I ever realized before I joined the ANBU. Everything's so complicated._

Sena yawned and glanced towards the shuttered window where the howling wind still beat against it.

"Even with all the noise, we should try to get some sleep. We're due to return home tomorrow after the sandstorm clears up, so we need to be well-rested."

Natsumi nodded again and laid down on her stomach with the magazine open in front of her as she retrieved the small flashlight from her pack.

"I'll go to bed in a few minutes. I'm not really tired yet, and reading sometimes puts me to sleep."

"Alright." Sena yawned again and covered herself with her blanket. "Goodnight, Natsumi."

"Goodnight, Sena."

She bit her lip as she started to read.

_Maybe by morning I'll have a few things figured out, too..._

* * *

Natsumi yawned as Sena set a plate in front of her and sat down.

"Were you up all night reading?"

Natsumi cracked open an eye and laughed under her breath as she rubbed her head. "Not the whole night. I tried to go to sleep, but my mind wouldn't turn off."

"Still stuck on that one subject?" Sena smiled and pressed her palms together and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again and began to take small bites of her omelet.

"Yeah." Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly as she pressed her own palms together and then started to eat. "Thanks for making breakfast. It's great, as usual."

"You're welcome."

"You guys look too happy. It's not fair." Aito opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, clutching a pillow as he looked over the girls with deep bags under his eyes. He shuffled to the table and sat down heavily on a chair, wincing as he laid his head on his arms with a groan.

"Aito, you look like death." Natsumi leaned forward slightly to examine his pale face.

"I _feel_ like it." He muttered into his arms.

"Believe me, he looks much better now than he did yesterday." Sena retrieved a third omelet and set it in front of him. "I made one for you, too, but I wasn't sure if you'd feel up for eating."

"Thanks." Aito barely lifted his head as he shoved a large bite into his mouth.

Natsumi glanced toward the window as she ate slowly. "I wonder how much longer the sandstorm is supposed to last."

"I'm not sure. The wind's died down a lot, though." Sena finished her plate and leaned back in her chair. "I was hoping that we might have time to stop by to see Maisa before we have to leave. It'd be nice to stop by a few shops, too. Our Leaf cloaks aren't so great in the desert, after all."

"Shopping might be fun." Natsumi nodded "We should see if Maisa wants to come."

"You guys are girls, all right." Aito sighed and chewed slowly. "On a mission, and talking about shopping."

"New cloaks _would_ be practical." Natsumi pointed out. "Ours are too hot."

Sena nodded. "Not to mention, it might be nice to be able to bring home a souvenir. I was hoping to be able to bring home some seeds. I want to try to crossbreed some berry bushes from our region with desert plants to see if any would survive the desert. It might be a fun project, and I'd be able to send some of the seeds to Maisa as a thank you if I succeed."

"That's _if_ the villagers will even sell to us in the first place. They weren't friendly yesterday." Natsumi let out a short breath.

"It _is_ the Hidden Sand; what do you expect?" Aito sat up slightly, resting in his chin in his hand. "The Hidden Sand has always been home to a stubborn, tough, resilient, and strong-willed people. It's a tough environment, so it makes sense that the people here also have to be tough. Wildlife here is more dangerous than we're used to, also."

"I guess you're right." Natsumi pursed her lips. _Even so, it wouldn't hurt for them to be friendlier to their allies._

"Still..." Aito trailed off, his eyes darkening slightly as he talked to himself under his breath. "...it's unnatural for them to be so unwelcoming..."

The girls shared a look and Aito blinked suddenly and laughed to himself.

"I'm feeling better enough that it would probably be fine if I go shopping with you. It'd be rude to make you carry your own bags. Not to mention, you're bound to get lost without me."

"Actually, the Kazekage assigned a group of Chunin and Jonin to escort us." Sena took up her and Natsumi's plates and went over to the small kitchen in the suite to wash them. "So, you won't have to worry about us losing our way."

"Huh?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "An escort?" His eyes narrowed again in thought as he muttered to himself. "That's not how it usually goes."

"It does seem a little disheartening, as if they don't trust us, but I don't mind putting up with it for the time being." Sena smiled. "After all, we're all out of our element here, and we would get lost without them."

"Hmm..."

Natsumi looked at Aito out of the corner of her eyes.

_He looks so serious... I wonder just what he was thinking about?_

"Well, I can still go with you." Aito nodded and took another large bit of omelet. "I don't mind carrying shopping bags. I used to do it for my sister all the time, and I feel bad for making you meet with the Kazekage by yourselves yesterday."

"Don't worry about that. It went fine." Sena dried off her hands and turned to him. "I was so nervous that I thought I would faint, but I think for my first attempt at diplomacy, it wasn't so bad. If not too formal."

"I think it could have gone better, but it was still good overall." Natsumi nodded in agreement and stood, stretching. "Well, I'm going to get dressed to go out. Maybe the storm will be over by the time I'm ready."

"I'll make a list of everything we should pick up that we might need for the trip home." Sena looked at Aito. "Is there anything specific you'd like for us to look for?"

"The sweet chestnuts here are really good. I could eat buckets of them." He grinned and patted his stomach. "I haven't had them in a while."

"Fine, fine." She nodded and took his he shoved the final bite into his mouth. "I'll put it near the top of the list."

"Well, I think I'm going to shower before we head out." He stood and stretched as well, then doubled over and clutched his stomach as he groaned. "O-Or... maybe I'll just wait for you to get back."

He ran out of the room quickly and Sena shook her head slowly as she crossed her arms.

"Guys are so troublesome..."

* * *

"Thanks for inviting me along." Maisa smiled and titled her head, clutching a shopping bag in her hands. "I don't have a lot of friends, and they're always off on missions, so it's nice to spend time with someone besides Granny."

She covered her mouth with a giggle. "Don't tell her I said that. She seems tough, but she's actually a very sensitive person."

"We won't." Sena put a handle of chestnuts in her mouth, swallowing before continuing. "Thanks for coming with us."

"And thanks for helping us ditch the escort again." Natsumi laughed quietly and kept her voice low. "It's so uncomfortable to be followed around like that."

"Are you sure you can't stay just a little longer?" Maisa's smile faded slightly. "If you had more time, I could show you around to all my favorite places."

"Sorry." Sena shook her head. "We have to leave this evening, otherwise we'll be caught up in the next sandstorm."

"Sorry." Natsumi sighed quietly and held her own bag in her hand as she looked around to the various shops, with eyes staring at them from all around. She turned back to the older girls and smiled. "We can always keep in touch, though, if you'd like."

"Really?" Maisa's eyes widened slightly and she beamed. "I'd like that!"

They laughed for a moment, then Sena pointed to a booth where jewelry glinted in the sunlight.

"What's there?"

"You'll like this." Maisa led the girls over, and held up a pair of pearl earrings. "Pretty, right?" She smiled down at them in her hands. "My mother had earrings like these, except the pearls were purple. Purple pearls are extremely rare, so that means they're also very expensive. My father gave them to my mother when he proposed to her."

"Purple pearls?" Natsumi smiled and leaned closer to look at the earrings, then up at the girl. "They sound beautiful."

"They were." Maisa set the earrings down and her smiled faltered. "She died on a mission when I was young, and they could never find her body... but I've always wished that I could have at least had her earrings."

"Oh." Natsumi straightened, pressing her lips together. "I'm sorry."

Maisa shook her head slowly. "Don't be; she died with honor, as a Shinobi should. I may not have her earrings, but I resemble her, and I'm following in her footsteps as a healer. That's enough for me."

_It's the same everywhere... people are hurting and grieving... so why are there people in the Hidden Villages who still can't even try to get along or be friendly? Don't we all know some amount of the same pain?_

"Sorry for saying that so suddenly." Maisa sighed softly. "I don't get the opportunity to talk about my parents much. Every time I try, Granny goes quiet and hides away in her room for the rest of the day. It just slipped out, since you're so easy to talk to."

"Don't apologize." Sena smiled and touched her shoulder. "You should never be sorry for thinking of the people you love. Could you tell us more about them?"

Maisa blinked. "Really? You don't mind at all?"

Sena and Natsumi shook their heads.

"Not at all."

"Nope."

"Okay!" Maisa beamed and led them to look at another shop as she talked. "Well, my mother was born naturally gifted at Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism. My father was born naturally gifted as a troublemaker, so he ended up getting hurt a lot. He tried to hide it from his family, so rather than going directly home, he would sneak into my family's apothecary for my mother to heal him at all times of the day or night. As they got older, they were assigned to a three-man squad together, and they ended up falling in love."

The girls listened as she talked, never interrupting as she went on as they shopped with a shared smile on their face. After a while, Maisa laughed and turned to them, standing still as she looked at them.

"Sorry; I've been going on and on for such a long time. I'd love to hear about your families, too."

Natsumi blinked and lowered her eyes. "I..."

"Oh." Maisa paused and stared at the ground. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed..."

"Don't apologize for it." Sena smiled and was quiet for a moment. "I don't remember my parents at all. I was in a terrible accident as a kid, and since then, I can't remember anything about my life before. But I imagine sometimes what my parents were like."

She closed her eyes as she thought. "...Sometimes I like to think that my mother loved to keep a garden like I do, and that I would help her in it. I think my father probably was a quiet man who liked to read. We would have enjoyed festivals, I think, too. My parents probably were terrible at the games, but I would always win a prize. We'd all eat sweets together and stay up late for the fireworks..."

Her eyes opened and held a faraway look as she smiled, then she blinked and her focus returned to her companions. "At least, that's what I imagine it was like before. Even if I don't know for sure, having those images in my mind make me happy."

Natsumi stared at her and clutched her bag tighter in her hands.

_Sena... you've never told me all that before... have you been hiding that inside all this time?_

"My Granny always says that I have good intuition." Maisa took Sena's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "And my gut tells me that your life must have been like that. I can tell you're a really good person, so I know that your family must have been good people, too."

Sena gave her hand a squeeze in return with a smile on her lips, though faint traces of sadness in her eyes. "Thank you."

_Was it... because you were afraid to say it out loud? Does it hurt so much to think about, even if you've said before that you're okay not knowing?_

"Natsumi... what about you?" Maisa spoke softly. "Do you have family? Or... did you?"

Natsumi laughed awkwardly and rubbed her head. "I... Well, I must have at one point, or else I wouldn't have been born." She lowered her arm slightly and gripped her bag again. "I don't know who my parents were, or even what they looked like, but I do have a brother. Every time I felt lonely, he was always there to cheer me up." She smiled faintly. "We're twins, so we've always been really close. We look out for each other, so it isn't so bad to not have our parents with us, but I think it would be unbearable if we weren't twins and had to bear it alone."

"You have a brother?" Maisa leaned closer to her. "I've always wished that I had a sibling. What's it like?"

"Well... he is pretty messy and tries to avoid helping with chores at all costs. He also hogs the bathroom sometimes and he used to get us into trouble often with his pranks and schemes. But at the end of the day... he's the one person I know that will always be there for me, and I don't know what I would do without him."

"He sounds great." Maisa smiled and glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "Oh! It's already lunchtime."

"Is it? It hasn't felt that long." Natsumi's stomach growled and she touched it. "But my stomach disagrees.'

"What should we get?" Sena looked around. "I'm hungry, too."

"I almost wish we were back home." Natsumi sighed and patted her stomach. "Some Ichiraku ramen sounds really good right about now."

"I know something better than ramen!" Maisa giggled, then pointed over to a bench. "Wait for me there, and I'll be back with something really good!"

"Okay." Sena sat and nodded, holding her hands in her lap.

Natsumi sat beside her with a small sigh, peering into her bag before leaning back and smirking slightly.

"'Something better than ramen...'" She giggled quietly. "If Naruto was here, he'd have gotten offended."

Sena laughed. "He would have caused quite the scene."

_Naruto..._

Natsumi looked up at the deep blue cloudless sky.

_I wonder what he's up to right now._

Natsumi looked back down the street at the row of shops, breaking out into a blush suddenly and turning her head away.

_Again?!_

Sena blinked at her expression, and then smiled as she lowered her voice. "Is that boy here? Where?"

"Don't look!" Natsumi hissed as her face grew hotter. "He'll see."

"I think he already does." Sena giggled and glanced over to where a Sand Genin stood, watching them out of the corner of his eye. "Is that him?"

"W-What?!" Natsumi turned, meeting his eyes by accident and turned to face away again as her blush deepened. "Y-Yes... that's him."

"He's pretty cute, after all." Sena looked at Natsumi, gently nudging her side. "Why don't you go say hi? We have time to spare while we wait for Maisa to get back anyway."

"W-What?!" Natsumi shook her head quickly and moved a piece of hair in front of her face. "...I can't. I don't even know what I would say. I'd die of embarrassment."

"Well, as a Medical Ninja, I can assure you that you can't actually die of embarrassment." Sena put a hand on her shoulder. "But you don't have to if you don't want to. I'm only suggesting it because you subconsciously seem like you really want to."

"I-I don't..." Natsumi hugged her bag closer to her. "Besides, he was standing next to a girl yesterday. I'll bet that he's already got a girlfriend."

"Well, I don't see her now." Sena winked, and looked back to where he had been standing. "Huh. He's gone."

"He is?" Natsumi looked, then let out a sigh.

_Well, now I don't have to make a decision anymore. That's a relief._

"I'm back!" Maisa grinned as she ran over and joined them. "Crêpes! Filled with fruit and chocolate."

Sena's eyes widened and she took one. "It looks so good! Thank you."

Natsumi took one for herself and took a large bite. "It _tastes_ good."

Maisa sat beside them, taking a bite with a satisfied smile. "I know they're more of a dessert, but I have a real sweet tooth, and it's always better to eats sweets with friends."

"You know, with the Chunin Exams coming up, maybe you'll get the chance to visit the Leaf." Sena smiled as she ate. "A lot of people will be coming from different places to watch the matches in the third part. You could come visit then, and we could have our turn to show you our favorite shops. You could see my garden, too."

Maisa's eyes widened. "Really? That sounds great!" Her expression shifted and she sighed. "But... I don't think Granny would let me. She's entirely against me leaving the village at all, and she needs me to help her with the shop." She paused, then clenched a fist. "But I won't give up! I'll do extra chores and do whatever it takes to convince her to let me come!"

"That's the spirit!" Natsumi grinned. "We'd have so much fun together if you came."

"We could find out what happened to Saori's daughter, too." Sena nodded in thought. "Maybe we could find her, and you could bring a picture of her back to Saori. And you could stay with me while you're there. We could make it a sleep-over."

"In that case, I can't afford to not go!" Maisa looked between them. "I swear, I'll find some way to come."

"I look forward to it." Sena held up her Crêpe as if toasting. "To friendship?"

"To friendship."

* * *

"Are we all ready to go?" Aito looked between the two girls, who crossed their arms.

"If _you_ are." Natsumi held in a laugh.

"Are you sure you feel fine now?" Sena raised a brow. "We don't want to have any... problems once we're in the desert."

"Hey!" He made a face. "If I say I'm fine, then I am!"

They shared a look and he put his hands on his hips.

"You guys don't have any faith in me, do you?"

Sena patted his arm with a small smile. "Sure we do."

"We also know that you downplay your problems."

"Ugh." He rolled his eyes, but smiled and reached out to ruffle their hair with both hands. "Y'know, I'm glad you two came with me instead of anyone else. They would have been teasing me the whole time instead of looking out for me."

"Oh, don't count on it not happening." Nastumi swatted his hand away and laughed as they headed toward the north entrance. "Once everyone finds out, I'm sure they'll tease you."

He squinted at her. "You're gonna tell everyone?"

Sena giggled and covered her mouth. "Even if we didn't, the truth would come out sooner or later."

"True." Aito let out a sigh, mumbling. "As if the Captain needed any more material to harass me with."

They neared the entrance and Sena sighed softly as she looked around.

"Not much of a welcome." She whispered. "And, no sendoff to speak of. I wish Maisa could have at least come to say goodbye."

"We'll see her soon, with any luck." Natsumi smiled. "So, don't worry."

"I know." Sena nodded. "Goodbyes are always hard for me. But don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

Aito groaned softly and the girls rolled their eyes.

"I uh... need a moment." He touched his stomach and Natsumi put a hand on her hip.

"Just one?"

He chuckled and backed away slowly. "Last time, I swear. Be right back."

He ran off, and the girls let out a heavy sigh and shook their heads.

"I knew we should have stayed another night." Nastumi mumbled.

"Maybe, but then we'd be too late." Sena shifted to stand in the shade, her eyes wandering to the narrow path of the entrance as she bit her lip and looked away.

Natsumi frowned slightly and stood closer to her.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Sena looked over and nodded. "What is it?"

"I..." Natsumi scratched her cheek. "I'm afraid of deep water. It doesn't even have to be very deep, either. I'm not a good swimmer, and I always get anxiety even just thinking about water if it's too tall for me to stand up in." She paused. "I've managed to keep it a secret from Naruto all this time, even though he used to love to swim in lakes when we'd go fishing as kids. I always made up excuses to not get in the water."

Sena smiled faintly and leaned closer until their arms touched.

"Thanks." Sena glanced back at the path. "I try to act like small spaces don't bother me... but in reality, I'm always afraid of getting trapped. I just... don't want to be a burden if anyone were to find out."

"You're not a burden."

After a pause, the corners of Sena's mouth twitched in a smirk and she turned her back on the village street. "Don't look now, but your stalker is back."

Natsumi blushed and looked over her shoulder briefly, letting out a small squeak as she turned back around.

"He's here!" She hissed and Sena laughed under her breath. "W-Why?"

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?" Sena nudged her side. "No one else is here to see. Just go say hi. You won't get another chance."

Her blushed deepened and she bit her lip.

_Even if she's right... I can't muster up the courage to even wave._

"How about this? I'll hide so you won't feel watched."

"I..." Natsumi shook her head, grabbing Sena's arm and pulling her toward the passage. "I can't. Let's just wait for Aito on the other side."

"Alright, alright." Sena smiled. "I won't push."

Natsumi sighed and let go of her arm as they started to walk through.

_Look at me. I'm too much of a coward to even say hello._

She bit her lip and clenched her fists.

_I'm the one who survived being a human sacrifice and then insulted the infamous Orochimaru to his face, dammit. I'm not that much of a coward._

Halfway through, she drew in a breath and turned, running back.

"Natsumi?" Sena hugged her arms close and turned to watch her go back, following her slightly and peering around the corner.

_I am not a coward. I am not a coward._

Natsumi stopped in front of the boy, who looked down at her in surprise and crossed his arms.

"What do you want?"

"I..." She paused and met his eyes. "I'm Natsumi. And you're cute."

He blinked. "W-What?"

_I am not a coward._

"I said you're cute." She lifted herself onto her tiptoes, grabbing his collar to pull him closer to press her lips to his.

"Hey—!" His eyes widened as she kissed him, and he leaned in subconsciously.

Natsumi pulled away after a minute, blushing furiously as she turned and ran back to where Sena stood, wide eyed.

"Natsumi!" Sena covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "I said to _talk_ to him."

Natsumi's ears reddened as she glanced over her shoulder at the stunned boy as he stood and stared at her. He moved to take a step toward her, and she started to push Sena forward.

"Time to go." Natsumi tugged her quickly through the passage until they stood just outside the village. She stopped to catch her breath with her heart pounding in her ears.

_I did that. I really did that._

"I can't tell who is more surprised." Sena laughed quietly. "Me, him, or you."

_Oh my gosh. I really did that._

"I just have one question." Sena leaned closer. "Was that your first kiss?"

Natsumi nodded after a moment and Sena giggled.

"I thought so... but it didn't look like it at all."

"...Please don't tell Kiri about this. Or... anyone else." Natsumi hid her face behind her hands. "Kiri aside, I think Naruto would freak out for sure."

"My lips are sealed." Sena giggled, then leaned closer to whisper. "Speaking of lips... you have some face paint smeared on yours."

Natsumi blushed, quickly wiping her face with the sleeve of her cloak, creating a purple smudge there.

"Sorry!" Aito ran up, waving until he caught up and took a breath. "I'm ready now."

"Are you sure about that?" Sena smirked faintly and looked up at him. "No more bathroom breaks?"

He made a face and stuck out his tongue. "Ha ha. Very funny." He walked in front of them, puffing his cheeks indignantly. "Come on; the sooner we get home, the sooner I can start washing sand off."

He looked over his shoulder at the girls, then pointed at Natsumi. "Are you okay? Your face is all red."

"I-It's nothing." She turned away, and Sena laughed and put an arm around her shoulder.

"We were just talking about girl stuff while we waited for you. Nothing important."

"Oh, I love girl talk." He laughed. "I used to eavesdrop on Asahi when she had sleepovers with her friends. You may not know this about me, but I love juicy gossip."

Natsumi and Sena shared a look.

"Oh, we know." Sena laughed.

"Hey! What's with that tone?" Aito crossed his arms and walked backwards. "Are you insinuating something?"

"Yes, Aito Tamura, I am." Sena walked past him slightly, then looked over her shoulder. "I'm insinuating that you act like a teenage girl sometimes."

"Hey! I do not!" He pointed at her. "You're the one who acts like a teenage girl."

Natsumi laughed and walked beside Sena. "She _is_ a teenage girl."

"Well—" He lowered his hand, recrossing his arms as he walked faster. "Less talking, more walking. We've got to hurry back to deliver our report to the Hokage."

"He really doesn't act his age." Natsumi leaned over to Sena, lowering her voice.

"It's honestly hard to believe that he's eleven years older than me." Sena nodded and replied quietly.

"Really? He's that old?"

"I heard that!" Aito called over his shoulder. "And, I'm not old! I'm in my prime!"

_"Right."_

The girls giggled and winked at each other.

"Hey Aito... are you hungry? There's some cactus fruit there." Natsumi pointed, and he made a face.

"You know what?" He puffed his cheeks and turned around. "Say what you want, but I'm not gonna talk to you the whole way back."

He quickened his pace and Natsumi laughed.

"Oh, don't be like that! Wait up!"


	63. Chapter 61: The Chunin Exams

Sunlight streamed through the window and Naruto sat upright, yawning and stretching. He slouched forward with his eyes still closed, then rubbed them as he looked around his room at the books and scrolls he'd left on the floor. He looked over to Natsumi's neatly made bed and sighed.

_"She's already gone again..."_

He stretched a second time and slid out of bed, scratching his backside as he walked to the kitchen where he began to get his breakfast ready. He slowly chewed on a piece of toast when he reached out for the carton of milk and held it up to his ear. He shook it and sighed as the curdled chunks sloshed around. He set the carton back down and continued to eat his toast in disappointment.

He stood to dump the milk down the sink after he finished eating, then looked over at the fridge where a note had been stuck. He blinked and squinted at it as he read it.

_Naruto,_

_Sorry to have to leave so early again._

_I'll see you later tonight._

_Don't drink the milk. You let it go bad._

_I'll pick up some more on my way home._

He made a face and lowered his hand with a sigh.

"Too bad I didn't see this first."

He held it up again, noticing smaller writing on the bottom.

_PS- clean up your own mess_

Naruto made a face and crossed his arms. "It's only morning and she's already nagging."

He stood in place for a moment, pursing his lips before he narrowed his eyes at the mess on the table. After a moment, he cleaned it off quickly with a huff as he muttered.

"I only did it because I wanted to and that's it."

Naruto turned and marched into the bathroom, showering and dressing before stepping out of the apartment and locking the door. Reaching up, he tightened the knot of his headband and smiled.

"Here we go!" He stretched in various positions, then ran off quickly with a slight smirk. "I'm gonna take care of my duties with gusto again today!"

He ran faster toward Team Seven's usual meeting spot and laughed to himself. "Woah! Mach five!"

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke stood on the bridge as they waited; Sasuke leaned against the railing in silence as Sakura looked around impatiently for the other members of their team with her arms crossed. She closed her eyes for a moment to let out a breath, then opened them and turned as Naruto ran over.

"Oh! Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice lilted as he waved, stopping in front of her with a wide grin. He blinked and put his hands on his hips as he met Sasuke's gaze, narrowing his eyes with a scowl.

Sasuke furrowed his brows at the blonde, and Sakura looked between the two back and forth.

"Hmph!" The boys turned away from each other in irritation.

Sakura sighed and slouched forward as she shut her eyes. _"Oh, not again! These two... they've been sort of strange since we got back from the Land of Waves... it's so uncomfortable..."_ She let out a sigh breath and tensed her brows. _"Hurry up and get here, Kakashi-sensei!"_

The trio waited and waited as they leaned against the side of the bridge with their eyes closed.

"Well... good morning, everyone!" Kakashi appeared on top of the red torii, raising his hand in a wave. "Today I got lost."

The Genin turned to look up at him with hardened stares.

"Liar!" Sakura and Naruto pointed at him accusingly at the same time.

Kakashi jumped down to stand in front of them, and Naruto leaned forward with his eyes wide in excitement.

"Hey, hey... Kakashi-sensei! Our Team always has the easy missions lately! Aren't there more exciting missions where I can be more active, where I can use my Ninja Way and my soul... ya know?"

Kakashi held up his hands and waved them slightly. "Oh, yes, yes... I basically understand what you're trying to say."

Naruto scowled slightly and looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, who met his eyes briefly and returned the look.

_"Darn!" _Naruto turned to face him, holding up his hands as he glared at the Uchiha. _"He's always making me indebted to him and making himself look good during our missions! I won't lose to him! Not a chance!"_

Sakura's eye twitched at Naruto as she watched him, then cracked her knuckles. _"You little...!"_

_"Today for sure!"_ Naruto smirked to himself and clenched his fist as he imagined Sasuke fall to the ground, injured. A kunai was thrown at him, and Naruto leapt in the way, knocking the knife away to defend Sasuke with a confident grin. _"'Hmph. You are so much trouble!"_

"That's what I'd like to say!" Naruto shouted out loud with fiery determination in his eyes at the fantasy.

"Hey, what're you doing, Naruto? We're going on our mission!"

"Okay!" Naruto chuckled to himself and quickly followed the Jonin.

"You've been so annoying for a while!" Sakura crossed her arms and scolded as she looked over her shoulder at Naruto.

"Hey!" Naruto frowned and opened his mouth, only for Kakashi to hit the top of his head lightly.

"Hey, Naruto, pipe down and save your energy for our missions."

* * *

Naruto looked at Sakura, who sat quietly as she plucked weeds from the garden bed, quietly humming to herself, then he looked over at Sasuke, who worked in silence. Naruto narrowed his eyes for a moment, then pushed up his sleeves and turned to the garden bed beside him.

"I'm not going to lose to Sasuke!"

He quickly starting to rip out fistfuls of the plants until the bed was empty and a large pile of greens stood almost as tall as himself. The woman came out to look at their progress and stared wide-eyed at Naruto as he grinned and rubbed his nose.

"Heh..."

"Hey, you!" The woman scowled and rested her fists on her hips.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to her and lowered his hand. "Oh, Mrs.! I've gotten rid of all the weeds for you, just like you wanted!"

The woman shut her eyes tightly and shook, clenching her jaw. Naruto blinked at her.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Those... those weren't weeds."

"Eh?"

"Those are herbs that I grow in my garden!" Her opened and she glared down at him, then swatted at him with her broom.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

* * *

Naruto stuck a can into the basket he carried on his back and walked through the knee-deep water of the river, collecting litter as Kakashi rested against a tree and read his book.

He stepped forward as he searched for more litter on the river bed and lost his step, falling back into the water with a shout.

Sasuke and Sakura looked up at him as the current swept him away, thrashing and kicking.

"Somebody... help!"

His eyes widened as he was thrown over the edge of the waterfall and he waved his arms as he screamed.

"No way! Free fall!"

After a moment, he stopped screaming suddenly and blinked, realizing that he was no longer falling. "H-Huh?"

Looking up, Naruto saw Sasuke gripping his ankle tightly, suspended from a tree above safely.

"You idiot."

Naruto gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows as he dangled there. _"Darn you..."_

* * *

"Hey! We're not supposed to go that way, ya know!" Naruto tugged hard backward on the leash of a large dog as it dragged him towards a fenced-off area. "Hey! Please stop!"

Sakura and Sasuke blinked at Naruto, holding the leashes of two small dogs in their hands.

"That fool..." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"That's because he stubbornly chose that huge dog." Sakura frowned slightly.

The large dog pulled Naruto toward an opening in the fence, and Naruto shook his head as he tried to pull the dog back.

"Hey, hey! Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" He pleaded as the dog pulled him through the fence and beyond the signs marked 'Danger.'

"H-Hey, doggy... that's the mine field over there..."

Small explosions sounded off, one after the other, and smoke filled the air as Naruto screamed.

"Yikes! Ow! Ow! Stop this! Turn around! Ow!"

Kakashi glanced over his book the noise, then looked back down to continue reading. Sasuke and Sakura let out heavy sighs, and Naruto was dragged out of the field a moment later, coughing out dust and covered in char and ash. The dog barked softly, wagging his tail happily at the excitement and obediently sitting beside Naruto.

"B-Bad dog..."

* * *

"It's because you're so reckless!" Sakura scolded a bruised and dirty Naruto, as she and Sasuke supported him as they walked.

"Geez... you're so much trouble." Sasuke smirked slightly and muttered.

Naruto blinked and made a face at the words, pulling away from the two as he growled and narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha.

"Saaasuuukeeee—!" He stopped and blinked as Sakura blocked him with her arm and Sasuke walked off with his hands in his pockets without acknowledging him.

"If you act up any more, I'll finish you!"

Kakashi closed his eye and sighed. "Hmm... teamwork hasn't been good lately."

"That's right, that's right!" Naruto glared at Sasuke and held up his fist. "Sasuke, you're to blame for the poor teamwork! You're always attracting attention!"

"That's you, you idiot." Sasuke replied as he walked away. "If you don't want to owe me big time..." He stopped and looked over his shoulder, furrowing his brows. "You just need to become stronger than me!"

"Tch!" Naruto gritted his teeth and stared at Sasuke, who returned the look.

_"It seems like they're getting along even worse than before..."_ Sakura looked between the boys and gulped.

Sasuke scowled and balled his hands into fists. _"Damn... this is frustrating! There are plenty of guys outside who are stronger than I am... Always making me go on these lame kind of missions..."_

A hawk screeched overhead and Kakashi looked up at it, then down at his students.

"Well, then... perhaps we should disperse. I do need to submit a report about this mission."

"Okay, then, I'm going home." Sasuke loosened his fists and turned to leave.

Sakura broke into a grin, blushing slightly as she followed him. "H-Hey! Sasuke, wait for me!"

Naruto pouted with his hand reached out as she followed Sasuke, then sighed and slouched forward.

"Hey... how about... why don't you and I..." Sakura blushed deeper and looked down, and then met his eyes. "Why don't we work on improving our teamwork together?"

"You're just like Naruto." Sasuke turned to look at her, and the color in her face drained slightly.

_"J-Just like Naruto?"_

"If you have time to spend on me, why don't you practice a Jutsu?" His lips formed a line as he looked at her. "To tell you frankly, your abilities are less than Naruto's!"

_"Less than Naruto... less than Naruto..."_ Sakura gulped again and hung her head.

Sasuke walked away and she stared down at her feet. _"That's right... it's always that way for me during every mission. I'll never be able to do anything at all..."_

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned and waved his hand over his head. "Just let Sasuke be, and the two of us can practice together!"

Sakura trembled and balled her fists, and Kakashi disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

"Huh?" Naruto looked around, then chuckled to himself. _"Sensei disappeared... Was he being thoughtful?"_

A box pained to match the street crept up behind Naruto slowly and stopped as he turned to look.

"Huh?" Naruto's eye twitched as he looked at the poor disguise. _"Pretending to be... a rock?"_

He turned and walked a few steps away, and the box followed him. Naruto took off running up and down the street, and the box continued to pursue him back and forth until Naruto stopped suddenly and the box screeched to a halt.

Naruto squinted at the box and put his hands on his hips, then pointed. "There's no such thing as a perfectly square rock with two perfectly round eye holes! It's totally obvious!"

"Just what you'd expect from the man I respect!" Konohamaru's muffled voice came from the box. "You are my rival, after all!"

The box burst open with a bright light and smoke, and the three kids coughed on their hands and knees as the smoke cleared.

"Hey! That was too much gunpowder!" Konohamaru complained.

They blinked up at Naruto, who stared at them blankly.

"With unrivaled good looks!" The girl stood and posed with a smile. "I'm Moegi of the senior class at Kunoichi Preschool!"

"I love factoring!" The boy in glasses took his own pose. "Udon!"

Konohamaru stood with a grin and posed. "The most brilliant Ninja in the village! Konohamaru!"

"The three of us together make..." They said in unison. "The Konohamaru Trio!"

"I knew it was you three." Naruto mumbled and crossed his arms behind his head. He squinted and looked at them more closely. "Huh? Why area you all wearing goggles?"

Konohamaru laughed and touched the goggles on his forehead. "We're just copying what you used to do, boss!"

"Oh." Naruto looked away with a blank expression.

"What's with the 'oh'?!" Konohamaru clenched his hand and looked up at the blond. "Your reactions have been pretty cold these days!"

"So..." Naruto changed the subject. "Did you want something?"

"See?" Konohamaru put his arm around Udon's shoulders and whispered. "Cold!"

"So, leader!" Moegi smiled up at him. "Do you have some free time now?"

"Nope." Naruto grinned and pointed a thumb at himself. "I have to train!"

"What?!" Konohamaru made a face. "You said you'd play Ninja with us today!"

"O-Oh? Is that right?" Naruto chuckled and rubbed his head sheepishly. _"Geez... If I play with these guys, they would make me hang out all day."_

"Hmph! Why would a Ninja play Ninja?" Sakura shuffled over, still sulking. She stopped and looked at Naruto blankly.

"W-What is it?" Naruto blushed faintly and looked over at her with a faint smile.

_"Abilities less than this guy, huh?"_ She narrowed her eyes.

_"Heh... she's making me blush, staring like that." _Naruto rubbed his head again as his blush deepened.

Konohamaru looked between the two Genin, leaning closer to Naruto to whisper. "Niichan... who's she?" He turned to stare at Sakura. _"She's been staring at him with eyes like she's gonna kill him!"_ His eyes widened slightly and he grinned, turning back to Naruto to tug on his jacket.

"You've been busier than I thought, Niichan..."

"Eh?" Naruto looked down at him.

"Niichan, is she your...?" Konohamaru held up his little finger, then wiggled it slightly. "This?"

Naruto blinked and blushed again. "Shucks! You're pretty sharp for a kid!"

"No way!" Sakura drew her fist back, then hit Naruto's cheek hard and sent him flying back into the fence as she breathed heavily and glared.

"Niichan!" Konohamaru glared at Sakura and held up his fist. "What are you doing?!"

"No! Leader!" Udon and Moegi rushed to Naruto and helped him up slowly.

"His pulse... his pulse..." Udon muttered.

"You ugly wench! Ugly wench!" Konohamaru shouted at Sakura.

She narrowed her eyes at him and cracked her knuckles.

"Huh?" Konohmaru's face paled as she walked toward him and screamed as she punched him hard and knocked him back into Naruto.

"Hmph!" Sakura marched away slowly, huffing under her breath.

"Are you all right, Konohamaru?" Udon poked his friend's shoulder as Konohamaru lay on the ground with tears streaming down his face.

"Ow!" Naruto stood slowly, followed by Konohamaru, who rubbed the knots on the top of their heads.

"Darn that huge-foreheaded ugly wench!" Konohamaru sniffed. "Is she a girl for real?"

Sakura stopped at the comment, her eye twitching as she tightened her jaw and glared over her shoulder at the group to fix her eyes on them.

"Yikes!" Naruto gulped and trembled. Sakura started after them, and he turned and ran. "Run away!"

They ran off, screaming as she chased them until Konohamaru ran into someone and fell to the ground.

He blinked and looked up and his eyes widened. "Huh?"

"That kind of hurt..." The teenage boy narrowed his eyes at the kid, and the group blinked at the strange pair of Ninja.

* * *

Kakashi approached the desk where several Chunin and Jonin sat, reviewing papers. He stopped in front of Iruka, who smiled in greeting.

"Kakashi, you're back sooner than I anticipated."

Kakashi nodded and held out the paper in his hands to Iruka, who looked it over.

"So, I have formally received this report from you." Iruka looked up at Kakashi. "Is Naruto getting along with the others?"

"Hm?" Kakashi looked to the side for a moment. "Well, he's doing okay."

"I've been busy lately." Iruka scratched his cheek. "So, I haven't had a chance to see him even once since his return. I'm a little concerned..."

"As you know, Iruka, Sasuke is also in our squad. Naruto sees him as a rival, which is a little straining." Kakashi smiled and his eye closed. "But, the result is that his abilities are developing significantly." He opened his eyes to look down at the teacher. "Almost to the point that he might reach yours, the one he respects!"

Iruka smiled and nodded to himself. "Really? That's good."

* * *

"Konohamaru!" Naruto clenched his fist as the boy gripped Konohamaru by the collar and lifted him into the air.

"That kind of hurt, you little punk!" He smirked slightly and tightened his grip.

The blonde girl beside him looked away momentarily and rolled her eyes. "Stop that. You'll get yelled at later."

"I-I'm sorry. I was fooling around..." Sakura apologized quickly and held her hands together nervously, trembling slightly. _"What are these two?"_

"Hey, stop!" Naruto glared at the older boy and shouted. "Let go of him!"

"Heh." The boy smirked down at the blond and eyed his headband. _"So, these are the Leaf's Genin..."_

"Let's play with them before the strict one comes around." He chuckled and looked at Konohamaru as he struggled.

"Let go!" Konohamaru kicked at the Sand Shinobi and gritted his teeth.

"You're pretty lively, you little punk..."

"You jerk!" Naruto ran at the foreigner with his fist balled as he drew it back for a punch.

The boy smirked at Naruto and turned toward him, then wiggled his fingers slightly. Naruto fell back suddenly with his eyes wide.

"What?! What was that?" Naruto sat up and the older boy chuckled to himself.

"The Leaf Village's Genin are weaker than I thought."

_"These guys are foreign..."_ Sakura watched the pair quietly. _"Why are they here?"_

"Konohamaru..." Naruto stayed where he sat and glared.

"I-It hurts..." Konohamaru strained and his face paled.

"Hey!" Naruto leapt to his feet and pointed. "If you don't let him go, I won't forgive him, you idiot!"

Sakura put her arm around Naruto's neck and pulled him back as she hissed. "You're the idiot! What are you gonna do by getting him worked up?!"

Kankuro smirked at Naruto and Sakura. "You're pissing me off." He held up a fist. "I don't like little runts anyway. On top of that, you're a smart aleck for being younger than me..." His expression darkened. "It makes me want to break him."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened and they froze in place, as Udon and Moegi gulped and trembled.

The older girl sighed and put a hand on her hip. "It's not on me, then."

_"What's with this guy?"_ Sakura pressed her lips together. _"He's crazy..."_

"Well then, after this little squirt, it'll be that little runt that won't shut up." Kankuro drew his fist back, aiming at the boy he held up.

"You—!" Naruto broke free of Sakura's grip and ran at him.

A small rock hit Kankuro's wrist hard, breaking the skin slightly. He dropped Konohamaru and scowled as he held his wrist. After a moment, he blinked and looked up into the tree where Sasuke sat with a second rock in his hand.

"What do you think you're doing in someone else's Village, you..."

Sakura blushed faintly and smiled up at him. _"Sasuke-kun!_"

Naruto made a face at Sasuke, and Kankuro scowled up at him. "Tch. Another punk to piss me off."

Temari's lips twitched in a small smile. _"He's pretty cute."_

"Naruto niichan!" Konohamaru ran over to Naruto.

Sasuke crushed the rock in his hand, then opened it to let the dust fall as he furrowed his brows. "Get lost!"

"Wow! So cool!" Sakura and Moegi blushed at him with their hands close to their face.

Naruto gulped and pushed his index fingers together, standing awkwardly beside Konohmaru, who pouted and pointed at the blond.

"Naruto, you're lame!"

"Dummy!" Naruto knelt in front of him and patted his shoulder. "I would've quickly taken down that guy, too!"

"Hmph!" The boy looked away and crossed his arms.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _"That Sasuke! __Why is he always, always meddling like this?!"_

"Hey, come down here, punk!" Kankuro pointed a finger at the Uchiha. "You're the kind of smart aleck punk that I despise the most." He reached up to grip the bandage slung over his shoulder as a strap, then lifted the wrapped weapon from his back and set it in front of him.

"Wait! You're not thinking of using Crow, are you?!" Temari blinked and held up a hand.

"Kankuro, stop that. You're an embarrassment to our Village."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the new voice. _"Huh?"_

The group looked up to see a stern red-haired Sand Genin, standing upside-down on a branch with his arms crossed.

Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened and they gulped.

"G-Gaara..." Kankuro muttered and let out a quiet breath. _"Damn it..."_

Sasuke turned to look at Gaara, narrowing his eyes. _"When did he get next to me? Those footsteps as stealthy as Kakashi's..."_

Gaara looked over at Sasuke, silently as they met each other's eyes, then Gaara turned back to his teammates.

"Why do you think we came all the way here to the Leaf Village?"

"P-Please listen to me, Gaara!" Kankuro stammered. "T-They lashed out first..."

"Shut up!" Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Or I'll kill you."

Gaara looked at the Leaf Genin. "I'm sorry about that..."

_"This guy... has a nasty look."_ Sasuke watched him carefully without a word.

_"To think he was able to hit Kankuro with a tiny rock with such ease."_ Gaara watched Sasuke, equally cautious. _"This guy's good."_

Sasuke stood as Gaara turned to sand, then reformed in front of his teammates with a hard expression. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play around."

"I know." Temari nodded slowly, turning to follow Gaara as be began to walk away.

"Hold on!" Sakura stepped forward, and the trio turned to look at her.

"What is it?" Temari put a hand on her hip.

"Judging from your headbands, you're Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sand, right?" Sakura paused, then continued when they remained silent. "Without question, the Land of Fire and Land of Wind are allied nations. But the arbitrary coming and going of Shinobi is supposed to be prohibited by the treaty. State your purpose! Dependingon the circumstances..."

"Hmph. So this is what they mean by the darkest places being under a candlestick." Temari smirked faintly. "Don't you know anything about it?" Temari reached into her pass, then pulled out her identification card. "My permit. As you say, we're Genin from the Land of Wind. We came to take the Chunin Exam."

"Chunin Exam...?" Naruto scratched his cheek and muttered to himself. "What's that, anyways?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Temari crossed her arms.

"Niichan, if you pass the exam, you can elevate your rank from Genin to Chunin." Konohamaru explained.

"I see!" He grinned and turned to the boy. "Then maybe I'll try taking them!"

The Sand Genin turned to leave again, and Sasuke hopped out of the tree. "Hey! You there... what's your name?"

"Huh?" Temari turned slightly, her cheeks warming. "Me?"

"No. The gourd next to you." Sasuke pointed, then crossed his arms.

The redhead slowly turned to face him and met his eyes. "I'm Gaara. I have an interest in you as well... What's your name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha." He smirked faintly.

"Say! Say! What about me?" Naruto pointed a thumb at himself.

"Not interested." Gaara turned his back, and Naruto made a face and clenched his fists.

_"Darn it!"_

"Hey! Naruto! I finally found you!" Natsumi waved and ran towards her brother as she spotted him, slowly as she got close. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I'm free right now so I thought that we could—"

Natsumi froze as she recognized Kankuro and her face flushed a deep red as she pointed at him. "I-It's you!"

Kankuro blinked and stood in place. _"That voice..."_ He turned to look at her and blushed faintly. "Y-You're..."

_He's here! But... why?! I wasn't supposed to ever see him again!_

Natsumi trembled slightly as their eyes met.

_This isn't how it was supposed to happen! I was supposed to have a moment of crazy bravery, and then forget that it ever happened. But... he's here!_

"Huh?" Naruto looked between Kankuro and his sister. "Natsumi, do you know that jerk?!"

Natsumi paled slightly.

_Crap! I can't let Naruto find out that I kissed him! He'd freak out and start a fight with him right here!_

She laughed loudly and awkwardly. "What?! Me? Know him?" She waved her hand, looking away so that Naruto couldn't see her flushed face. "Pfft! T-That's just... crazy talk! I mean... he's from the Hidden Sand Village... there's no way I could know him, right?"

Natsumi patted Naruto's back hard, unable to do anything but laugh sheepishly in panic.

"Well..." Naruto squinted at her suspiciously. "You're kind of acting like you know him."

"Pfft! No! Of course not!" Natsumi waved her hand again. "H-He just has one of those faces, ya know!"

"And who are you to her?" The Sand Genin crossed his arms and looked over at Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to him, then furrowed his brows slightly. "What?! Who do you think you are? I'm her twin brother, ya know!"

"Twins...?" Kankuro blinked, then stared at Natsumi, his eyes wandering to her open jacket for a moment. "Wait... Just how old are you?"

Natsumi blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. "W-What a completely weird thing to ask someone you've _never met before!"_ She laughed again, then looked behind her. "Oh! I hear Kiri looking for me! I'm gonna go!"

"Wait, what?" Naruto turned as she started to quickly walk away. "You just got here! Where are you going?"

"You know... I've got this... thing!" Natsumi scratched her head and looked at her brother with a forced smile. "At a... place! Far away from here! Bye!"

She waved and ran off as her blush matched her hair and she disappeared around a corner, breathing heavily.

_What is he doing here?! This is bad!_

She pressed herself against the wall once she was far enough away and hid her face in her hands.

_Oh no... could it be...? That he's one of the Genin that the Hidden Sand sent for the Chunin Exams?!_

She slid down the wall, drawing her knees to her chest and buried her face in her legs.

_Oh, this is so bad. So, so bad. Everyone's going to find out that I kissed a guy I didn't even know. Naruto is going to completely freak out. Kiri is going to have a field day of this, and I'm going to die of embarrassment..._

She looked up quickly, wide-eyed, and covered her mouth.

_What if he comes looking for me?! What would he say?! What should I do?! This is a nightmare!_

* * *

"There is no other reason to summon you here other than... As you can see based off of the faces you can see around..." Hiruzen addressed the assembled Jonin before him.

"So, it's already that time..." Kakashi muttered aloud.

"The other Lands have already been notified, right?" Asuma spoke with a cigarette between his lips. "I've seen them here and there throughout the Village."

"And?" Kurenai asked. "When will it be?"

"In a week." The Hokage answered, blowing out a slow wisp of smoke, closing his eyes briefly.

Kakashi blinked. "That's very sudden."

"Now... I will make the formal announcement." He looked up, opening his eyes. "Seven days from today, on the first day of July, the Chunin Exams will begin!"


	64. Chapter 62: Powerful New Rivals!

"Huh." Naruto crossed his arms and made a face as he muttered to himself. "It's not like her to act so suspicious like that..."

Sakura turned to look back at where Natsumi disappeared to, then glanced back at Kankuro out of the corner of her eye. _"That was weird... it definitely seemed like she knew him... and he clearly recognized her... but how?"_

Sasuke looked at Kankuro briefly, then stuck his hands into his pockets. _"She was obviously lying."_ He glanced at Naruto as he continued to mutter to himself. _"And that guy's too big of an idiot to notice."_

Konohamaru blinked and quickly tugged on Naruto's sleeve, interrupting him as he whispered.

"Niichan... with how suspicious she was acting... what if Natsumi neechan and that guy are secret lovers?"

"Secret..." Naruto repeated quietly under his breath, then his face reddened in anger as he grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him. "N-No way! There's no way Natsumi could ever like a guy like that! Why'd you even suggest that?!"

"B-But...!" Konohamaru held up his hands. "It seemed like..."

Naruto gritted his teeth and balled his hands, turning to Kankuro. "Hey! Clown face! How do you know Natsumi?!"

"Clown face?" Kankuro clenched his jaw and glared, then closed his eyes for a moment and smirked before opening them again. "Whether I do or not... isn't really your business."

"Not my—!" Naruto glared back, breathing in harshly with his nose like a bull. "Why, you—! She's my sister! Of course it's my business! I won't let a guy like you get close to her!"

"Naruto, don't irritate them." Sakura hissed at him, holding her arms close. _"These guys are kind of letting off a dangerous aura. Who knows what would happen if he got them riled up?"_

"Answer me!" Naruto pointed. "Do you know her or not?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kankuro tilted his head up slightly to snub him.

"You're really irritating me." Gaara narrowed his eyes at Kankuro.

Kankuro gulped and turned, rubbing his head. "S-Sorry."

"We're leaving." Gaara turned and leapt away.

Temari gave Kankuro a long stare, then the two of them followed after.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted and held up his fist. "We're not done yet! Get back here so I can pummel you!"

Naruto moved to follow, and Sasuke gripped the back of his jacket to stop him abruptly, then let go.

"Save it for the Chunin Exams."

Naruto growled and glared after the Sand Genin, then at Sasuke, grumbling to himself as he stomped slowly off.

"Stupid clown-faced Sand guy... I oughta... I'm gonna..."

Sakura let out the breath she had been holding. _"I 'm not sure what's going on at all... but it seems like it's going to be troublesome."_

* * *

"Hey, Kankuro." Temari looked at him sideways, keeping her voice quiet. "That girl was the same one who met with the Kazekage, wasn't she?"

He didn't answer, and she walked closer to him and narrowed her eyes. "Something happened. Tell me."

"Be quiet." He turned his head and Temari's eyes widened slightly.

"Hey, did something really happen with her?"

"I said be quiet."

She let out a short laugh and leaned in closer. "So, that's why you came back with half your face smudged. How did that happen?"

He furrowed his brows, pressing his lips together without responding.

"Fine. Don't tell me then." She lowered her voice. "But don't forget why we came here. Don't get distracted."

"I know that."

* * *

"Now then, in conjunction of the Chunin Exam, let us first have those in charge of the rookie Genin come forward." Hiruzen rested his hands on his lap as he looked at the three Jonin, who stepped forward. "Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma." He paused. "So, are there any Genin from your squads you wish to recommend for these exams? It goes without saying, but if it's a Genin who has carried out eight or more formal missions, you can recommend them for the exams if you wish."

"Well, as a general rule," The Hokage continued. "Having carried out more than twice that amount of missions is appropriate."

Iruka nodded to himself as he listened. _"There's no need to hear this... it's too soon for them."_

"Then, you first, Kakashi."

"The Kakashi-led Team Seven..." Kakashi started. "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend these three for the Chunin Exam."

_"Huh?"_ Iruka blinked and looked at Kakashi.

"The Kurenai-led Team Eight... Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame. For these three, I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend the same."

"The Asuma-led Group Ten, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choki Akimichi... I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend the same for these three."

"All three recommended..." A Jonin in the back of the room muttered to another.

"To think rookies will be in the Chunin Exam..."

"Hasn't it been five years since that happened last?"

Hiruzen looked over the group, listening to the whispers for a moment and exhaling a puff of smoke. "Hm..."

"Wait a minute!" Iruka moved closer to the front and looked at the Hokage.

"What is it, Iruka?" Hiruzen looked at him and Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma turned.

"Lord Hokage, please let me say one thing." Iruka paused. "This may be presumptuous, but as for the nine names that were given, I was in charge of them at the Academy. Admittedly, they were all students with ability, but it's too soon! They should be tested only after having gained more experience."

Kakashi put his hand in his pocket and turned fully to look at the teacher. "I became a Chunin when I was six years younger than Naruto is now."

"Naruto is different than you!" Iruka stepped closer to Kakashi. "Is it your intent to crush Naruto?!"

"They always do nothing but complain about important missions..." Kakashi replied. "Teaching them a lesson once would be fun. Trying to crush them would be interesting, too."

Iruka blinked. "W-What did you say?"

"Well, all joking aside... Iruka-sensei... I understand what you want to say. It's aggravating, I know. However..."

"Kakashi..." Kurenai turned her attention to Kakashi. "Don't do it."

"Stay out of this! They're not your students anymore!" Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "They're my subordinates now!"

Iruka gritted his teeth and Asuma looked between the two men.

_"Man... troublesome people..."_

Kurenai let out a sigh and closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head slowly.

"I know that, but the Chunin Exam is also known as..."

"Iruka..." The Hokage held up a hand to silence him, then lowered it again as Iruka turned to him. "I understand your point."

"Lord Hokage..." Iruka loosened his fists and let out a short breath.

"Therefore, I have decided to conduct a special preliminary exam for these rookie Genins."

"P-Preliminary exam...?" Iruka repeated to himself.

* * *

Natsumi sighed and noticed the small snake hidden in the shadows nearby and scowled.

_That's Oto's._

She waved her hand at it. "Shoo! I don't want anything to do with her anymore."

The snake shook its head, flicking out its tongue as it lifted its tail to write in the dirt.

"Huh?" Natsumi shifted and read the message. "Hokage? Summon?" She looked at the smoke-bodied serpent. "The Hokage wants to see me?"

It nodded again, then slithered off. Natsumi stood and her eyes followed it until it vanished and she crossed her arms in thought.

_Weird... since when did Oto start acting like a messenger for the Old Man?_

She turned and slowly started toward the Hokage's office.

_Still, if he wants to see me, I can't refuse..._

Natsumi stuck her hands in her pockets as she walked.

_I wonder what he wants to see me for, anyway. I haven't done anything wrong lately or snooped in any Top-Secret files in a while... so, what does he want?_

Natsumi walked faster, then took a breath once she arrived in front of the office door. She lifted her hand to knock as Kin opened the door to leave.

"Oh! Miss Uzumaki." She smiled and stepped out of the doorway. "What a coincidence."

_Coincidence?_

"Natsumi?" The Hokage looked up from where he sat at her with a short chuckle. "Come in."

Natsumi stepped outside the room, and Kin smiled at the Hokage. "I'll go fetch your tea now. Shall I bring two cups?"

The Hokage nodded, and Kin bowed her head before leaving and shutting the door behind her.

"What brings you here?"

Natsumi stepped forward and pursed her lips. "Didn't you summon me?"

"Summon you?" He repeated, and blew out smoke as he paused. "I was about to, yes. How did you know?"

Natsumi opened her mouth, then spotted another nearly transparent snake in the corner of the room. It met her eyes, then vanished into smoke.

_Of course... Oto has her spies all over the village. So, she knew because she was eavesdropping. She only had her snake tell me as a way to subtly slither back into my life._

Natsumi looked back at the old man and smiled faintly. "Intuition, maybe?" She stepped closer to his desk until she stood directly in front of him. "What did you want to see me for?"

The door opened, and Kin returned with a tray and set it to the side of the desk, then set a chair down for Natsumi before pouring out the two cups of tea. When she was finished, she bowed her head once more and left.

Hiruzen set his pipe down carefully and lifted the cup to his lips, blowing gently on it as it steamed before taking a sip. He lowered the cup again and met her eyes.

"Please, feel free to have some as well."

"Of course..." Natsumi took the second cup and took a small sip.

"Well then, as you know from your last mission, the Chunin Exams are upon us. I assume you are familiar with them?"

Natsumi nodded and took another sip. "Yes, sir. It's a way to evaluate the next generation of Ninja from each of the Shinobi Villages. Those who perform the best and demonstrate their strength will be promoted to the rank of Chunin."

"Good." He took another drink, then set his cup down on the saucer. "Tell me, Natsumi, how are you enjoying the ANBU?"

Huh?

"Well..." She paused. _Why is he asking about that? How am I supposed to respond?_

"It took some getting used to at first, but I do enjoy it. I get along well with most of my teammates, and even though some of the missions are difficult, I feel like I'm making a difference and helping the village."

"I see." He took another drink and studied her expression hard. "And, how are you faring emotionally? I understand that the incident with the Araki brothers was particularly difficult for you."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly at the name and her hands trembled for a moment, shaking the cup, and she drew in a breath to steady herself.

"It..." She bit her lip. "I'm fine, now. I just wish... he hadn't gotten away."

"Of course." The Hokage nodded to himself. "However, you should be proud of yourself and acknowledge how impressive your performance was. To take down such powerful enemies like that, and at your age... you should have more pride in your abilities."

Natsumi's eyes lowered to the teacup.

_Even so... I made several huge mistakes... and Sena was still severely wounded. Even if she's alright now, there's no way I can really atone for it._

"Which leads me to my next question."

Natsumi blinked and looked back up at him. "S-Sir?"

"Considering your abilities... it would be a disservice to both you and the village if I withheld this opportunity from you." He laced his fingers together, then rested his elbows on the desk. "Do you wish to participate in the Chunin Exams?"

Natsumi's eyes widened and closed one of her hands on her lap, pressing her nails into her palm.

_Me? Participate?_

"But... I'm not in a three-man squad... so, even if I wanted to..."

"Is that your only concern?" He smiled faintly. "If so, I can review potential candidates and find a capable pair of Genin to take the exams with you."

"But..." She looked down again, then met his eyes. "What about my ANBU duties? I can't just abandon my team so that I can take the exams."

"I've taken it into consideration already, and I've decided to temporarily suspend your ANBU responsibilities."

She paled and her mouth hung open. "W-What...?"

_Is this my punishment? For failing that mission? I thought I'd redeemed myself from the last mission..._

"It's only for the duration of the Chunin Exams. I assume that you would like to be able to support your brother and provide encouragement for him, and participate yourself."

She let out a breath.

_So... I'm not in trouble, then? That's a relief._

"Naruto's taking the exam, too?" Natsumi drank her tea slowly, her body relaxing.

"Kakashi has recommended him, though the decision is ultimately up to Naruto." Hiruzen sipped from his cup, then poured tea into it once it was empty. "Although, considering his tenacity, I doubt he would ignore this opportunity."

The corner of Natsumi's mouth twitched upward in a smile.

_Of course. As soon as he finds out, I'm sure he'll immediately get excited and talk about how he's going to come out on top for sure._

"As his sister, I assume you'd like to take the exams with him."

Natsumi opened her mouth, and then shut it again.

_Actually..._

He raised a brow. "Is something the matter?"

She shook her head. "N-No... not really." She sighed after a moment. "If I participate in the exams, wouldn't that mean that I would be competing against Naruto, too? There would be a chance that we might have to fight each other in the Third Stage, right?"

"Hm?" He nodded. "Yes, that is a possibility."

"Then, no. I don't want to take the exams." She rested the cup on the desk in front of her. "Even if I do want to take the exams and prove myself, and go up in rank, I absolutely refuse to go up against Naruto or be his enemy... even if it's just a test."

She smiled and looked down at her tea, feeling the warmth of the cup seeping into her hands.

"As his sister, it's my job to encourage him and support him and his dream. Having to fight him, or possibly being the one to take away his victory seems wrong, no matter how I think about it. I made a vow to myself that I would do whatever it takes to help him achieve his dream and have him finally be acknowledged by everyone... I won't break it for selfish reasons."

"I see." The Hokage closed his eyes for a while, then opened them again with a smile. "I can tell that I cannot change your mind. Very well, then."

She sighed in relief and smiled. "Thank you, Lord Third, for understanding. I appreciate the offer, but it will make me happier just supporting Naruto and getting to watch him. I can always take the exams the next time around, and then Naruto will be the one doing the supporting."

_"What a selfless girl..."_

Natsumi finished her tea, then returned the cup to the tray. "Did you want to talk to me about anything else?"

"No, that was all." He leaned back slightly in his chair. "You may leave now, if you wish."

Natsumi nodded and stood, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you, Lord Third. And, thank you for the tea."

"Of course."

She turned to leave, and he cleared his throat quietly.

"Natsumi."

She stopped and turned to him. "Yes, sir?"

"I understand your love and sacrifice for your brother, but it is also alright for you to act selfishly sometimes."

Natsumi blinked, then shook her head slowly with a smile. "Maybe that's true for other people, but it's my dream to see his become reality, and I won't go back on my promise. That's my Ninja Way."

She bowed her head again, then left the room and closed the door with a soft click.

"Hm..." Hiruzen sipped his tea in thought, then looked to the framed portraits of the previous Hokage on the back wall and his eyes rested on the picture of the Fourth. "She's grown up into a hard-working, thoughtful young lady... you would be very proud of her."

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto waited on the bridge for Kakashi, leaning against the railing in boredom. After a while, Sakura furrowed her brows and let out a soft screech, then balled her fists and looked at Naruto.

"Say! Say! Why is it that he's the one who always calls us out, but is the one that's always late?!"

"That's right! That's right!" Naruto raised his fist in the air and nodded in agreement.

"What's he going to do about the feelings of a maiden who accidentally overslept and resigned herself to skip blow-drying her hair?!"

"I overslept, too, so I haven't washed my face or brushed my teeth." Naruto added.

Sakura relaxed her hands and blinked. "Y-You... that's gross."

Sasuke glanced toward them for a moment, then away again. _"Why're these guys so hyper first thing in the morning?"_

Kakashi appeared on the Torii above, and they all turned to look up at him. "Hey. Good morning, guys. Today I got a bit lost on the path of life..."

"Yeah right!" Sakura and Naruto scowled, pointing up at him.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his land, then landed in front of them as they lined up.

"Uh... well" Kakashi held up a finger. "This is sudden, but I recommended you guys for the Chunin Exams, so..." He took out three small papers from his pouch, and held them out. "Here, these are your applications."

"Chunin Exam..." Sakura repeated quietly.

"That being said, the recommendations are not compulsory." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "You're free to decide whether you take the exam or not."

"All right! Naruto beamed and kissed the application in his hand, then leapt up to wrap his arms around Kakashi's neck and swing around. "I love you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hey, cut that out! Get off, already..." Kakashi set him down with a short sigh, then looked back over the trio. "Only those who want to take the Exam sign that application and go to room 301 of the Academy at three o'clock p.m. five days from now... that's it."

Naruto grinned and closed his eyes, holding the application with both hands. "Hee hee hee... Chunin Exam! Chunin Exam!"

* * *

Natsumi walked with her hands in her pockets. "What to do now..." After a moment, she smiled. _Oh! I should go find Naruto. We haven't spent much time together lately, and—_

She sighed.

_Bad idea. He'll just hound me about how I acted earlier... I'm definitely not ready for that. What am I even supposed to say to him about it?_

She kicked a small rock as she walked, then looked ahead at a group of Genin coming from the opposite direction.

_Those are the Genin from the Sound Village._

She continued forward and as they passed, each of them turned slightly to meet her eyes with a glare. Once they were several meters behind, Natsumi turned and pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched them walking down the street.

_Those guys are giving off a bad vibe... and that look in their eyes worries me, too... like wild animals looking for something to kill._

She turned back around, then continued on her way slowly.

_I wonder if I really made the right call, deciding against taking the Exams. Maybe I should tell the Old Man that I've changed my mind. I could at least eliminate a few of those guys out of the running to give Naruto a better shot, and then withdraw myself so I don't have to be his opponent..._

Natsumi sighed and lowered her head slightly.

_What am I thinking? Naruto wouldn't want me to make things easier for him. He'd want to beat them and advance on his own, with his own strengths._

Her brows furrowed and she crossed her arms as she walked.

_Still... those guys don't seem like ordinary Genin. That look in their eyes reminds me of..._ She bit her lip hard and dug her fingernails into the meat of her arms. _That was pure cold, murderous intent in their eyes. These exams are going to be more dangerous than I thought..._

She loosened the grip on her arms and looked at the sky, walking aimlessly.

_I don't know what to do... I really want to show off what I can do, to prove to myself that I'm not that crybaby weakling anymore... and I also want to make those guys that bullied me before regret it. But, even if I want to participate, there's still the issue of having to be Naruto's opponent. If we faced off, he'd get mad if I went easy on him and let him win, but I also couldn't forgive myself if I won and eliminated him._

She watched a pair of birds flying overhead, encircling each other as if dancing and she stopped walking.

_He's always worked so hard to overcome everything and has been making a real effort by staying up late and studying. He has the chance to make everyone in the village recognize him for his own skills and strength, instead of looking at him like a monster. I don't think I could stand it if I was the one to come between him and finally being acknowledged._

Natsumi looked down at her feet.

_Not to mention... it just seems unfair if someone from the ANBU like me were to compete with everyone else. I haven't been in the ANBU long, but the whole point of it is to recruit the village's strongest Shinobi. For one of us to take the exams with regular Shinobi, it'd be like cheating... right?_

She uncrossed her arms, then rapped herself on her head.

_Ugh! I hate being so indecisive! Naruto seems to always know what he wants to do without having to think about it. Why do I have to think so much about everything?!_

She blinked and looked over at the park, recognizing the figure that lounged in the shade of an old tree.

_That's Naruto's sensei... but what's he doing by himself? Shouldn't the team be all together, preparing for the exam? But he's just here by himself, reading._

She turned away, taking a step and then stopping again.

_He knows Naruto really well now... I wonder if maybe he could help me figure out what to do._

Natsumi quietly moved closer, keeping out of sight as she watched him.

_But I don't really know how to explain it out loud to someone else. I don't want to sound whiny._

"You don't have to hide... come on out."

Her eyes widened and she held her breath.

_How did he know I was here?! I'm one of the best at stealth on my team._

She stepped out of the shadows of another tree sheepishly and he looked at her from over the top of his book.

"How did you know I was there?"

"More or less... I could sense I was being watched."

_Could he have the sensory ability? That's not very common..._

Kakashi lowered the book slightly as he watched her. "You have something on your mind."

Natsumi nodded and stepped closer, then sat near him.

"I just spoke to the Hokage, and he told me that you recommended Naruto for the Chunin Exams."

"Hm?" He paused. "If you're concerned that he isn't ready, you should have more faith in him."

"No, that's not what I mean." She shook her head and waved her hands, then rested them on her lap. "Actually, when Lord Third told me that you recommended him, it made me happy that someone finally acknowledged all of his hard work to get strong. I'm not worried because I think he's weak..."

She let out a short breath.

"I saw some of the Genin from the other villages that are here to participate in the exams. I can't put it into words, but... when I walked by them, there was this nasty air about them. I get the feeling that they don't just see the exams like an exam, and that they're actually looking forward to killing someone."

"The Chunin Exams aren't for the faint of heart. There have been fatalities before."

She nodded and bit her lip. "I know that... but, after seeing those guys... I can't stop wondering if Naruto will really be alright. He's strong and determined, but he's also soft... he wouldn't be okay going far enough to take anyone's life. If he goes up against one of those guys, though... and they seriously come at him to kill... I just worry if he'll be able to stomach doing whatever is necessary to stop them."

Kakashi closed his book and looked up at the branches above for a moment. "Hmm..." He looked back at her. "I'm sure Naruto's told you about our mission to the Land of Waves?"

_How could I forget? He was so excited that he kept me up all night when he told me._

She nodded. "You fought Zabuza Momochi and were targeted by Gato." She lowered her head and bit her lip.

_Both were very dangerous... the infamous Demon of the Mist... and then someone rich, powerful, and ruthless like that..._

"...You guys were lucky to make it out of that alive."

"Well, I suppose luck may have been a small part of it, but Naruto played a pivotal role in that last battle. He would have been the one to defeat Zabuza's companion, had he not jumped in front of my attack."

Kakashi went quiet at the memory and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"Really? Naruto did that?"

Kakashi blinked after a moment, forcing his thoughts to return to their conversation. "Naruto didn't tell you? That's a surprise..."

"He tends to exaggerate sometimes..." She balled her fists on her lap and looked down at them. "So... I thought that he might have been doing the same thing this time, too..."

_Am I really worried over nothing, then? He almost took out someone that strong by himself?_

She sighed and then smiled faintly. "I guess... I'm just too protective of him. I'm just as guilty of underestimating him, then."

_Sorry, Naruto._

Kakashi reached over to pat her head briefly. "Well, that can't be helped. As brother and sister, it's only natural for you to be worried about him."

Her cheeks warmed and she averted her eyes. "I-I guess..." Drawing her legs in closer, she let out a soft breath. "I guess I have no business worrying about him taking the Chunin Exams, then..."

He moved his hand, then rested it behind his head as he leaned against the tree. "Aren't you taking the exams as well?"

"Huh?" She shook her head quickly. "No, I couldn't. I don't like the idea of having to go up against Naruto like that. I'm just going to be supporting him from the side this time."

"I wonder what he'll say about that." Kakashi held his chin in thought for a moment. "I'm sure he'd be happier if you took them together. Even if you came up against each other, he would enjoy competing against you, the one he's closest to." He shrugged. "However, the exam isn't compulsory, so it's fine if you chose to wait and take it later."

_I bet he would say something like that... he might really enjoy if we competed with each other. But I don't think if I could enjoy it the same._

"If he's disappointed that I'm not participating, I'm sure he'll forgive me if I treat him to ramen." Natsumi smiled. "He'd forget all about it right away." She stood and put her hands into her pockets. "I should go, since I interrupted you in the first place. But thanks for letting me talk about my silly problems."

"Don't mention it." Kakashi stood, patting her head, and returned his book to his pouch as he smiled. "Actually, I was procrastinating here when I should be taking care of a few things, so you weren't interrupting as much as reminding me."

She blushed slightly and turned to walk away, then stopped.

"I know I really don't have any business asking... but could I ask you for a favor?"

"A favor?" He put his hands into his own pockets.

She nodded. "I trust your word about Naruto's skills, but, if it's okay, I'd like to maybe join you guys for training sometime?" She averted her eyes, then turned back to him. "You see, Naruto and I haven't trained together for a long time, so I really don't know how much he's improved. If it's alright, I'd like to see it in person."

"Is that all? Of course you'd be welcome." He smiled. "Actually, I had a training exercise in mind already that I was going to have you join us for."

"Really?" She smiled. "Thank you! I'd be happy to!"

"Then it's settled." He lifted his hand in a wave. "Meet me here in the morning and I'll fill you in then."

"Okay!"

He flickered away and Natsumi smiled to herself, then shook her head quickly.

"Right! If I'm going to train with them, then I've got to make sure I'm not sloppy!" She balled her hands and grinned in excitement. "I've got so much to review and practice before tomorrow! Naruto's going to be so surprised at how strong I've gotten."

* * *

Naruto held up the application as he stared at it, walking with Sakura and Sasuke.

"The Chunin Exams, eh... I bet a lot of strong guys are going to be there..." He lowered the paper and closed his eyes for a moment. _"For example, that guy!"_

Naruto furrowed his brows and clenched his teeth. _"I'm going to beat that guy up and make him tell me why he seemed to know Natsumi!_" He let out a hot breath, then narrowed his eyes and looked over at Sasuke. _"And... he'll be there, too."_

He nodded to himself as he imagined beating Kankuro and Sasuke both, and being awarded a trophy. _"Heh... if I take first place, then the path to being Hokage is right there! Maybe that old man will be so impressed by me that he'll retire and make me Hokage right away!"_

Sasuke smirked faintly, keeping his eyes ahead as he walked in silence. _"I might be able to fight him..."_

__"I... don't want to..."_ Sakura pressed her lips together, looking down at the ground as she stopped walking. _"I can't keep up with Sasuke, and not even with Naruto... Me, in the Chunin Exam? No way..."__


	65. Chapter 63: Surprise Rookie Challenge

Naruto walked across the bridge to where Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon waited. They grinned as they saw him waved.

"Naruto niichan!" Konohamaru balled his fists in excitement. "Let's play!"

"Sure." Naruto smiled. "I don't have any missions today, so I'll play with you guys!"

"Yay!" They cheered in unison.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and a man appeared suddenly behind Moegi, then looked down at her.

He grabbed the girl and quickly leapt up to stand on the Torii as Naruto's eyes widened.

"Leader! Konohamaru!" Moegi struggled and cried out. "Help!"

"What're you doing with Moegi?!" Konohamaru pointed at the stranger and clenched his fist.

"Hey, you! Let Moegi go!" Naruto glared up at him.

The man quickly turned and ran off without a word and Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Darn it!" Naruto looked at the boy beside him. "Let's follow them, Konohamaru!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"W-Wait!" Udon quickly followed behind as they maintained a steady pace.

Naruto moved faster through the trees, glaring ahead at the mysterious man as he pursued him. The man glanced back at him over his shoulder and furrowed his brows.

"Well well... so you can keep up at this speed, huh?"

"Wait for me, Moegi!" Naruto moved faster, leaving Konohamaru and Udon behind.

The boys stopped on a branch and looked around as they caught their breaths.

"Naruto niichan... where'd you go?"

"I think we're lost..." Udon sniffed as his nose dripped and pushed up his glasses.

"No! Let me go!" Moegi cried and kicked as the man tied her to a tree.

He chuckled as she struggled and looked down at her. "Even the strongly fortified Hidden Leaf Village is mine if I slip in the middle of the Chunin Exams' chaos."

Naruto emerged from the trees and the man turned to him.

"So, you've caught up already? That was fast..."

"Hey! You old fat man!" Naruto pointed at him with a hard stare. "What're you going to do with Moegi?!"

"What am I going to do, you ask?" He chuckled again and held a Kunai near her throat. "You want to know?!"

"Wha—?!" Naruto's eyes widened and the man narrowed his eyes.

"Don't make a move!" He warned. "If you do, the brat's dead meat!"

Naruto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Y-You! Why're you doing this?!"

"I want the Hokage's Scroll of Sealing! If you bring it to me, I'll release the brat!"

"The Scroll of Sealing..." Naruto repeated slowly and swallowed.

Moegi wriggled against the rope and tried to call out, but was muffled by the cloth over her mouth.

"What're you doing?" The Ninja narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "Hurry up and bring me the Scroll of Sealing already! Don't you care what happens to her?"

"What'll happen if... I say heck no?" Naruto smirked slightly.

"So, you really don't care what happens to this brat, then?"

"Heh!" His smirk broadened and he rubbed his nose. "I'm fine with whatever happens to that bunch of straw, I say."

"Wha—?!" The Ninja turned quickly to look behind and his eyes widened at the straw substitute tied up. "When did he do that?!"

He looked up into the tree where another Naruto stood with Moegi, smirking.

"I've taken Moegi back from you, thanks!"

"As expected, great leader!" The girl grinned up at him. "I really respect you!"

"Damn it! The Clone Jutsu, huh?" The Shinobi scowled and clenched his fist.

"You don't know when to give up!" Naruto threw a net over the Ninja, before he could attack. A group of other clones jumped on the man to pin him down. The clones vanished in a puff of smoke and Naruto remained sitting on the Ninja.

"Naruto niichan!" Konohamru ran into the clearing, closely followed by Udon.

"Hey! You're late, Konohamaru!" Naruto grinned and turned to him.

"Konohamaru!" Moegi ran to him and hugged him. "I was so scared!"

"There there..." He patted her head with a smile.

"Leader, did you catch him?" Udon looked down at the Ninja, then back up at Naruto.

"Yup! As you can see!" Naruto stood and looked down at the man, and his eyes widened. "Huh?! He's gone!"

"Substitution Jutsu?" Konohamaru muttered and eyed the boulder beneath the net.

"Darn it!" Naruto held up his hand, looking around. "When did he switch?!"

_"I see..." _The Ninja watched Naruto from where he hid behind a tree. _"He's better than I anticipated..."_

* * *

Sakura sat on the small balcony with her legs drawn close to her chest and sighed as she looked up.

_"The Chunin Exams, huh...?"_

"Yo." Sasuke called up to her from the street with his hand in his pocket.

Sakura jumped and turned, blinking. "S-Sasuke? What's up?"

"How about we go for a walk?"

She blushed and grinned. "No way! For real?!"

"Um..." Sakura looked over at Sasuke after walking for a while, breaking the silence between them. "Sasuke? What's up all of a sudden?"

"Sakura..." Sasuke stopped walking and kept his back to her. "Give up on the Chunin Exams... it's too early for you."

"Is it?" Sakura sighed and stared at the ground. "...I thought so."

"The Chunin Exam is a gathering of top dogs... you might die if you're not careful."

"Sasuke!" She blushed again and looked at him, smiling faintly. "So, you're worried about me, right?"

"Yeah... kind of..."

A cackling laugh echoed around them and a man appeared on one of the posts from the thick mist around them.

"What a touching display of affection, eh?"

"Don't talk as if you know everything!" The man growled and jumped into the air, launching a volley of Shuriken at him. Sasuke knocked them away easily with his Kunai, then narrowed his eyes at the enemy.

"Don't make me angry!" Sasuke ran at the Ninja with his Kunai readied.

"Sasuke!" Sakura held her fist close to her as she blushed. _"He's so cool!"_

The Ninja grabbed one of the metal umbrellas from his back and threw it down at the Genin.

"Don't take me lightly!" Sasuke threw his Kunai to knock it away, and it burst open, spilling out hundreds of Shuriken at him before he could dodge.

Sakura's eyes widened and she paled. "Sasuke!"

She gulped and covered her mouth as she trembled and he lay motionless. "S-Sasuke...?"

She gulped and covered her mouth as she trembled and he lay motionless. "S-Sasuke...?" She ran over to him as her eyes spilled over. "Sasuke!"

Sakura threw herself on Sasuke's body and cried, and the Ninja chuckled and walked over to her slowly.

"If you don't want to end up like this, you'll give up on the Chunin Exam, too."

"Sasuke... don't die!" She whispered and buried her face in her arms. "Please..."

She stopped crying abruptly and sat up with a slight smile. "You're making a big mistake if you'd think I'd do that. I was aware if this Genjutsu right from the start!"

"What?!"

Sakura stood and stared at the man and put a hand on her hip. "The real Sasuke wouldn't do something like invite me to go for a walk! Don't make me say such frustrating things! This kind of elementary Genjutsu won't work on me!"

"Did you say elementary?"

"That's right!" Sakura nodded. "Incidentally, I've seen through that you're also an illusion and aren't really here!"

The Ninja laughed loudly to himself and narrowed his eyes. "I don't know about... that!"

He threw this second umbrella weapon at her, and she furrowed her brows, walking directly into its path. It passed through her and vanished, and she smiled.

"See?"

The man laughed again. "Just what I'd expect of Kakashi's student... however, this will become reality in the Chunin Exam! I wonder if you can endure that?"

He disappeared, along with the false Sasuke, and Sakura balled her fists.

"I'm not scared! I'll take them on anytime!" She pumped her fist into the air. "The Chunin Exam isn't...!" She slouched forward and sighed heavily. "I... I'm still not sure if I can really do it..."

* * *

Sasuke glared and kicked the Ninja, sending his flying back several meters before he skidded to a stop and slowly sat up.

"That was a stupid thing to do... attacking me."

* * *

Kakashi sat on a roof overlooking the village with Natsumi quietly.

"Hmm... he should be here about now..." He muttered to himself.

The mysterious Ninja appeared nearby and Kakashi turned slightly to acknowledge him.

"How was it?"

"We went to the trouble of having a special preliminary exam for each of the rookies, but all nine passed." With a cloud of smoke, the Jutsu was undone and Iruka stood in his place. "Just as you said, it appears that their skills have definitely improved."

"Well, the actual Chunin Exam won't end just at this, but..." Kakashi turned slightly at him. "I'm sure they can handle it."

Iruka nodded, then looked at Natsumi. "Natsumi? You're here, too?"

She nodded with a smile. "I'd heard about all of this from Kiri, who heard it from AIto, who overheard Lord Third. I was curious to see how it would go, so I asked if I could wait here to hear what you had to say." She glanced at Kakashi, then back to Iruka. "But, I'm glad to hear that Naruto did well! I knew he would."

Iruka smiled. "I thought I would have to worry more about him, but it seems he's becoming a fine Shinobi."

"Of course. He has a dream, and he absolutely won't ever give up on it." Natsumi nodded. "His Ninja Way is ironclad." She giggled. "And, he's also just stubborn."

"I can't argue with that." Iruka laughed and scratched his head. "It's late, so I'll be going now. Bye, Kakashi." He looked at Natsumi. "Don't stay out too late. I'm sure Naruto's wondering where you are now, and it's important for kids your age to get plenty of sleep."

"I know, Iruka-sensei." She waved her hand and drew her legs in close. "You worry too much, sometimes."

"Sorry." He smiled and waved. "See you later, then."

Natsumi waved back as he left, then looked at Kakashi. "Since they did so well, do you still want to go ahead with the exercise?"

"Hmm... might as well." He shrugged, then crossed his arms. "We've already prepared for it... not to mention, I've been curious as to what the outcome of it would be for a while."

Natsumi blinked and blushed slightly. "R-Really?"

_He's really been planning this for a while... involving me?_

"Well, it should be interesting to watch, at least." He looked up at the clouds as they obscured the moon briefly, and then stood and looked down at her. "That's all for now. Come to that spot in the morning as planned."

She nodded and he left, and she smiled to herself as she leaned back to lay on the roof.

_Naruto, are you ready for tomorrow? I'm curious to see what will happen, too..._


	66. Chapter 64: An Unexpected Match

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stood around the trio of posts in the third training grounds waiting for Kakashi to show up.

Naruto scrunched his face and kept his arms crossed as he grumbled to himself. "Why does Kakashi-sensei always tell us to meet and then he's the one late?"

Sakura sighed deeply, keeping her eyes closed. _"I wonder why he called us here. We're not supposed to have any missions in preparation of the Chunin Exam..."_

Sasuke kept his arms crossed his arms as he leaned against the post.

Finally, Kakashi approached them with his hand raised in greeting. "Good morning!" He stuck his hands into his pocket and smiled. "There was an old woman who needed help crossing the street."

Naruto and Sakura pointed at him simultaneously with a scowl. "Liar!"

Kakashi chuckled and stopped in front of them. "Let's get right to it, then." He looked over the three of him with a hand on his hip. "As you know, there are still a few days left to submit your applications for the Chunin Exam, but today I wanted to put you through one final exercise to prepare you, should you decide to take it."

"Prepare us?" Sakura lowered her arm and tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"To put it simply..." Kakashi looked up for a moment and then back to his team. "You'll be competing against your old classmates and friends. Normally, you would hold back against a friend, but in the Chunin Exams, everyone has to compete with one another. You'll have to put your qualms aside if you're going to advance."

"So," He continued as Naruto crossed his arms and listened. "I've enlisted the help of a familiar face."

Kakashi turned to look to the side and Natsumi stepped out of the forest with a smile.

"Natsumi?!" Naruto blinked. "How is she going to help?"

Natsumi met Kakashi's eyes for a moment, her cheeks warming slightly as she stopped beside him and smiled at her brother.

"She'll be your opponent for this exercise."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened as they stared at the redhead, who nodded.

"That's right!" Natsumi beamed and looked at them. "It'll be fun."

"Opponent?" Naruto muttered and scratched his cheek. "Say, Kakashi-sensei... what do you mean by that?"

"It's exactly how it sounds. The three of you will be fighting against Natsumi."

Their eyes widened and Sakura froze in place, gulping. _"Her?! We have to fight... her?_" She glanced sideways at Sasuke and let out a sigh. _"Well, considering her speed alone in the classroom that time... I don't think I have much of a chance against her, but there's no way she could defeat Sasuke."_

"Wha—?!" Naruto looked at Natsumi. "Kakashi-sensei, what do you mean?! I have to fight my own sister?!"

"Naruto, the other Genin participating are not going to go easy on anyone— not even on their own friends. You'll have a lot of competition and only a few can become Chunin in the end. If you hold yourself back, you'll be held back." Natsumi shrugged. "It's as simple as that."

Kakashi looked down at the girl and then nodded. "Well said."

Natsumi blushed faintly at the praised and clasped her hands behind her back as she waited. Kakashi put one hand on his hip and turned to his team.

"That's right; only a few will be able to earn the title of Chunin. During the Exam, you will have to give it your all. The best way to prepare for that is to give your all during training. If you're lazy in your training, your skills will be low during the exam."

Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms. "I can't fight my own sister. What if I hurt her?"

Natsumi put her own hands on her hips. "I'm not weak, you know! Just think about it like this: proving yourself in the Chunin Exam is the best way to get people to acknowledge you so that they will support you as Hokage someday. If you give up now because you are too chicken to spar your own sister, then you wouldn't make a good Hokage anyway."

Naruto's mouth hung open for a moment and then he clenched his fist as he furrowed his brow. "Y-You're just saying that to rile me up, aren't you?!"

"Is it working?" Natsumi giggled.

"You're darn right it is!" He shouted. " I'm going to show everyone that I'll be the greatest Hokage ever!" He put a hand on his hip, smirking slightly as he rubbed under his nose. "I won't go easy on you, Natsumi, even if you are my sister."

"That's the idea." She giggled again and Kakashi took a step forward.

"Before you begin, I have a few rules to go over."

"Rules?" Naruto groaned. "Let's just get on with it already!"

"What kind of rules?" Sakura asked.

"For one," He held up one finger. "this is not going to be a series of one-on-one fights."

Naruto gaped. "W-Wait, what?! We can't all go at her at once!"

Sakura eyed Natsumi and held her hand in close to herself. _"No way... he was serious about that? I thought for sure he was kidding before..."_

"Three against one?" Sasuke smirked faintly. "That's too easy."

Natsumi made a face and crossed her arms. "It's dangerous to underestimate your opponent."

"Hmph." Sasuke looked away and closed his eyes briefly. _"He might have said it in the Land of Waves as a joke, but there's no way that she could defeat the three of us at once."_

"Secondly," Kakashi held up another finger as he continued. "You're to go all-out as if it were an actual mission. Of course, there will be no killing or maiming your opponent, so you'll have to restrain yourself at simply subduing her."

The trio blinked slowly and looked at the Jonin.

_"He's... he's really serious?"_ Sakura pressed her lips together and shuddered. _"Does he really expect us to fight her as if we mean to kill her?"_

Kakashi eyed Natsumi, who stood quietly as she listened. "That goes for you as well."

Natsumi nodded. "I know."

Sakura shuddered slightly. "_She already scares me, but this rule makes her seem even scarier."_

Sasuke looked to Natsumi and narrowed his eyes in thought.

Naruto nodded quickly. "Okay, okay! What else?!"

"Thirdly," Kakashi lifted a third finger and his expression darkened. "If she subdues you, that means you're "dead." So, even if you recover, you're unable to join the fight and help your comrades."

Their eyes widened and they glanced between in each other.

"During training exercises, you are able to try again if you fail. However, in the Chunin Exam and on real missions, if you are killed, that's it. Developing as a Ninja and as a team means that you have to become effective and powerful enough to prevent losing your teammates and protecting them if they are prone. So, if you are "killed" in this exercise, you won't be able to jump back in and assist, simulating the real-life consequences."

Sakura gulped once more and bit her lip. _"I'm really starting to not like this idea at all. We won't be able to help each other once we're out... I'm not as strong as them, but even so... I could offer some support."_

Sasuke eyed Natsumi again. _"This is going to be interesting."_

Naruto smirked. "I won't lose! Not even to my own sister."

Kakashi lowered his arm. "Lastly, the exercise is over either after you subdue Natsumi, or all of you are eliminated. Either way, this will be excellent practice for the four of you."

"Any questions before we begin?" Kakashi looked over his three students, who remained quiet.

"Um... Kakashi-sensei... is there a time limit for this exercise?" Sakura raised her hand slightly as she asked, lowering it as his attention turned to her.

"Until noon, or until either you win and she is subdued, or she wins and you all are crushed." Kakashi smiled, his eyes crinkling and Sakura and Naruto both scrunched their faces. "Whichever comes first."

_"He didn't have to say it like that..."_ Sakura let out a soft sigh and then straightened. _"But I can't give up before I've even started. I can't let my teammates down."_

_"Darn..."_ Naruto scratched his cheek. _"I don't like the idea of thinking of Natsumi as my enemy... but it can't be helped."_

Natsumi raised her hand and Kakashi looked over at her.

"Yes?"

"Do you want me to use any handicaps?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. _"Either she's overconfident, or she underestimates us."_ He clenched a fist. _"Either way, it pisses me off!"_

_"Considering she's already had several months of ANBU training, there's a good possibility of her having already mastered a few techniques that would be overkill..."_ Kakashi shrugged after a moment. "Use your best judgement."

"Okay!" Natsumi smiled, tilting her head to the side slightly.

A chill ran down Sakura's spine and she stared at the redhead. _"That confirms it... she must be really strong for her to ask something like that... and for sensei to answer that way."_

"Any more questions?" Kakashi put a hand into his pocket and looked between his students.

"Come on, come on!" Naruto complained. "Let's just do this already!"

Natsumi separated herself from them at the other end of the field as they lined up in front of the posts and stood readied.

"All of you, do your best." Kakashi narrowed his eyes and raised his arm up. "Begin... now!"

Kakashi leapt quickly out of the way to observe from atop a tree. Before his team could move, Natsumi flickered behind Sakura, touching the back of her head with a single finger while holding up the Ram hand sign with only one hand.

Sakura's body went completely rigid and she cried out in panic. _"H-How did she get behind me so fast? What's wrong with my body? What did she do to me?! I can't move!"_

"Dead." Natsumi muttered coldly, gently pushing the girl over to fall onto the ground, still immobilized.

Sakura's mouth opened but nothing came out. She looked up at Natsumi as she stood above her, with her lip trembling. _"I... I'm not anywhere near her level! I didn't even last five seconds!"_

Kakashi's expression changed and he watched the girl carefully. _"She took out Sakura so quickly... and with a move like that. It's no wonder that the Hokage recommended her for the ANBU..."_

Naruto's eyes widened and he froze in place, staring at Sakura as she struggled to move, but was paralyzed. "H-How..." He gazed at Natsumi and took a defensive stance. _"She's so fast! What did she do to Sakura? I've never seen a Jutsu like that before!"_

"Naruto, fall back!" Sasuke called out, and they leapt back to two separate locations.

Sasuke hid himself in the brush and narrowed his gaze at the Uzumaki girl. _"A paralysis technique, right off the bat. Simple, but effective for taking out targets... and she took out our weakest member first to get her out of the way... that's exactly what I would have done."_ His eyes fell on Sakura as she lay on the ground. _"I won't succumb to that technique so easily now that I've seen it, though."_

Naruto leapt away, but Natsumi retrieved a Kunai knife from her pouch and fixed her eyes on him. He gulped and moved continuously around the glade to keep his distance from her. _"Yikes! She's after me now!" _His eyes narrowed. _"But I won't run away! I won't go down so easily!"_

As he kept his distance, he formed a hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A faint smile tugged on Natsumi's lips and she copied the sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Naruto's eyes widened as the area filled with an equal number of their clones and he landed on top of the center post and she landed on the grass below.

"W-When did you learn that?!" Naruto quickly recovered and pulled out his own Kunai, with his clones following suit.

"You're not the only one who can read." Natsumi murmured and he stared at her incredulously.

"You read that Scroll of Sealing, too?! When?!"

"Before you." Natsumi twirled the Kunai around her index and then gripped it tightly with a smile.

"Wha—" Naruto furrowed his brows. "So that's why the seal was already broken when I found it..."

Natsumi nodded. "Sorry, Naruto. I really don't want to fight you, but I also can't take it easy on you just because you're my brother. I know you're going to be a great Shinobi someday, and there aren't any shortcuts for that path. You understand."

Naruto nodded in recognition at his own words and chuckled. "Like I said, I won't go easy on you."

"I don't want you to." Natsumi smiled.

They shared a smirk and their clones clashed in a flurry of Kunai strikes. One of Naruto's clones carefully moved Sakura out of the way of the fighting, though she was still paralyzed.

"Sakura, are you okay?" The clone asked as he sat her up against a smooth tree.

She nodded slowly, her cheeks warming slightly as she looked away from him. "Yes... I'm fine. Thank you, Naruto." Sakura let out a short sigh. _"This is so frustrating! I'm completely useless!"_

The clone grinned and saluted Sakura before returning to the fight. Naruto blinked in surprise and saw that more than half of his clones had already been defeated and dispelled.

_"She's really good!"_ He dodged her Kunai strike, but only just and managed to move away from her. _"She's better at Taijutsu than I am... I need to think of something else."_ He gritted his teeth. _"Where's that Sasuke when you need him?!"_

Sasuke watched as the fighting between the clones continued and Natsumi moved toward the target area. The clones grew closer together and he smirked. Shifting his position on the branch, he formed a series of hand signs— Horse, Tiger, Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger— and drew in a deep breath.

_"Fire style! Fireball Jutsu!"_

Sasuke released his breath and a powerful ball of fire erupted from his lips at the fighting below. A massive fireball filled the area and dispelled the clones. Natsumi's eyes widened and Naruto quickly escaped.

Natsumi slipped underground as the flames consumed the space she had just been standing. It burned the grass in a wide diameter and the glade filled with sweltering heat until the Jutsu ended, leaving the pungent smell of char and earth in the air.

Sasuke landed on the ground deftly and looked around, finding no sign of Natsumi. _"Damn... she escaped!"_

"Natsumi?!" Naruto stared at the charred area and paled, staring at Sasuke. "Y-You disintegrated my sister!" He gripped Sasuke's collar with one hand. "You'll pay for that!"

"You moron!" Sasuke swiped Naruto hand away and scowled. "I didn't kill her! She escaped!"

Naruto blinked and then let out a sigh of relief, then laughed. "I-Is that so?"

Natsumi emerged from the ground behind them quickly, slashing at Naruto with her Kunai as she spun and aimed a kick at Sasuke's head. Naruto blocked her Kunai with his own and Sasuke blocked her kick with his forearm and was pushed back by its force.

_"She's stronger than I anticipated."_ Sasuke shoved her back and Natsumi landed on her feet in a catlike stance. Her expression was unusually serious as she watched them. _"Not only are her strikes heavy, but that look in her eyes is almost predatory. I underestimated her before; she's definitely on my level, without a doubt."_

Naruto grinned and clutched his Kunai tighter. "That was good, Natsumi, but you can't beat us!"

"Oh?"

Natsumi threw Kunai and Shuriken at the boys and as they knocked them away and dodged, she bit her thumb, brought her hands together— Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram— and held her right hand in front of her, aimed directly at Sasuke.

_Summoning Jutsu!_

The summoning seal appeared in the air before her palm and a pure white Ninja Cat burst seemingly out of her palm, wearing a black kimono and wielding a small Katana. The Ninja Cat launched herself at Sasuke, bearing her sharp ivory teeth in a grin as she gripped her sword and readied a strike.

"Finally! I've been itching for action!"

"Yuki! Disabled, not dead!" Natsumi called to her companion.

Sasuke stepped back and raised his Kunai to block the cat's skillful attack and reacted quickly as its agile attacks kept him busy. _"She can summon as well?! What other techniques is she hiding?"_

"Aw, Red!" The cat laughed and easily dodged his attacks, lighter on her paws than he was on his feet. "That's no fun!"

"Yuki, I mean it!" Natsumi shot a look at her companion, who cackled.

"You owe me!" The cat swung at Sasuke again, and he blocked, struggling against the attack before pushing it away.

Kakashi's watched carefully as the cat engaged Sasuke and left Natsumi free to target Naruto. _"So, she can even summon as well? I hadn't heard about that."_ He gazed down at Sakura, whose wriggling had increased. _"Though it seems her paralysis Jutsu is wearing off. She's kept it up for quite some time, considering her age and its difficulty."_

Naruto's eyes grew at the sight of the cat. "When did you learn all this stuff?"

"All those sunrise training sessions really pay off. Maybe you should wake up early with me and find out for yourself." Natsumi giggled and pressed her left hand to the post and a glowing blue symbol appeared.

_Space-Time Jutsu! Ninjato Summoning!_

Kakashi's eyes widened at the glowing symbol. _"That Jutsu!"_ The hilt of her sword appeared through the symbol and she grasped it, pulling it out from the post. _"It's only natural that she learned it somehow... Are you watching this, Minato-sensei? She takes after you."_

Natsumi took a deep, catlike stance with the sword raised above her head, breathing slowly in a controlled manner as her eyes captured his every move.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _"She's so strong! And where did all these Jutsu come from?!"_ He took a defensive stance. _"I'm going to defeat her and make her tell me!"_

Natsumi switched from a defensive stance to offensive and rushed at Naruto, slashing at his belly. He parried and retrieved a second Kunai, using it to block as she struck again. He stepped back each time as she stepped forward, slicing and slashing as he blocked each attack, nearly overpowered.

"Hm?" Kakashi watched Natsumi's form. _"She isn't using her full strength?"_ He chuckled. _"If he hasn't realized what she's doing... he's a fool."_

_"She's strong! And fast!"_ Naruto parried and lunged his Kunai at her side. Without a moment of hesitation, her leg rose in a crescent kick, forcing him off-balance and knocking the Kunai from his hand. "Gah!"

Natsumi straightened to a stand with a smile and pointed her sword at him. "You're doing well, Naruto, but you still need to take me down."

He furrowed his brows and ran at her. With a simple shift of her feet and distribution of her weight, she evaded and brought her leg up to his stomach. The force sent him flying several meters and he grunted as he rolled to a stop.

"Sorry!" Natsumi called out and smiled sheepishly.

_I really don't like being his opponent... but this is for his own good, and Kakashi asked me to do this, after all. I can't let him down._

Naruto stood slowly and glanced at Sakura, who was beginning to gain control over her body again as she watched the fight, and then to Sasuke, who was becoming agitated by the cat's lightning fast strikes and even faster dodges. He turned back to his twin and laughed under his breath and met her eyes.

"I'm glad you're not going easy on me!" He chuckled. "But, now it's time for me to beat you!"

Running at her once more, she stood in place and closed her eyes patiently.

Sakura followed Naruto with her eyes and then turned her attention to Natsumi. _"She's... closing her eyes?"_ Her eyes widened. "Naruto! It's a trap!"

"H-Huh?" Naruto slowed and glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye.

"Too late!" A familiar voice shouted from below him, under the earth, and a pair of arms reached up and gripped each of his ankles tightly.

"Gaaaah!" Naruto struggled against the hands.

"Earth Style! Double Suicide Decapitation!" Natsumi's clone pulled Naruto into the ground, leaving only his head free.

Natsumi giggled and high-fived her clone before it vanished in a puff of smoke and knelt in front of Naruto.

"Y-You beat me!" Naruto stammered. "How did you learn to do all this stuff?"

"Sorry." Natsumi shrugged, and then sighed. "We'll talk later, when the exercise is over, okay?"

She stood and then propped the Ninjato against her shoulder and watched Yuki fighting with Sasuke, keeping him frustrated and busy.

_Good. The longer she harasses him, the more tired he'll become. Even at his level, his stamina won't last forever._

Sakura looked up and her eyes widened slightly. _"She's already taken out Naruto as well?! It hasn't even been very long since the fight first began! How is she so strong? She's only a Genin, the same as us!"_

Natsumi looked over her Sakura, narrowing her eyes.

_She broke the third rule._

Natsumi held up a Shuriken and took aim, throwing it at Sakura. She froze in place, trembling as it zipped by her head and lodged itself deep into the bark of the tree behind her. A single strand of pink hair fell to the ground and Sakura's eyes widened as it fell.

"Penalty." Natsumi held up three fingers and smiled, despite her cold tone.

_"T-That was close!" _Sakura turned slowly to see the Shuriken behind her, then gulped and quickly looked back at the redhead. _"S-She's... a beast!"_

Natsumi slipped off her leather jacket, dropped it to the ground, and then clutched her sword as she approached Sasuke.

_"It's all up to him now... He'll take her down for sure." _Sakura sat up straighter.

Natsumi observed Yuki engaging with Sasuke and smiled to herself.

_Luckily, I've heard enough from Naruto about Sasuke's strengths and skills. He might be strong, but if I can wear him down, I can win pretty easily._

Sasuke looked over to Naruto out of the corner of his eye and his eyes widened slightly. He blocked a strike from the cat and it leapt back, standing on a tree while watching him carefully.

_"So, Naruto is down, too? And with that same technique... Of course he succumbed to it, if I was unable to avoid it."_ He looked between Yuki and Natsumi, who both kept their eyes on him. _"She may be good enough to take down Naruto and Sakura, but I'll end this."_

Sasuke smirked and blinked. _"Let's see her try to beat my Sharingan."_

Natsumi smirked as his eyes shifted to red.

_There it is. Now things are really interesting. I wonder if I'll be able to beat his Sharingan at all._

She adjusted her stance and her smirk grew.

_This is going to be really fun. I've always wanted to take him down a peg for his cocky attitude._

Sakura's eyes widened as the paralysis fully dispelled and she stood. _"He's using the Sharingan? Does he really think she's that serious of an opponent?"_

"Yuki, huff and puff!" Natsumi called out and rushed at Sasuke, throwing a Kunai at him.

Sasuke smirked and easily dodged the attack and then saw the piece of fluttering paper attached to the weapon. _"A paper bomb!"_

He jumped up in time to avoid the blast and the two converged on his location, swinging their swords at him. He saw their attacks before they could land and he countered quickly each time, Natsumi matched his speed.

He knocked Yuki back and she flew several meters to land on her feet with an angry hiss and he focused his gaze at Natsumi. _"She's faster than I anticipated... even with my Sharingan, her speed is close enough to mine where it's difficult to get on the offensive. How is it possible for her to be so fast?_

He brought his leg up to kick her away, and she stood slowly. Natsumi let out a slow breath and focused her Chakra carefully.

_I'm not very good at this technique yet, but it's good for killing time._

Sasuke watched both opponents carefully— Natsumi, as she stood in a strange stance and watched him just as intently, and Yuki, who was flicking her tail back and forth in what appeared to be a feline version of Natsumi's stance.

_"She's channeling large amounts of her Chakra..."_ Sasuke narrowed his eyes and focused his Sharingan at her. _"Preparing a Jutsu. Hmph. She must be ignorant about my Sharingan, or cocky."_

Yuki grabbed a fallen Kunai and threw it at Sasuke and he moved out of its path.

_Now!_ Natsumi infused her Chakra into her Ninjato and swung hard at Sasuke. His eyes widened slightly as his sight revealed Chakra wind slicing through the air toward him.

Sasuke dodged with a back handspring and scowled as the invisible force crashed into the trees behind him. _"It must be a new skill for her... the strike was weak and unconcentrated."_

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. "So, she's already learned how to change the nature of her Chakra..." He scratched his cheek. _"She's already far more advanced than I had expected. Hopefully they don't become too discouraged."_

_Come on._

Natsumi launched a series of wind attacks at him and watched him dodge in succession.

_How much more do I need to push you? Attack me._

As he dodged her strikes, Yuki continued to throw fallen Kunai and Shuriken whenever he began to neglect defending his sides. _"I see now... they know my Sharingan takes up a lot of Chakra, and they're intentionally trying to wear me out... not a bad plan. I need to end this quickly."_

"You know..." Natsumi pointed her sword at him. "I'm kind of disappointed. You've always had a lot of fans, and everyone always talks about how strong you are. But, in the end, you still don't pose much of a challenge."

He gritted his teeth. _"She's trying to goad me into attacking her and falling into her trap. I won't fall for it!"_

"It's kind of sad, really." She shrugged slightly, maintaining eye contact with him. "All that talk I've heard about how formidable the Uchiha were... I guess they were either wrong, or, you're just the weak one of the bunch. If that's the case, it's kind of a shame that you're the only one left."

His eyes flashed in anger and he gripped his Kunai until his knuckles turned white. "You're going to regret saying that."

"Am I?" Natsumi laughed to herself, deepening her stance as she held her sword above her head. "I think you're too weak to be saying things like that."

He rushed at her, slashing her with his Kunai as he blocked her strike with another. They exchanged blows back and forth, metal clanking against metal.

_"I should easily be overpowering her with my Sharingan! So how is it that she's able to move so quickly?" _Sasuke shifted his weight to kick her and the corner of her mouth twitched in a smirk.

_Let's try... that._

Instead of connecting with her side, his kick passed through her body entirely and the momentum shifted his balance. He recovered and his eyes widened.

_"She dodged?! No... that's not right..."_ His eyes rose to look at her and his body stiffened briefly. _"Her appearance has changed... and on top of that, her Chakra is fluctuating strangely."_

Natsumi took a step back and held up her hands. "What's the matter? Did you miss?"

_"Damn it." _Sasuke stood and scowled. _"What just happened?"_

"You know, there's no shame in quitting." Natsumi stuck out her tongue. "With a little more practice, you might be able to beat me in a few years."

"You're really annoying me..." He muttered hotly, then lashed out at her again with his Kunai.

She stood perfectly still and his eyes widened slightly.

_"She's not even trying to dodge?! At this rate, I'll actually hit a vital spot! I can't slow down."_

His attack passed through her again and he stared at her as her body reformed.

"Smoke?!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _"I can't hit her at all!"_

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. _"That technique... I've only ever seen it once before."_ His expression darkened for a moment. _"I never expected her to be acquainted with that woman. That explains a lot."_

Sasuke kept his eyes on Natsumi as she circled him slowly. _"Her entire body has become pure Chakra, without solid form... not only that... but its nature has changed."_

"That's Yin Release, isn't it?" He narrowed his eyes. _"The ability to use that is exceedingly rare."_

"It must kill you, not having the answers you want." She rested her sword on her shoulder and controlled her breathing.

_He's agitated... and starting to slip up._

"Don't mock me." He slashed at her again, and again, she remained in place as the attack passed through her.

"You can keep at it as long as you want, but you won't be able to touch me as long as I'm like this."

Naruto and Sakura stared at Natsumi, and Sakura covered her mouth.

_"N-No way... his attacks are going right through her? How is that even possible? I've never heard of a technique like that before."_

"S-So cool...!" Naruto grinned and wriggled, still partially trapped underground. "Natsumi! Kick his butt!"

Sakura crossed her arms and frowned. "Whose side are you on, anyway? If Sasuke loses, we lose as a team."

"Heh." Naruto looked away for a moment. "B-But, she's my sister, and she's so cool and strong!"

Sakura sighed heavily and moved closer to him, beginning to slowly dig him out. _"Come on, Sasuke! You can win! I know you can! You'll figure out that technique's weakness in no time."_

Sasuke continued to strike, passing through her each time. He moved faster, clenching his jaw and growling under his breath. _"Just how long can she keep that technique up for? Something like that is sure to drain her Chakra quickly, but she's not tiring out at all!"_

Natsumi spun gracefully out of the way of another kick, then solidified and reached out to tap his back lightly.

"Tag." She muttered, holding up her Ninjato just in time to block his strike.

_"Damn it!" _Sasuke's eyes burned and his head pounded. _"I'm out of time!"_

His eyes faded to black and Natsumi smiled to herself.

_So, that's his limit? Approximately seven minutes..._

He breathed heavily as he held up Kunai in both hands and took a stance. _"Damn it! I'm almost out of Chakra. But if I put it all into one last attack... I'm guaranteed to win."_

He brought his hands together to form several hand signs and then held his hand in front of his lips. _"Fire Style! Giant Fireball Jutsu!"_

_He fell for it!_

The area filled with the massive ball of fire that singed the tips of the leaves on the trees surrounding and Sasuke smirked as the fire blazed, then dispersed after a minute. _"Finally..." _He looked at the center of the charred earth where an ash-covered form lay motionless. _"I got her."_

"Boo."

Sasuke's eyes widened as Natsumi appeared behind him. The glowing blue seal on his back faded and his body shook from exhausted.

_"Damn! I can't move!"_

Natsumi lifted her leg and kicked him, launching him several meters back. He hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop on his back. He coughed and tried to sit up, but his body was stiff and trembled.

_"I can't get up..."_

Natsumi strode over to him, watching as he tried to sit up.

_I beat him._

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

_I actually beat Sasuke Uchiha._

He scowled as she approached, and she smirked slightly as she straddled his stomach, pinning both of his hands over his head as she held the blade of her sword near his throat.

"You're dead, Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth and trembled. _"She... She actually beat Sasuke? And, not just beat him... it wasn't even a close match..."_

"W-Wow!" Naruto shook the dirt off of him, finally free, and leapt to his feet. "Natsumi, you really did it!"

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. _"I knew she was strong from Hidemi's reports, but it's entirely different seeing her in a real fight. There's no doubt that Lord Third made the right call when he enlisted her for the ANBU."_ He paused and opened his eyes. _"Although, it's worrisome that she knows that woman..."_

Kakashi flickered and reappeared beside Sakura and Naruto, who grinned at him.

"Didja see that?! My sister's so cool!" He paused, then made a face and crossed his arms. _"Although, I haven't even beaten Sasuke yet in a match... when did she surpass me?"_

_"I can't believe the Sasuke lost..." _Sakura blinked after a moment, then balled her fists. _"H-How dare she sit on Sasuke like that! And that kick...! If she hurt him, I'm going to make her regret it!"_

The color drained from Sakura face as her eyes fell on Natsumi. Her shirt clung to her body tightly from sweat and Sakura's mouth gaped slightly. _"H-Holy crap! W-Why...?! H-How?!"_ She looked down at her own chest, blushing as she crossed her arms over herself. _"She's already so womanly... and I'm..."_

_"I... lost?"_ Sasuke blinked and looked at Natsumi as she pinned him down, then blushed immediately at her chest.

_Huh? His face is red._

Natsumi blinked and moved her sword, then released her grip on his wrists.

"G-Get off..." He mumbled, keeping his face turned away, though he glanced back at her from the corner of his eye, unable to look away.

Natsumi's eyes widened and she blushed, standing quickly as she crossed over her chest. "Hey!"

_H-He was totally checking me out!_

Sakura paled again. _"S-Sasuke's blushing?! He was looking at... he was staring at..." _She gulped and glanced down at herself again.

Sasuke slowly sat up, keeping his face turned away from Natsumi. He wiped dirt smudged on his face away with the back of his hand and steadied his breathing.

"Natsumi!" Naruto raised his hand and waved at her. "That was awesome!"

Natsumi grinned, practically skipping over to him. "Thanks! It was pretty fun."

"Admittedly, it didn't last as long as I thought it would..." Kakashi muttered to himself, touching his chin. "Oh, well. It was still excellent practice for you all."

Natsumi blinked and looked at the Jonin. "Wait... are you implying that you thought I'd be weaker?"

"Hm?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Did I say that?"

Natsumi made a face.

_That's definitely what it seemed like... he expected the match to last longer because he didn't think I'd be that much more advanced._

She looked at Kakashi from the corner of her eye.

_I kind of feel insulted, now._

"To get the most out of this exercise, I think Natsumi should give you her assessment of your performance."

Natsumi glanced at Kakashi, holding her hand up slightly.

"Hm?"

She lowered her hand. "Um... do you want me to be honest... or nice?"

Sakura blinked and stared at her. _"W-What does that mean?!"_

"Try... both?" Kakashi crossed his arms. "Constructive criticism couldn't hurt to prepare them for the exams."

Natsumi nodded and turned to the other Genin. "Right, so..." She looked at Naruto. "I'll start with you."

He crossed his arms behind his head. "Heh... I did pretty great, didn't I?"

"You were sloppy."

Naruto nodded for a moment, then stopped and gaped at her. "W-What?!"

Natsumi sighed slightly and pressed her lips together momentarily. "Sorry, but your attacks weren't very well thought out, you were rash, and you got overconfident several times and left yourself open. In terms of Chakra and creating clones... you could very easily overwhelm your opponent, but that only works if their skills are roughly equal to your own. A Jonin with plenty of battle experience could easily take out all of your clones by himself."

"E-Eh...?" Naruto twitched slightly.

"In short... you rely too heavily on that one technique, and you rush into a fight too quickly. You need to use your head more, and take the precaution of not underestimating your opponent. Overconfidence is a killer."

"S-So harsh..." Naruto hung his head and pouted.

Natsumi looked at Sakura, who clasped her hands together nervously.

"You, Sakura."

"Y-Yes?" She looked down for a moment. _"I don't need to hear what you're going to say... I'm the weakest one here... I couldn't even last a single minute."_

"Your biggest flaw is your lack of confidence."

"Huh?" Sakura looked up and met her eyes.

Natsumi put a hand on her hip. "In terms of intelligence and observation, you're great. But your speed, reaction time, and Jutsu are all very lacking. My Paralysis Jutsu isn't a mainstream technique, so I wouldn't have expected any of you to be able to recognize it beforehand and stop it, but you should have at least been able to make an attempt to move. Instead, you were eliminated right off the bat."

"I-I know..." Sakura gulped and averted her eyes again.

"You need to be more confident in yourself." Natsumi smiled gently. "I didn't say you had no skill or didn't have potential. I just said that you don't have enough confidence in yourself. A lack of confidence can be just as deadly to yourself or your teammates as overconfidence."

_"She confirmed what I already knew... I'm definitely not cut out for the Chunin Exams."_

"And, you..." Natsumi looked at Sasuke, crossing her arms. "Just like Naruto, you're too overconfident in your abilities. You're also a lot easier to rile than I expected you to be, which is a major problem. You need to be able to keep a level head in a fight, no matter what. Even if insults and personal attacks are used, you have to find a way to block it out." She pointed. "You got sloppy, and what's worse, you got desperate to attack me, just because you were mad at my goading. It's a rookie mistake... one that someone like you shouldn't be making."

He furrowed his brow and turned to look away with a scowl. _"To think that Naruto's twin would be on such a completely different level... I expected that she would be good, since Kakashi organized this exercise, but to think that she was this much stronger..."_ He gritted his teeth. _"I'm nowhere near strong enough._"

Natsumi sighed and shrugged. "All in all, I was disappointed by your teamwork. After hearing about how in sync you were in the Land of Waves, that was a real letdown. If you guys had put in more effort and worked with each other, you would have probably won."

_"Despite seeming hesitant before... it turns out that she doesn't mince words."_ Kakashi watched the redhead, then looked over at his students. _"Their prides have taken a real hit."_

"Lighten up; I didn't say you guys were terrible." Natsumi smiled. "Sakura, even though I didn't get to see you in action, I know that your intelligence is vital to the team. So what if you have to work on the technical skills of a Shinobi? No one's perfect, so don't try to hold yourself to impossible standards."

Sakura blinked and looked at her.

"The best way to improve is to recognize your weaknesses. That way, you can work on them. But you also have to acknowledge your strengths, or else you'll always be too meek to actually show off just how much you've improved. You were always at top of your class, I've heard, so I know you'll reach your goals. Don't give up that easily."

_"She's... so nice?"_ Sakura held her hands close. "Do you... really think that I'm not a complete failure?"

Natsumi laughed. "No one is a complete failure. Even if you didn't even have your smarts, you wouldn't be a failure. It just would mean that you have the most opportunity to improve. When you're at the bottom, the only way you can go is up." She tilted her head to the side slightly. "My gut tells me that you're going to be a really impressive Kunoichi someday, so don't let a little doubt stop you."

Sakura smiled faintly and relaxed her shoulders, releasing the breath she'd held in. "I'll do my best."

"Say, say!" Naruto put his hands on his hips and leaned forward to look at his sister. "I did a lot of good stuff, too, right? I've gotten a lot stronger, too!"

Natsumi giggled and nodded. "You have. Your Taijutsu is entirely different than it was even a few months ago, and you've gotten better at thinking analytically. I can really tell that you've been putting your all into training. And your self-confidence is great and gives you an edge in a fight, but you have to be careful to not let it become double-edged." She held up a finger. "Your determination is probably your biggest strength, so my advice is that you should try to not mix your confidence with your ego. It also wouldn't hurt to fine-tune your Taijutsu more and practice being more aware of your surroundings. But overall, I'm really proud with how strong you've become."

"Heh." Naruto rubbed his nose with a great. "Of course! I've been training like crazy so I've made a lot of progress."

_"_And... back to Sasuke." Natsumi turned to look at him again, and he stuck his hands into his pockets and remained quiet.

"Your Taijutsu is excellent, your observation and reaction time are both good, and your Ninjutsu is advanced... not that you didn't already know that. But you really should work on building up your stamina, too. Your Sharingan won't be much help until you do." She shrugged. "Despite that, there really isn't anything obvious that you need to focus on in your training, to prepare for the exams or otherwise. You really fit the Uchiha mold in terms of talent, from what I've heard."

_Even if your personality is lacking._

Natsumi crossed her arms again.

_If I hadn't had Yuki or that one technique... and if his Sharingan hadn't been so draining on his Chakra... he probably could have beaten me. I really need to step up my training. It's almost hurtful to be so close to his level, when he's such a cold person._

Natsumi looked at Kakashi after a moment. "Do you have any criticisms for me? I have an idea of where I went wrong already, but if you think I could make some improvements, I'd be happy for any advice."

"Hmm..." Kakashi crossed his arms, then touched his chin. "That swordsman style you used... was that one you came up with on your own?"

Natsumi nodded.

"Not by herself, she didn't." Yuki walked up, sitting beside Natsumi and licked her paw. "That other style was a complete embarrassment. Not fluid enough."

"I could tell it was a new skill right away. Your balance was off." Kakashi smiled. "However, your speed and flexibility were emphasized, so it was highly effective. If you fine-tune it a little, it'll be quite impressive."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed at the praise and looked away. "T-Thanks."

Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye to watch her. _"Her speed and style were impressive... but what kind of technique was that before? My attacks were completely useless against her."_

"And, if I'm right... you used the Fourth's Hokage's teleportation as well."

Natsumi nodded. "Y-Yes..."

_"No way!" _Sakura stared at her. _"Is she already so strong that she can use one of his techniques?"_

_"The Fourth Hokage's technique?"_ Sasuke looked at Natsumi. _"...I hate to admit it... but I'm impressed."_

"Teleportation?!" Naruto's mouth gaped. "When did you learn that?"

"Huh?" Natsumi scratched her head. "Well, uh... about a year ago, I first found a scroll that had belonged to Lord Fourth... it took me almost a year to be able to actually use it. It really drains my Chakra, so I can't use it nearly to the extent that he could... but I've actually found that it feels pretty natural."

"Amazing!" Naruto grinned.

_"'Feels natural,' huh?"_ Kakashi stuck his hands into his pockets and looked at her. _"That's no surprise at all. And for her to already master it to this degree already is impressive."_

"Hey." Sasuke turned to look at her directly. "What was that technique you used before?"

"Huh?" Natsumi laughed nervously and averted her eyes. "Uh... it's one that I only picked up recently. It's pretty cool."

"Show me!" Naruto leaned closer to her. "Do it again!"

"O-Okay." Natsumi closed her eyes for a moment, slowly exhaled, and then opened her eyes again. Her skin took on a gray hue and she met her brother's eyes with a smile. "What do you think?"

"W-Wow!" He moved around her, tapping his chin as he looked at her. "Your appearance changed, but you look so solid, though..."

"Try to hit me, then." Natsumi stood straight and pointed at her stomach.

"Alright!" He swung his arm at her, his eyes widening as it passed through her. "Woah! That's really cool!" He continued to poke and prod her stomach, laughing as the smoke reformed each time. "You gotta teach me that!"

Natsumi looked away and shook her head. "It's not something that I can teach, really. I kind of got this ability by... accident."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and crossed his arms, scratching his cheek. "What's that mean?"

"I mean..." Natsumi sighed quietly and lowered her voice. "I almost died during... training. I got this ability, sure, but... it's not a method I would recommend anyone to do. It was really scary."

"Do you know a woman named Oto?" Kakashi looked over her and she quickly blinked, blushing faintly as she turned to him. After a moment, she nodded.

"Y-Yeah..."

_Judging by that, I'm sure he knows enough about her to get an idea of what happened._

_"Just as I thought..."_ Kakashi went quiet. _"I'd warn her about associating with Oto, but she already knows that."_

"What's with those markings around your eyes?" Sakura pointed at the girl and Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

"W-What?" She stooped to pick up her jacket, then took the small compact mirror out of the pocket to look at herself. "Markings?"

_Oh... Oh no._

She gulped and stared at her pale grayed face and at the orange markings under her eyes. She lifted a hand and traced the mark from the bridge of her nose, across the bottom of her eye, and then upward in a curve.

_It's just like... his. But, only on the bottom. This didn't happen to me the last time, though..._

She looked down at her hands, where the Hebihime sigils had been.

_They're gone?_ She bit her lip. _No... they just moved. Oto definitely didn't say anything about that happening._

Kakashi watched her as she quickly shut the mirror and laughed awkwardly.

"W-Well, that's new..."

_"If she's already gone this far training with that woman, then it's more serious than I had thought."_

Natsumi solidified and felt Kakashi's eyes on her.

_There's no way he didn't recognize those markings... I'm so careless. I should have known better to not show them. I hope he doesn't ask me about Orochimaru... I'd be in so much trouble._

"It's a useful technique, that's for sure." Kakashi smiled slightly and shut his eye, holding up a hand. "Just be careful when training to not go beyond your limits."

_You don't need to tell me to avoid Oto. I already know._

She met his eyes and nodded, and saw Sasuke watching her coolly from the corner of his eyes.

_He's irritated... Of course, he kind of always is._

"Hey. Sasuke." Natsumi's voice softened and she kept her arms crossed. "What I said before, during our fight... I was only goading you. I'm not heartless enough to actually mean that stuff that I said about your family. I was just testing your reaction, but, even then, it was a little uncalled for... Sorry."

"...Whatever." He looked away and put his hands into his own pockets.

Natsumi's eye twitched and she narrowed her eyes. "Hey! I just gave you a heartfelt apology, and all you have to say is 'whatever'?!"

"There's nothing I have to say to you."

"You—!" Natsumi balled her hands into fists. "I take it all back, then! You're just a jerk, after all!" She pointed to the field with her sword. "Get back over there so I can kick your butt again!"

Kakashi patted her head and chuckled. "I think that's enough for today. What you all should be doing now is getting plenty of rest before the Exams begin."

Natsumi made a face and sighed. She activated the seal on her palm and the Ninjato vanished, then she crossed her arms. "...Fine."

"Are you taking the Chunin Exams, too?" Sakura looked at Natsumi.

"Me?" Natsumi shook her head. "No, not this time around."

"What?! Why not?" Naruto held up his hands. "You're really strong!"

Natsumi winked and smiled faintly. "I don't think the world is ready for the debut of _both_ Uzumaki twins just yet." She shrugged. "Besides, I'd rather sit on the sidelines and cheer my brother on, instead of having to compete with him."

"Natsumi..." Naruto's eyes watered and he hugged her. "You're such a good sister!"

"Hey!" She laughed and pushed him back, wiping her face. "You're getting tears and snot on me!"

"Say, say! Do you want to train some more?" Naruto nudged her side.

"You're supposed to be taking it easy." Natsumi smiled and nudged him back. "Besides, I already have plans with my team later to go to the bathhouse, and then to dinner. Sorry."

He opened his mouth, and she held up her hand.

"And _don't_ even think about using your Sexy Jutsu to try to sneak in. Between Kiri and Rie, you'd be comatose and wouldn't be able to participate in the Chunin Exams at all."

He made a face and crossed his arms. "I wasn't gonna."

Natsumi smiled and waved at the others. "I'll see you around, then!"

"Hey!" Yuki narrowed her eyes and followed Natsumi. "I'm coming, too! You owe me a feast for getting my lovely fur all dirty!"


	67. Chapter 65: The Chunin Exams Begin

Naruto and Sasuke stood outside of the Academy, looking around in silence with their backs turned to each other as they waited. Finally, Sakura ran up to them, and Naruto waved at her as she approached.

"Sakura! You're late!"

Her cheeks warmed slightly and she waved sheepishly yeah, averting her eyes. "Y-Yeah... sorry..." She looked at Sasuke, seeing flashes of the Genjutsu in her mind of his body laying motionless on the ground. "Morning, Sasuke."

He looked over at her from the corner of his eyes in acknowledgement. "Yeah..." He narrowed his eyes, watching her expression carefully. _"There's something off about Sakura."_

They entered the Academy and headed towards the room Kakashi had instructed them to. A pair of Genin boys stood smugly in front of the doorway with a large crowd around them, and they knocked back a boy in a green jumpsuit as he tried to enter the classroom.

"So, are you sure you're up to taking the Chunin Exam with that level of skill?" The boy with the headband sneered down at him. "Maybe it'd be best if you runts quit."

"You're nothing but green-assed brats, after all." The Genin with dark, spiked hair beside him laughed.

"Please let us through." A girl looked between them and approached, and was knocked back next to her teammate with a heavy punch to her face.

"That's mean..." One of the boys in the crowd watched the girl fall and they stared at the pair blocking the door.

"What did you say?" The spiky haired boy laughed. "Listen! We're being nice to you! The Chunin Exam is a high hurdle."

"Many times we've seen people quit, as well as people who were disabled for life just because they took this Exam." The boy in the headband crossed his arms.

"Also, a Chunin is at the level of a unit leader. Mission failures, death of subordinates... it's all on the shoulders of the leader!" The spiky-haired boy added, scowling down at the two Genin on the ground. "Brats like these as Chunin?"

"What's so bad about weeding out those who won't pass anyway?" The headband boy sniffed and narrowed his eyes a them.

"A just argument." Sasuke approached with his hands in his pockets, with Naruto and Sakura following behind. "However,you will be letting me through."

He stepped closer to them and smirked faintly. "And also... could you immediately undo this barrier created with Genjutsu? I have business on the third floor."

Several Genin in the group behind him looked at each other in confusion.

"What's this guy talking about?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Well, well..." The headband boy chuckled.

"So, you noticed, huh?" The spikey-haired boy looked Sasuke over.

"How about it, Sakura?" Sasuke smirked and looked over his shoulder at her. "You should have been the first one to realize it."

"Hm?" She blinked and looked at him.

"Your analytical strength and Genjutsu know-how has improved the most in our team, so..."

"Sasuke..." She blushed faintly at the compliment. "Thanks..." She smirked as well, meeting the boys' eyes directly. "Of course. I realized it ages ago. You see, this is actually the second floor."

Naruto nodded. "Yup!"

"Well... not bad. But all you've done is catch on... right?" The spike-headed Genin chuckled and smirked, suddenly spinning and aiming a kick at Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed as he moved quickly to aim his own kick at the rival, but was stopped by the boy from before.

He looked up intensely between them, gripping their legs tightly.

_"H-He's fast!"_ Sakura stared at the boy, impressed. _"This person... it's like he's a different person from when he was getting punched before!"_

Lee released both boys and straightened, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked him over.

_"He stopped my kick... what's with that Chakra in his arm?"_

"Hey, this isn't what you promised." Neji and Tenten approached Lee. "You were the one who said you didn't want to carelessly attract attention."

"But..." Lee looked down. He looked at Sakura and met her eyes, blushing and clutching his fist.

_"This guy..."_ Sasuke kept his eyes on Lee. "_The marks where he was hit are disappearing. Was he faking?"_

Lee walked up to Sakura and smiled. "My name's Rock Lee. Your name's Sakura, right...?"

"Huh?"

Lee raised a thumbs-up at her, blushing as he grinned and winked. "Please go out with me! I'll protect you until I die!"

Sakura paled and blinked blankly. "Uh... abs... olutely... not."

"H-Huh?" Lee's face paled and his hand lowered as he stared at her.

"You're... too intense." Sakura muttered.

Lee hung his head, speechless and Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head as he witnessed the brutal rejection.

"Hey, you there." Neji approached them with Tenten following. "Identify yourself."

"Huh?" Naruto looked over at the newcomer, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fist. _"Dang it! Again?! It's always about Sasuke!"_

Sasuke turned to the Hyuga, unimpressed. "When asking someone his name, give your own name first."

"You're one of the rookies, right? How old are you?" Neji stuck his own hands into his pockets as he met the Uchiha's eyes.

"I'm not obliged to answer."

"What...?" Neji furrowed his brows and his gaze hardened.

Tenten smiled to herself and looked at Sasuke, holding her hand close to her face. _"He's cute."_

"Hey, hey!" Naruto pointed at himself. "Don't you wanna know who I am?"

"Not interested." Neji glanced at him, then turned his attention back to the Uchiha.

Lee rested his hand against the wall, slouching in disappointment, and Naruto followed suit, being ignored entirely. Sasuke turned away from the Hyuga and glanced over at the moping Genin.

"Too intense, huh...?" Lee muttered under his breath.

"Uninterested, huh...?" Naruto pouted and grumbled, letting out a deep sigh.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke, her cheeks warming faintly. "Now then! Sasuke, Naruto, let's go!" She grabbed each of their hands, pulling them down the hall as Sasuke grimaced slightly and Naruto beamed and blushed.

As they reached the stairs to the third floor, Sasuke tugged his hand away and Sakura's face fell. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naruto grinning as he looked down at their hands, and she screwed up her face glared.

"What are you looking at?!" She released his hand, smacking his head as he pouted.

"S-Sakura-chan..."

She huffed and quickly ascended the stairs, catching up to Sasuke as he ignored their bickering. Naruto rubbed his head, then pouted and slouched as he trudged up after them.

_"Good grief." _Sasuke smirked to himself in thought. _"This Chunin Exam... is full of monsters."_

* * *

"So, those are Kakashi and Guy's treasured brats." The boy with the headband smirked slightly with his friend as they peered at the Genin from the partially open door.

"Well, for the time being, their applications will pass." The boy with spiked hair added.

They turned and each held up a hand sign, undoing their transformation Jutsu to return to their natural appearance.

"It appears this year's test will be amusing." Kotetsu chuckled.

"And for us proctors too, eh." Izumo smirked slightly.

"Ahem."

They turned to see Kiri frowning at them with her arms crossed, drumming her fingers against her arm.

"K-Kiri?!" They both leaned back in surprise, nearly jumping. "What are you doing here?"

Kiri looked between them both. "The Hokage asked me to linger around to make sure none of the applicants started any trouble before the Exam starts."

"I-Is that so?" Kotetsu rubbed the back of his head, relaxing slightly.

"Except, what do I see instead?" Kiri paused, then pointed between them. "You two in horrible disguises, making a scene. You guys are completely childish."

"H-Hey..." Izumo held up his hands, waving them. "I wouldn't go that far..."

"Give us a break." Kotetsu chuckled. "We just wanted to mess with them a little as a test. The proctors did the same back when we took the Exam." He closed his eyes, smirking faintly. _"Oh, _I guess you wouldn't remember because you never took the Chunin Exams, did you?"

Kiri's eyes twitched and her furrowed her brows, then laughed loudly and held her hands up to shrug. "What was that, pipsqueak? You're so short that I didn't hear you from all the way down there."

Kotetsu blushed faintly and balled his fists. "I'm not that short!"

"Eh?" Kiri smirked smugly and held her hand up to her ear, leaning down slightly. "What's that, tiny? I didn't catch that."

Kotetsu gritted his teeth, blushing as he leaned closer. "I'm not short! I'm the average height for a man! It's _you _who's unnatural! You can't seriously expect to find a man taller than you." He tilted his head mockingly and shrugged as he closed his eyes. "Well, you could always go on a Safari and find a nice giraffe to settle down with, since you're such a giant. I hear they have big—"

Kiri balled her hand into a fist and slammed it into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying through the doors, rolling down the hall through the crowd of examinees until he smacked into the end of the hallway.

"Rude... irritating... ass." Kiri muttered to herself as the Genin looked over at her, paling at her expression and quickly scurrying away.

"H-Heh..." Izumo laughed awkwardly. "I-I guess he deserved that."

"You _guess?"_ She turned to him and he swallowed, laughing nervously.

"I... uh..." He pointed down the hall. "I'd better go check on him."

Izumo rushed to Kotetsu, who still looked paled and dazed, and Kiri let out a sigh, shaking her head as she put her hands on her hips and blushed faintly.

"Yeesh... what an idiot." She turned and walked away, strolling through the building to continue monitoring for any trouble.


	68. Chapter 66: Rock Lee Versus Sasuke

Neji watched as Sakura pulled her teammates toward the stairs, watching the back of Sasuke's head intently. _"Sasuke... Sasuke Uchiha, eh."_

Rock Lee turned to look at Neji, and Tenten smiled at the Hyuga.

"Does that kid concern you?"

"Hmph." Neji smirked slightly, closing his eyes briefly as he walked down the hall. Tenten following behind.

Tenten turned to look at the other boy. "Lee, let's go. What're you doing?"

"You guys go on ahead. I have something I want to check out." Lee replied, and turned to walk the other way.

"What's that about?" Teten mumbled, looking back at Neji.

"Why should I know?"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke walked through the Academy's training hall.

"You, with the unpleasant look. Wait a minute!"

"Huh?"

They stopped and turned to look at the upper level where Rock Lee looked down at them.

"Oh." Naruto squinted at him in surprise and Sakura paled and her eyes widened.

"Oh no!"

Sasuke put his hands into his pockets. "What is it?"

"Why don't you fight with me here now?"

"A fight right here and now?" Sasuke furrowed his brows.

"Yes!" Lee hopped down, thumbing at himself. "My name's Rock Lee." He pointed at Sasuke. "When asking a person their name, I'm supposed to give my own name first, right? Sasuke Uchiha..."

"Hmph. So you knew?"

"I want to fight with you!" Lee took a stance, awaiting a reply. "I want to test how effective my techniques will be against the descendant of the clan reputed for genius Ninjas. Also..."

Lee turned his attention to Sakura, who shuddered at the eye contact. Lee's cheeks flushed as he looked at her.

"Sakura. Love."

"N-No!" Sakura shook her head quickly. "Those lower lashes are awful!" She hugged her arms close, muttering. "The hairstyle is awful, too... and those bushy eyebrows... just too intense. Everything is...!"

"You're an angel!" Lee blew a kiss at her.

"Noooooo!" Sakura dodged as if a heart floated to her and missed.

"Oh, you're good." Lee admired her. "Then, how about...?"

Lee blew dozens of kisses at her, one after the other, and she continued to shriek and dodge.

Sakura panted, catching her breath as her eye twitched and she looked at him. _"That... was super close."_ She furrowed her brows and balled her hand into a fist. "Hey! Don't do strange things! I was dodging for my life!"

"You don't have to resent me that much..." Lee slouched slightly and his expression fell.

_"It's Sasuke again! Darn it! Darn it!"_ Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"To be honest, you're a naïve one, knowing the Uchiha name and still challenging me." Sasuke responded finally, narrowing his eyes at him. "Do you want to realize what this name signifies, Bushy Brow?""

"I insist." Lee smirked faintly, taking a ready stance again with one arm behind his back and the other hand in front of him. _"I'm lucky... to be able to have a bout with the number one rookie right away. And I'll prove It to you, Guy Sensei!"_

"Wait!" Naruto interrupted and all eyes fell on him. "I'll be the one to take out Bushy-Brow. Believe it!"

"Hey, you!" Sakura frowned at him and Naruto stepped forward.

"Big deal!" Naruto rubbed his nose, sniffing as he smirked. "I'll be able to take care of him in just five minutes!"

"The one I want to fight isn't you... it's Uchiha." Lee kept his attention focused on Sasuke.

"Tch!" Naruto balled his fists. "All these people keep saying Sasuke, Sasuke. How annoying!" He ran at Lee at full speed, throwing a punch. Lee quickly tapped Naruto's hand, diverting the strike to the side and causing Naruto to lose his balance.

"Darn it!" Naruto adjusted, placing his hands on the ground and aiming a kick at Lee.

Lee dodged skillfully and dropped to the ground, spinning and extended a leg to knock Naruto to the ground.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Naruto shouted in surprise, then spun and was flung into the wall, hitting it with a grunt.

_"As I thought... he's strong." _Sakura watched Naruto blink and rub his head as Lee stood straight.

"I declare you are absolutely no match for me. That's because... of all the Leaf Village Genin, I'm the strongest now." Lee looked at Sasuke, taking a ready stance again in confidence as Sasuke narrowed in his eyes in a slight scowl.

Sasuke smirked, closing his eyes temporarily before he looked back at Lee. "Interesting. I'll do it."

Sakura turned to the wall clock and blinked. "Oh." She turned to Sasuke. "Stop. There's less than thirty minutes until the registration."

"Hmph. Don't worry." He furrowed his brows. "It'll be over in five minutes."

Sasuke ran at Lee quickly and Lee smiled faintly as he watched his movements.

_"Here he comes! I'm sorry, Guy Sensei. I may end up breaking the taboo. I may just end up using... that technique."_

Sasuke arced a punch at him, his eyes widening slightly as Lee suddenly vanished. _"He disappeared?"_ Looking all around, he saw out of the corner of his eye as Lee appeared in the air above him and kicked at him in series.

"Leaf Hurricanes!"

_"I can't get completely out of the way...!"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth as he started to dodge and instead raised his arms. _"Guard!"_

Lee held up a single hand sign and his foot made contact with Sasuke's face, knocking him back.

_"What...?!" _Sasuke was thrown backward and fell hard onto the wooden floor.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's eyes widened as she held her hand up to her mouth.

_"What's going on?"_ Sasuke slowly got up, scowling as he thought.

_"But... he did guard himself just now, no mistake."_ Sakura looked from Sasuke to Lee in silence.

_"He got around my guard."_ Sasuke wiped his face with the back of his hand and narrowed his eyes at his opponent. _"What is it? Is it Ninjutsu? Or is it Genjutsu?"_

_"As I thought... he's going to get up!"_ Lee waited in his stance again, keeping his attention on Sasuke.

_"_Hmph... That's okay. If that's the case, this is a good opportunity to get used to that." Sasuke smirked. "I'll do it."

"H-Huh?" Sakura blinked. _"Could it be...?"_

Sasuke blinked and his eyes shifted to reveal the red Sharingan where two tomoe encircle each of his pupils.

_"Sharingan!"_ Sakura blushed faintly as she stared at him. _"Since when has he... what is that in his eyes? And, in both of them...!"_

_"Is that the Sharingan?"_ Lee furrowed his thick brows and pressed his lips together to form a hard line.

_"Sasuke's so awesome, after all!"_ She smiled and clasped her hands together, holding them close. _"If this is the same Kekkei Genkai as Kakashi-sensei's... he can read Bushy-Brow's Jutsu! This will be over soon."_

_"Genjutsu or Ninjutsu... it's some kind of magic either way... I'll expose it!"_

_"It feels like Sasuke's rapidly getting stronger. That's to be expected of one from the Uchiha clan. That's right! There's no way that Sasuke could lose to a guy like this."_

Sasuke ran at Lee full speed, smirking. Lee closed his eyes briefly, then seemed to vanish again, reappearing to deal a firm kick from below. Sasuke flew across the room once again, clenching his jaw.

Sakura covered her mouth as it gaped open. _"The Sharingan...!"_

_"To not be able to discern the Jutsu with the Sharingan... could it be... that his technique is...!"_

"That's right..." Lee straighted and looked at Sasuke. "My technique is neither Ninjutsu no Genjutsu."

Sasuke flipped mid-air and landed on his feet, barely having time to catch his breath before Lee rushed at him.

Naruto rubbed his head, finally regaining consciousness. He blinked and his eyes went wide as he saw the fight before him. "Sasuke!"

Lee advanced, landing punch after punch and kick after kick as Sasuke struggled to keep up, barely able to block. Lee parried a counter-punch easily, gripping Sasuke's wrist to pull him into his elbow hard. Sasuke coughed and staggered back several meters, clutching his stomach with a glare.

"That's right." Lee turned to Sasuke once more. "My technique is mere Taijutsu... Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened as Lee vanished again, reappearing behind the Uchiha. Sasuke gritted his teeth and glanced behind him as Lee continued to speak.

"You may not be able to believe it just like that, but..."

"Punk!" Sasuke growled and swung at his rival, who easily dodged by leaping high into the air before landing gracefully across the room and taking the ready stance again.

"It's said that the Sharingan has the ability to spot all Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu..."

Sasuke trembled slightly as he stared at Lee, fixed in place.

"Make no mistake," Lee continued. "The Sharingan reads Ninjutsu and Genjutsu that require the principle of building up Chakra and weaving signs... and can most surely handle such Jutsu. However, only Taijutsu is a different story."

"What do you mean?!" Sasuke scowled slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"Even if you can spot my movements with the Sharingan, your body is not equipped with the speed to respond to my Taijutsu. In other words... even if you understand with your eyes, there's nothing to be done if your body is unable to keep up."

Sasuke clenched his fists, glaring in response.

"Do you know? There are two types of strong people in the world. Genius types and Effort types." Lee paused. "If your Sharingan is a genius type drawing Uchiha ability... I'm an effort type who has patiently mastered only Taijutsu."

Sasuke clenched his teeth and ran at Lee once again, swinging a punch at Lee, which he dodged easily as he continued talking.

"In a manner of speaking, your Sharingan and my ultimate Taijutsu have the worst compatibility..." Lee continued to dodge Sasuke's heavy attacks without moving from the spot where he stood, then turned on his back leg to land an upward kick to the Uchiha, who flew back.

Lee placed his hands and knees on the floor, then seemed to vanish, reappearing behind Sasuke mid-air.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow!"

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Lee, speechless.

"And I shall prove it with this technique." Lee's bandaging on his forearms loosened. "Prove that effort exceeds the genius."

_"W-What's he going to do?!"_ Sasuke's eyes widened.

"It's my victory!" Lee's bandages moved to wrap around Sasuke, only for a pinwheel to fly through the air, catching the end of a bandage, and sticking into the wall to interrupt the match.

Sakura flinched at the sudden interruption, and she and Naruto looked over at the source simultaneously. "Huh?!"

Lee's eyes widened slightly. "That's...!"

A large red and yellow tortoise scowled up at the green-clad Genin. "That's as far as it goes, Lee!"

_"What is it? What's going on?"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, turning to look as he fell to the ground.

"Sasuke!" Sakura ran over to him, catching him just before he reached the floor and cushioned his fall with a grunt.

Lee rolled in air, then landed in front of the reptile, kneeling.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at Lee, trembling slightly. "_Sasuke was... beaten?! What happened while I was knocked out?!"_

Sakura helped Sasuke to get up carefully and he lifted his head to glare at Lee.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Sakura frowned slightly at his slight bruises. He gritted his teeth without acknowledging her and she stared at him quietly. _"He's agitated... to think he couldn't even fall properly..."_

"Y-You were watching...?" Lee asked the tortoise, his eyes cast downward as he continued to kneel.

"Lee! That technique just now is prohibited, you know!" The tortoise narrowed its gaze at him.

_"W-What's with that turtle...?"_ Naruto's eyes fell on the animal and he blinked several times. _"He's getting scolded or something, it looks like."_

"I'm sorry." Lee bowed his head. "I didn't mean to..."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he tapped his fist against his palm. _"I know! Could that be... Bushy Brow's teacher?!"_

Lee's eyes rose to look at the tortoise, who glared at him. Lee reeled back slightly, waving his hands.

"B-But of course, I-I didn't even remotely have a mind to use that Forbidden technique..."

_"There's no mistake."_ Naruto stood slowly, watching Lee frantically defending himself.

Sakura and Sasuke both turned to look at Lee, blinking wide-eyed.

"Huh...?"

"Hey, hey!" Naruto ran over to his teammates.

"What?" Sakura turned to him.

"That thing..." Naruto pointed at the reptile. "It's a turtle, right?"

"Isn't it obvious?!" Sakura's eye twitched slightly as her brows furrowed.

"Say, say..." His arm lowered and he narrowed his eyes at Sakura. "Can even a turtle become a Ninja teacher?"

"Huh?! I don't know!"

"Fool!" The animal loudly shouted at Lee. "You think such subterfuge will work?! You should know very well what it means for a Shinobi to give away his technique!"

"I... I know." Lee hung his head.

Sasuke wiped away the dirt smudged on his face, clenching his jaw as he furrowed his brows at Lee from across the room. _"To think I lost to someone so flippant..."_

"Have you prepared yourself?" The tortoise asked and Lee's head hung further.

"Hm..." The animal looked away for a moment. "All right, if you will, Guy Sensei!"

With a puff of smoke, a man with thick brows, a bowl cut, flak jacket, and green tracksuit appeared, standing on top of the tortoise's back in a peculiar position.

"Man! Life treating you good, huh?"

"H-Huh?!" Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto paled as their jaws dropped and they stared in shock at the man.

_"Whoa! An even more intense guy has appeared!"_ Naruto twitched slightly as he stood rooted in place.

"Yo, Lee." The man thumbed at himself with a smile and one eye closed in a wink.

"Super intense... that extreme bowl cut..." Sakura stammered under her breath, her eye twitching.

"T-Those are some incredibly raging brows..." Naruto added shakily. "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Lee twitched as he overheard them talk, then quickly turned toward them with his thick brows furrowed and his fist clenched. "H-Hey! You guys! Don't mock Guy Sensei!"

"Shaddup!" Naruto's brow tensed and he balled his hands into fists. "I'm at a loss for a reaction because of the bizarre things appearing one after the other!"

"What?!" Lee shouted back.

"Hey, Lee!" Gyu waved. "Drop it."

Lee stopped, regaining his composure as he turned to look at his sensei. "Yes, sir."

Guy drew his fist back suddenly, then hit Lee directly in the cheek, knocking him back. "Idiot!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stared with their eyes and mouths wider, speechless.

Guy walked over to his student and knelt in front of him as Lee slowly picked himself off of the ground.

"Lee, you... you..."

"S-Sensei...!"

Tears poured from Guys eyes as he smiled faintly down at the boy. "Lee..."

Lee started to cry in the same way, sniffing. "S-Sensei... I... I..."

"Enough, Lee! Don't say anything!"

"Sensei!" Lee lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the man in a tight hug.

"Lee!" Guy returned the embrace.

_"I lost... to a guy like that..." _Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Yes... this is youth!" Guy continued to hug Lee as they cried.

"S-Sensei!"

"Heh..." Naruto chuckled and pointed over at Lee and Guy. "That sort of tone's kind of nice, too, right?"

"I-Idiot!" Sakura pointed at him, glaring. "That's dangerous! Very dangerous!"

Lee and Guy wiped their eyes and stood, and Guy patted the boy's shoulder. "It's okay, Lee. Mistakes come with youth. Don't worry about it!"

"Y-You're so kind... sensei." Lee sniffed again as tears continued to flow down his face.

"Now then!" Guy pointed outside with a grin. "Take a hundred laps around the training field toward that setting sun!"

"Yes, sensei!" Lee wiped his eyes again with his forearm and smiled brightly.

"Let's go, Lee!"

"Yes, sir!"

They turned and started to leave, and Naruto blinked.

"H-Hey, wait a minute! We're still in the middle of the conversation!" Naruto clenched his fists in frustration.

"What're you going to do about the Chunin Exam?!" Sakura added, holding her hands out in a slight shrug. "There's no time!"

Guy stopped and turned to Team Seven and rubbed his head. "Huh? Oh, that's right..." He cleared his throat, putting his hands on his hips as he turned his attention back to his student. "Lee, you will be punished for attempting to break the prohibition on top of fighting... in principle, after the Chunin Exam."

"Okay!" Lee saluated, and Guy grinned and struck another odd pose, with one hand on his hip and another pointed at the ceiling.

"Five-hundred howls of youth!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I-Idiots..." Sakura muttered quietly.

"Say! Say!" Naruto pointed at the tortoise again. "By the way, what's with that turtle?"

Guy looked over at the other Genin, quietly watching them. _"If I'm not mistaken, those kids are... Kakashi's."_

Sakura blinked, then paled and held her arms up like an X. _"Oh no! He's looking this way!"_

"You guys..." Guy rested his hands on his hips. "How's Kakashi?"

Sasuke blinked, finally reverting his shocked expression to normal and stuck his hands into his pockets. "You know Kakashi...?"

"I know him all too well." Guy chuckled and touched his chin. "People call us... eternal rivals."

Sakura and Naruto made a face.

"S-Sounds like a lie!"

"What're you saying?!" Lee held up his fist in defense. "Guy Sensei really is...!"

"That's fine." Guy chuckled again and held up his hand. "Actions speak louder than words, anyway."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly at them, then widened quickly as he realized Guy was suddenly missing.

_"H-Huh?!"_

"By the way, my record is fifty wins and forty-nine losses." Guy chuckled, behind them now.

They froze in place, trembling slightly at his speed and turned quickly to look at him.

_"T-This guy..." _Sasuke watched him intently, narrowing his eyes further.

"W-When did he...?" Naruto stammered and gulped.

"Ha!" Guy pointed a thumb at himself. "For one, I'm stronger than Kakashi."

_"N-No way..."_ Sasuke gritted his teeth. _"He's fast! He's even faster than Kakashi! Is he even human?!"_

"How about that?!" Lee grinned at them. "Guy sensei is awesome, isn't he?!"

_"Damn it..."_ Sasuke averted his eyes slightly.

"This time around, Lee caused the trouble. Out of consideration for my face, please forgive him."

Sasuke didn't answer, only staring blankly, lost in thought. _"He's better than Kakashi...? Damn it... He's... not just all talk."_

"You guys and Lee should probably go to the classroom pretty soon." Guy continued, throwing a Kunai knife to knock the pinwheel off the wall, freeing Lee's bandage that tethered him there.

Lee slowly rebandaged his hand and forearm, and Naruto's eyes widened slightly at the bruises on the back of the boy's hand.

_"He...!"_

"Alright then! Do your best, Lee!" Guy held up a thumbs-up and smiled. "Farewell!"

"Yes, sir!"

Guy disappeared in a pop of smoke the same way he had appeared, along with the tortoise, leaving the Genin alone.

"Sasuke..." Lee turned to his rival, and the Uchiha met his gaze. "I have one last thing to tell you. I actually came here to verify my own ability... I lied before. The strongest of the Leaf Village Genin might be on my team."

Sasuke furrowed his brows and Lee continued.

"I'm entering in order to defeat that person. And, you are also one of my targets. Please prepare yourself for the Exam accordingly!"

Lee leapt upward, performing a front roll mid-air, and landed gracefully on the other level before leaving the training hall entirely. Sasuke clenched his fists tightly and looked away.

"Sasuke..." Sakura looked at him, whispering quietly.

"Ha! So..." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and looked sideways at his teammate. "I guess the Uchiha clan's not all that, huh?"

Sakura blinked, balling her fists as she glared at the blond. "Naruto!

"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed. "I'll knock him flat next time!"

"Heh..." Naruto turned away as he muttered. "That from someone who just got whipped."

"H-Hey!" Sakura glared again. "What's your problem, Naruto?!"

Sasuke shot a glare at Naruto from the corner of his eye, and Naruto looked down at the ground, his expression solemn.

"You saw it, didn't you? His hand..."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.

"That Bushy-Brow probably did a heck of a lot of special training. Day after day... probably more than you have. That's all it is."

Sakura looked at Naruto, then back to Sasuke, who turned his back to them as he gritted his teeth. _"Sasuke... "_

_"Interesting..."_ Sasuke opened his hands, then closed them again with a smirk. _"Hmph. It's starting to get really interesting... this Chunin Exam! I wonder what's coming next."_

"Yeah!" Naruto grinned at him, and Sakura smiled.

"All right!"

Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets, looking at the doorway. "Let's go, Naruto. Sakura."

"Yeah! I'm ready!"

Sasuke stepped through the doorway first and Sakura watched him walk confidently with a faint blush.

_"Sasuke's so cool!"_


	69. Chapter 67: The Abe Estate Assault Pt 1

Natsumi blocked a strike from Yuki's sword, leaping back and sighing slightly as she caught her breath.

_The first part of the Exam should be starting in a few hours. I hope Naruto's okay. Written tests aren't his strong suit at all._

"Don't slack off!" Yuki snarled, swinging her blade at Natsumi.

She blinked and rolled to the side, blocking the attack with her Ninjato quickly. "I'm not really in the mood to train now, Yuki. Would you mind if we took a break?"

"A break?" Yuki scoffed and stuck her nose in the air. "That's exactly why you humans are so weak. You're too fragile to train diligently."

"Yuki, I've been training most of the morning." Natsumi stood and held her arms at her side. "I'm tired and sweaty, and I'm getting hungry. How about we call it a day, have a nice, hot bath, and then grab something to eat?"

"Hmph." Yuki sheathed her sword and turned her face away. "I suppose you've earned a short break. As long as you get me something really tasty to eat."

The corners of Natsumi's mouth twitched in a slight smirk as she looked at the cat. "How does barbeque sound?"

"Hm... I suppose that would be acceptable." Yuki flicked her tail back and forth. "Although it's not exactly high-class dining."

"Maybe not, but I can sneak you into Yakiniku a lot easier than a fancy restaurant." She reached out to scratch under Yuki's chin. "And it's not overpriced, so I can buy you more."

Yuki purred for a moment before blinking and swatting away Natsumi's hand with a paw. "Alright, when you put it that way, I'll agree to it." She flicked her tail and hopped onto Natsumi's shoulder. "But first, a bath."

"You're such a strange cat." Natsumi stood slowly, wiping her forehead and her Ninjato vanished to return to her locker.

* * *

"Ah, that was refreshing." Yuki purred on Natsumi's shoulder, closing her eyes as she pointed her nose up. "That bath was just what I needed, and now my belly's full, too."

"What now?" Natsumi glanced up at her as she walked.

"I could go for a nap."

"Me too." Natsumi laughed. "How about we head home and sleep?"

"Please." Yuki yawned and rested her head on Natsumi's as she closed her eyes. "I haven't slept in so long."

Natsumi laughed to herself and rolled her eyes. "It's only been three hours since your last nap."

"So?" Yuki flicked her tail in Natsumi's face. "I'm tried."

"Okay, okay." Natsumi swatted the tail out of her face. "I'm going."

She turned a corner and bumped into a person with an 'oof.'

"Oh! I'm sor—" She looked up at the boy and blushed brightly. "I-It's you."

Yuuta blinked and then his lips curved in a slight smirk. "Oh, it's little Red." He released the hand of the girl he'd been walking with and met her eyes. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

"U-Uh..." Natsumi averted her eyes and scratched her cheek. "Well, I've been on missions pretty much back-to-back lately, so..."

"Hmph. That bitch is working you like a dog, is she?" He furrowed his brows and scowled for a moment as he muttered, then smirked again and shrugged. "I thought you were avoiding me."

"W-What?" Natsumi quickly shook her head and bit her lip. "Why would I?"

_Actually, I was. Because I can't help myself from thinking he's cute, even though everyone warns me to stay away from him._

"Yuuta, who's this?" The girl pressed her lips together into a hard line and she stared down at Natsumi.

"Oh, this?" He looked back at the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "She's just a friend. We see each other sometimes for missions."

"Is that so...?" She crossed her arms and looked at the younger girl. "She doesn't look like she's good enough to even be assigned to important missions like you."

"Don't underestimate her. She's pretty incredible."

Natsumi blushed as he put his arm around her with a grin, swallowing slightly as the older girl's possessive gaze bore into her.

"U-Uh... I... wouldn't say that." Natsumi leaned away from him and avoiding looking at the girl.

_I wish he'd stop clinging on me like this! She really looks like she could kill me. I'm probably interrupting a date._

"Oh, don't be so modest, Red." Yuuta poked her cheek. "You've got more talent in one hand than most people have in their whole bodies."

"Uh... thanks."

Yuki hissed at Yuuta and shot him a glare as she hopped off of Natsumi's shoulder and onto the ground. "Can't you take a hint? Buzz off."

"Quiet, furball." He shot a look at the cat, then flashed a charming smile at Natsumi. "You don't mind my company, right?"

"I... uh..." Natsumi swallowed again and scratched her head. "Well, actually I have things I need to do today, and you already have company, so..."

"Oh, alright. Raincheck." He moved back beside the girl and motioned to Natsumi. "Sorry, babe. I forgot introductions. This is Natsumi Uzumaki."

The girl furrowed her brows and kept a watchful eye on Natsumi.

"Uzumaki?" She repeated distastefully.

Natsumi resisted the urge to frown and ball her hand into a fist at the cold expression in her eyes.

"And this is Maiya." Yuuta gestured to the girl next to him. "My girlfriend."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly. "Girlfriend?"

_She's pretty, but she seems to have a really bad attitude._

"You got a problem with that?" Maiya sneered.

"H-Huh? No, you misunderstood me..."

_How was I supposed he know he had a girlfriend? The way he flirts with me so openly, I had no idea._

"Maiya, babe, relax." Yuuta waved his hand.

"Hmph."

"As if we care about you or your tart, you pri—" Yuki snapped and Natsumi scooped her up quickly with a panicked laugh.

"S-Sorry. She has no filter." Natsumi held the cat tightly in her arms as she wriggled. "I really have to go so I'm not late for a thing, so..."

"Better cancel those plans." Yuuta chuckled and shrugged. "I heard mom saying something about needing to see you."

Natsumi blinked and the blood drained from her face.

_The captain needs to see me? Why?_

"A-About what?" She asked slowly.

"Dunno. Some kind of mission." His lips curved slightly upward and he leaned down to meet her eyes and brush her cheek. "I'd go see what she wants right away. Just make sure you stay safe on that mission, alright? We wouldn't want you to scar up your pretty face."

"U-Uh..." Natsumi blushed deeply and pulled away from his hand. "T-Thanks... I'll uh... go report in, then."

She walked quickly away and let out a sigh of relief as she went around a corner out of sight, then released Yuki.

"What'd you do that for?" The cat glared.

"You were making the situation even worse. You can't just say stuff like that."

"I was being honest." Yuki stuck her nose up. "If the truth hurts, that's not my fault."

Natsumi sighed. "You were only making that girl hate me even more. I think she was almost ready to attack me."

"I bet that girl hates everyone. And her jealousy only proves how insecure and arrogant she is." Yuki flicked her tail. "You're so much better than her."

"Even if that's a compliment, it doesn't really sound like one in that context." Natsumi mumbled.

"Anyway, let's go meet up with that woman if there's a mission for us."

"Heh..." Natsumi waved her hand. "W-Why don't you go home and nap and let me deal with the Captain? It's the boring part anyway."

Yuki narrowed her eyes. "You're only trying to keep me from giving her a piece of my mind."

"Yup." Natsumi smiled slightly. "Now go take a nap. I'll summon you if I need you."

"Ugh. _Fine._" Yuki rolled her eyes and hopped onto the fence. "Call me if the mission's going to be fun."

"Yeah, yeah." Natsumi waved her hand and Yuki bounded off. She sighed quietly, alone, and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

_Guess I have to go see the Captain now..._

* * *

Natsumi sighed heavily and raised her hand to knock on the door of the briefing room.

"Come in."

Natsumi blinked.

_The Hokage's here?_

She turned the knob slowly and stepped inside. Hiruzen stood at the head of the table, overlooking several maps and scrolls. Yuuri stood nearby with her hands behind her back, and Hana stood off to the side, bent over a scroll as she read it intently. They looked up at her and Hiruzen smiled faintly as he chuckled.

"Well, well. It seems your intuition is reliable. You've saved me the trouble of having to send for you yet again. Excellent."

Natsumi scratched her head, laughing under her breath. "Um... thank you."

_I guess it really wouldn't make a difference if I mentioned that Yuuta had tipped me off._

"You have a mission for me?" Natsumi stepped forward and glanced down at the map.

"Yes." Hiruzen nodded and released a puff of smoke. "Although we're still waiting on a few others before I begin."

Natsumi nodded slightly and stood off to the side to wait. She met Hana's eyes and gave a short wave. Hana's eyes narrowed slightly and she turned her attention back to the sheet and continued to read.

_That's weird..._

Natsumi lowered her hand and stared at the woman.

_I'm not just imagining it... her attitude right now is completely different than when she visited me at the hospital. This vibe she's giving off now... it's making the air tense._

She pressed her lips together and balled her hands into a loose fist.

_She... really hates me now, doesn't she? I don't even know what it is that I did._

Natsumi glanced back up at Hana, who continued to ignore her.

_I thought... we were friends?_

"Is something wrong, Natsumi?" Hiruzen studied the girl's expression carefully.

"H-Huh?" She blinked and shook her head quickly. "N-No, I'm fine."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Hana glaring at her intently.

_Her eyes are so cold like that... she must really hate me._

"Uh..." She turned her attention back to the Hokage. "It's just... I thought that you weren't going to assign me missions for the duration of the Chunin Exams?"

"That was my intent, however..." He sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled out rings of smoke. "I had the feeling that you would want to see this mission through yourself."

_What is that supposed to mean?_

Her eyes wandered down to the maps as she scanned them, and her eyes rested on one and widened slightly.

_That's...!_

The door opened and Aito, Benjiro, and Kiri stepped inside.

"Ah, that's everyone." Hiruzen nodded to himself as they looked around at one another. "Gather around. We'll begin right away."

Aito and Kiri glanced at Hana, as she stared coldly at Natsumi, then stood on either side of her. Kiri brushed her arm against the girl's, and smiled faintly as Natsumi looked up at her.

"Hey, Natsumi."

"Hey back, Kiri." She let out a quiet sigh, and all eyes turned to the Hokage as he cleared his throat.

"As you all know, the initial mission regarding the Abe household was a technical failure. However, the information we've deciphered has proved invaluable thus far." Hiruzen held the pipe away from his mouth with one hand and held the other behind his back.

Natsumi swallowed and pursed her lips as images flashed in her head.

_That mission..._

"After several weeks of reconnaissance, I believe an opportunity has finally opened for us to complete what was started."

_Wait..._ Natsumi blinked and looked at the old man. _Does he mean...?_

"This morning we received word from Jiro that the hired mercenaries and guards that were patrolling the estate have cleared out. The reason is unknown, but they have not returned after three days, so we can assume that whatever role the Abe clan had to fulfill has concluded." Hiruzen paused. "Additionally, his reports detail that the residents of the estate have been behaving strangely."

"How so?" Aito asked.

"For one, since the hired men have left, not a single member of the Abe household has stepped outside. Not even servants."

Aito's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. "...That is unnatural."

"There are several possible scenarios." Hiruzen continued. "One— the Abe household suspect they are being watched and are maintaining a low profile with stockpiled provisions... or, two— before they left, the mercenaries assassinated every member of the household."

A brief silence fell in the room and Natsumi lowered her eyes and clenched her jaw.

_So... that boy that we were supposed to rescue before... could be dead?_

"Without more evidence either way, we are working under the assumption that the Abe are still alive and are only in hiding. Furthermore, it's unknown if any of the hired men have kept out of sight for the duration of our watch, so it is unknown if any that we might not have been aware of are still at the estate. That is why you all will exercise caution on this mission and prepare yourselves for whatever you encounter."

He looked at Yuuri, who took a step forward to continue where he left off.

"We'll be moving in three sets of pairs, keeping in contact with our radio communicators, and flank the estate as we rendezvous with Jiro." She looked over her subordinates one-by-one. "We have separate goals depending on which scenario we're dealing with. If the Abe have been killed, we're to investigate the matter and continue searching for information as to who was behind it. If they're alive, we'll secure as many as possible and bring them in for interrogation, as well as searching for more evidence in the castle itself."

Yuuri paused and her expression darkened slightly. "However, only the members of the main household are our top priority. So long as they are captured, it matters little what happen to the staff."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she looked between the Captain and the Hokage.

_His expression hasn't changed, which means... does he want us to kill everyone but the main family?_

"That being said," Hiruzen added. "our goal is to save as many as you can, though it may not be ultimately possible. In which case, you will follow your Captain's judgement. Securing the Lord is your main objective, and, if possible, follow through with our agreement to the young prince and bring him to the Leaf for protection."

Natsumi let out a short breath.

_That's a relief. We're not going to be massacring anyone... I just hope the Prince is still alright._

"Does anyone have any questions before we continue?" The old man looked around at them and they shook their heads.

"Alright." Yuuri put a hand on her hip. "The pairs are as follows— Kuma and Ne. Ikuya and Mina. And Torou, you're with me." She placed earpieces on the table for them each to grab and watched as they each set them in place. "We leave in twenty minutes. Be ready by then."

"Yes, Captain." They replied in unison.

"You're all dismissed." Hiruzen nodded at them, and they began to file outside of the room.

Natsumi turned to follow Kiri out and the Hokage waved her over.

"Just a moment, Natsumi."

She turned to face him and he watched the others leave before focusing his attention on her.

"Would you forgive an old man for going back on his word?"

Natsumi shook her head and smiled faintly. "No need. You were right; I have to be on this mission. I failed the first time, so..."

He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Your performance last time was unexpected and impressive, though I wanted to tell you directly that you mustn't use that technique again. You're still too young and it puts too much strain on your body. Do you understand?"

She opened her mouth to complain, then nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I'm also making the Prince your priority."

"S-Sir?" Natsumi furrowed her brows slightly.

"Assist the others as needed, but your task is to locate the prince above all else, keep him safe, and escort him back to the village— regardless if your teammates have finished their duties yet."

"You... want me to leave them behind?" Natsumi bit her lip. "But—"

He held up a hand to silence her.

"You may not have said it directly to me, but I know that you were the one most critical about Hasu's capture and our postponing of his rescue. As such, I'm making it your priority to safeguard the Prince in order to honor our agreement. Can I trust you with this?"

Natsumi nodded quickly and straightened. "Yes, sir. I won't let you down. I'll do my best to find him right away and bring him back as fast as I can."

"I knew I could count on you." He patted her shoulder again. "Now, go do whatever you need to before you set off."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

She turned to leave again and he smiled.

"Good luck, miss Uzumaki."

She glanced over her shoulder at him and returned the smile.

"Thank you, Lord Third. I won't let you down."


	70. Chapter 68: The Abe Estate Assault Pt 2

"Team A is almost in position." Yuuri's voice sounded through the earpiece. "Only three kilometers left. Status report."

"Team B is approximately three kilometers away, coming from the east." Aito replied. "Has anyone come within range to get a hold of Jiro yet?"

"Team C is about two-and-a-half kilometers away, coming from the west." Kiri replied.

"Not yet." Natsumi added. "We're still too far off. I'll try to reach him again in another half-kilometer."

"Understood." Yuuri nodded to herself as she moved quickly over the thick branches. "Try again in a quarter-kilometer. You should be within range then and we need to confirm that he's at the southern coordinates before we begin."

"Yes, Captain." Natsumi replied.

Hana clenched her jaw slightly at the voice behind her mask and exhaled hotly. Aito looked over and narrowed his eyes slightly at her.

"Knock it off."

"What?" Hana looked at him from the corner of her eye with a glare.

"Your animosity toward Natsumi. Knock it off."

"This isn't the time to bring that up. We're on a mission." Hana looked ahead and pressed her lips together in a hard line.

"You're exactly right. We _are_ on a mission." He stared at her. "So, knock it off. You're being childish."

"Childish?!" She shot him another glare. "Shut the hell up. That girl—"

"Is your teammate." Aito kept his eyes on her. "Whatever petty hatred you feel for her, drop it."

"How can you defend that... that... _thing?"_ She hissed. "After what it took from all of us?"

He gripped her arm tightly and his expression darkened. "Stop blaming her for something she wasn't a part of. I mean it."

"Shut up." Hana muttered. "And let go."

"I mean it." He leaned closer to her face. "Drop. It. For one, you're our Medical Ninja. If she ends up wounded seriously, and you withhold immediate treatment because of your unfounded grudge, you'll be responsible."

She tried to pull her arm away and his glare intensified.

"If you're unable to keep your personal feelings in your personal life and focus on the mission at hand and treat her civilly, as a _comrade_, then I think that I need to have a conversation with the Hokage about have you reassigned."

"You wouldn't." She stopped moving and snapped. "I was a member of this team first! You have no right to threaten to have me removed."

"I can, and I will." Aito squeezed her arm. "A Medical Ninja who lets her personal grudges fester and interfere with her duties has no business being assigned to missions like this, and it'd make you a disgrace to Medical-Nin."

"You—"

"So, I suggest you keep your comments and looks to yourself, play nicely, and do your _job._ Or this might just be your last mission as a member of Team Yoru. Got it?"

Hana gritted her teeth and averted her eyes. "...Fine."

"Good."

"Now, let go of my arm before I cut it off. We've already fallen behind."

Aito released his grip and she ran off ahead of him. He let out a hot breath and quickly caught up to her, as they hurried to their rendezvous point in silence.

* * *

Natsumi pressed the button on the communicator around her neck. "This is Mina. We're approaching our coordinates in about two kilometers. Please confirm you're in place."

Static sounded on the other end and she opened her mouth when a chuckle crackled over the radio.

"So, you were assigned to this mission, too?"

Natsumi shuddered at Jiro's voice and then narrowed her eyes slightly. "Can you confirm your coordinates or not?"

"Yes, yes; I'm here." He chuckled again, glancing through the foliage at the castle with a smirk as he hid. "Are you ready to have fun, little Red? Something tells me that this is going to be a wonderfully messy job."

Natsumi shuddered again and bit her lip.

_Does he always have to sound so creepy?!_

"Just report back to the Captain." Natsumi grumbled.

"Fine, fine. Don't be such a killjoy."

His voice disappeared and Natsumi let out a slow breath and lowered her hand. Kiri glanced over at her.

"Don't worry about him. He's always a creep, but he does his job well."

"I know."

There was a pause and Kiri glanced back at her. "Are you ready? We don't know what to expect, so be on guard in case any mercenaries or enemies are still inside the estate."

"I know. I'll be fine."

Natsumi looked ahead as they moved quickly and Kiri kept her eye on the girl for a while, then focused on the path ahead. After some time they stopped, hidden behind a thick cover of foliage. They scanned the exterior of the castle within their sights. From the opposite side of the fortress city, a small flash of reflected light signaled them.

"Team A is now in position. Report."

"Team B is here."

"Team C is in place." Kiri responded and crouched on the branch.

"I'm here." Jiro answered in a velvety tone.

"Any activity?" Yuuri asked and narrowed her eyes at the estate. "It's all quiet here."

"Nothing." Aito replied.

"Nada." Kiri added. "It's afternoon and there's absolutely nothing here."

"This is how it's been." Jiro explained. "Four nights ago, every man, woman, and child were summoned to the main building— down to the last servant. Exactly one hour later, two cloaked figures entered, only to leave again after approximately forty-eight minutes. The next morning, all hired ninja and mercenaries that I was able to recognize left, and there hasn't been any more activity anywhere on the estate since."

Natsumi bit her lip behind the mask and looked over the different buildings and courtyards.

_It's not adding up. With so many people, there's no way they'd stay holed up the in castle like that._

"Didja tail the suspicious cloaked guys?" Aito asked.

"I couldn't." Jiro shrugged from where he was hidden. "As soon as they stepped foot outside of the gates, they vanished."

"Damn it." Yuuri le out a hot breath. "No clues at to who they were either?"

"Not that I could detect." Jiro stroked the chin of his mask with a chuckle. "Although, you're more than welcome to check again."

"Let's begin a brief surveillance. All teams cover the outermost buildings first and work your way up to the castle. Well meet there and infiltrate it together. Remain in your pairs and stay on guard." Yuuri paused. "Mina, Ikuya; investigate the area around the gates to see if there's anything that Jiro might have overlooked, then go through the buildings and look for signs of life."

"Yes, Captain." Kiri and Natsumi replied in unison.

Kiri lowered her hand from the button as Yuuri continued to give orders to the others and she looked at Natsumi silently, pointing her hand at the gate.

Natsumi followed Kiri and they carefully examined the remnants of the footprints before they ended.

"I don't get it. Besides the footprints, it's like no one was even here." Kiri muttered, putting a hand on her hip.

_She's right. Whoever was here did an excellent job hiding all traces of their presence... but for some reason, let their footprints remain? It's almost like they did it on purpose, knowing we would come._

Her eyes widened slightly at the realization.

_They're playing with us? Maybe they're somehow watching us right now without being detected?_

Turning slowly in a circle, her eyes scanned for any potential hiding spots.

_It's no good. I can't see anyplace that would be good for them to spy from without us knowing._

She walked just inside the gate and stood in the shadow.

_I don't get it. Who would do something like that, though? And if they really wanted to mess with us, they would have left a more obvious calling card._

A small crunch under her foot made her stop and she stooped down, lifting her foot to peel off something small and fragile. She held in in her palm to examine it more closely and her eyes widened again.

"W-What?!" She muttered to herself, closing her fist around the item quickly and looking around again.

_What is this supposed to mean? Was this left intentionally, or was it just a coincidence?!_

She pressed her lips together tightly and furrowed her brows.

_If it was left on purpose... then it might have been meant for me. I don't think anyone else would have thought anything else of it._

"Did you find something?" Kiri approached her from behind and Natsumi turned to look at her, and stuck her hand into her pocket.

"I thought I might have, but it was a bit of leaf."

"Damn." Kiri exhaled slowly and shook her head. "Alright then; I didn't find anything either, so let's start going through these buildings. Maybe we can figure out what's going on."

"Yeah. I'm right behind you." Natsumi glanced downward and followed Kiri as they snuck silently over to the first building.

_I don't like the idea of lying to a friend, but I can't tell her my theory because that will lead to a bunch of questions that I'd rather not answer._

They stopped and peered inside the first building, then carefully opened the unlocked door. They looked around and both frowned slightly.

"Completely empty." Kiri muttered to herself, then walked over to the table in the dining room. "Strange... they had dinner set out, and it looks like they started to eat."

"They were called to the castle suddenly, then?" Natsumi swatted away several flies that buzzed around her head and wrinkled her nose at the rotting meal as flies and maggots covered them.

"Looks like. But we'll have to check the other buildings, first."

One by one, they found each house in the same state and they furrowed their brows in thought as they stood beneath an archway.

"I'm sure the other teams are finding the same thing." Kiri muttered again. "I trusted Jiro's intel, but damn... there's no way that something shady didn't happen."

"What are you thinking?" Natsumi looked at her, keeping her hand in her pocket as she touched her find.

"I don't want to assume... but I don't see a single scenario for why they would just abandon their homes and shops like that if they were alive. Being summoned to hear the Lord give a speech is one thing... but this is just too suspicious."

"You think they're dead?"

"Damn it." Kiri cursed. "I don't know. None of this makes sense."

_Maybe I should tell her what I found..._

"Team C. Status report." Yuuri commanded through their radios.

Kiri sighed and touched the button. "Ikuya here. The West section is clear. Completely empty. Looks like they got up in the middle of dinner and disappeared."

"Same here in the East." Aito responded."

"The Southern section has been much more... interesting." Jiro chuckled over the line.

"What do you mean?" Yuuri asked.

"Everything here was empty in the same way... except the infirmary."

"Really?" Kiri blinked. "Were you able to get any information from them?"

"Unless you know of a way to speak to the dead, I'm afraid not." Jiro smirked on his end.

"Who was there?" Aito asked.

"Just a bunch of kids." Jiro crouched beside the body of an adolescent boy whose skin was waxy and pale. "Each one of them seems to have died a painful death. The infirmary was locked from the outside."

There was a brief moment of silence and Yuuri scowled.

"Stop beating around the bush and just give us the details. What happened to them?"

"Well, it may or may not be worth noting, but each of the children have snakebites."

Natsumi shuddered and bit her lip.

_Snakebites?_

"On their necks." Jiro added. "Accompanied by a strange marking." He chuckled. "Ah. Well, it's probably nothing important. Perhaps the markings are a family tradition."

"Jiro." Yuuri's tone darkened. "_What_ markings?"

"Well, I can't be sure. They're each slightly different." Jiro shrugged and turned his back to the pile of bodies. "All I can say for certain is they died in agony, trying to comfort each other, and appear to have been dead for about a week."

"We'll have to bring them back to the Leaf so their memories can be evaluated." Yuuri frowned. "Alright, if everyone has finished their search, meet at the rendezvous point near the castle."

"Got it." Aito replied.

"We've got one more house left, then we'll be on our way." Kiri responded.

"Hurry up, then." Yuuri snapped. "We're waiting on you."

"Alright, alright." Kiri lowered her hand from the button and crossed her arms, frowning. "She's definitely in a bad mood about something Jiro said. I wonder what significance the markings have... She seemed to have some kind of idea, at least."

_Snakebites? Markings?_

Natsumi stood still in thought.

_I don't get it. My suspicion didn't really match that at all._

"Alright, I guess let's finish with this last house then hurry over. I don't want Yuuri even more angry."

Natsumi looked up at Kiri and her lips twitched in a smirk behind her mask. "I thought you didn't care what she thought of you?"

"I don't." Kiri laughed. "I just don't want her to have a 'reason' to treat you even worse."

Kiri started toward the last house, then put her hand on her hip. "Weird."

"What?" Natsumi looked at the house, then narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Unlike the others, this one looks different." She wiggled the knob slightly, then pointed toward the windows. "The locked door, the thick, drawn curtains... everyone else just left at a moment's notice, but whoever lives here took the time to close off their house."

"Look." Natsumi knelt and pointed to a dried bloodstain on the front steps. "It looks almost like something was dragged _inside_, not out."

"Huh? You're right." Kiri furrowed her brows. "Alright, let's check it out. There might be clues in here."

She formed several hand signs and then pointed the ram seal at the door. "Unlock."

A small burst of Chakra enveloped the knob and there was a faint click before the Chakra dispersed.

"That's useful." Natsumi nodded and looked at her. "Can you teach me?"

"Picking locks too noisy?" Kiri winked beneath her mask.

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly and she turned away. "...Takes too long."

Kiri let out a short, quiet laugh, then gently gripped the doorknob and cracked it open as she peered inside. She held up an open palm.

_The coast is clear._

Natsumi let out a short sigh and follows Kiri inside, walking silently from room to room on the main level.

"Other than looking like someone hadn't cleaned in a while, there's nothing strange here." Kiri muttered. "Even that blood trail ended in the foyer." She looked at Natsumi. "You look around with a fine-toothed comb and see if you can find any clues. I'll check upstairs."

"Shouldn't I check the cellar?" Natsumi asked.

"This house doesn't have one." Kiri shrugged. "We would have found it already."

"You're right. All the others did, though." Natsumi crossed her arms and touched her chin as she thought.

"It is a little smaller than the rest." Kiri waved her hand. "Alright. I'll be back in a minute. See what you can find."

Natsumi watched her quietly walked up the stairs and then took a long look around the family room.

_I don't understand. Why would they take the time to lock up their house like that?_

She bent over to look inside of the empty baby cradle in the corner of the room and picked up the rattle inside, giving it a soft shake as she thought.

_What would they be trying to protect? I don't see anything of real value, and there aren't any people here._

"Find anything?"

Natsumi jumped, her heart skipping a beat as she put a hand over her heart and shot a look at Kiri.

"You gave me a heart attack!" She hissed.

"Sorry, sorry." Kiri laughed quietly, then frowned at the rattle in Natsumi's hand. "No one upstairs, either but it did look like someone went through some of the rooms and took things. Maybe they were trying to leave before they all got called to the castle?"

"Maybe..." Natsumi replied, glancing downward.

_What's this weird feeling?_

"Oh. That's interesting." Jiro chuckeld over the radio. "There's a hole in the wall here that was hidden. I think someone escaped."

"Escaped?" Kiri repeated.

"One of the kids?" Natsumi glanced down at the toy in her hand.

_What are we missing? I feel like there's something._

"Let's meet up with the others." Kiri motioned for Natsumi to follow, but she stopped suddenly.

"Natsumi?"

"I thought I heard something." Natsumi went quiet again, wrinkling her face as she listened intently.

_I know I did._

Then, louder this time, there was a barely audible sound from beneath their feet.

"Is that...?" Kiri's eyes widened slightly. "A... baby crying?"

_Of course._

Natsumi glanced down at the rattle, then moved through the rooms again, quietly concentrating.

_There's got to be a secret door or something... I thought it was strange that this house had no cellar._

She followed the faint sound to the dining room, but only found a low table in the center of the room surrounded by cushions.

_Where...?_

She knelt and looked under the table and her eyes rested on a small space in the shadows.

_Here?_

She pushed the table out of the way as Kiri stepped in the room behind her.

"Look." Natsumi pointed to the square outline on the floor, and then to a hollow knot in the wood.

_If I've learned anything from Oto..._

She touched her finger to the opening of the knot, then stuck it inside to press the hidden button there. There was a click and the trapdoor cracked open.

_It's how to find secret places._

"A secret door." Kiri muttered, shaking her head slightly as she opened the trapdoor and peered into the darkness.

"Hey, we found something." Kiri announced on the line. "A hidden cellar with a trapdoor. Can't see what's down there, yet."

"Investigate. Carefully." Yuuri ordered. "Remember, some of the rogue ninja or mercenaries might still be lingering."

"Right." Kiri nodded and looked at Natsumi. "Alright, let's go see what's down there."

"I'll go first—"

Natsumi stepped toward the trapdoor and Kiri gripped her shoulder tightly.

"No. I'll go first. We don't know what's down there."

"O-Okay."Natsumi stepped back and watched as Kiri lowered herself down, then followed after.

_The air down here is stuffy. There must not be good ventilation._

She swallowed and resisted the urge to cough, scrunching up her face instead.

_And this smell is horrible... what is it?_

Kiri stopped descending, and Natsumi froze in place, glancing down at Kiri as they went quiet to listen.

The baby's cries were loud now and echoed around them, and then were muffled slightly.

_Someone's down here. And they know they have company._

Kiri met her eyes slightly, and they shared a nod, and silently continued downward. At the bottom of the ladder was a door, and the baby's cries came directly from the other side.

Natsumi reached up to grip the hilt of her Ninjato as Kiri slowly reached for the doorknob. She cracked open the door, and a loud scream pierced our ears and the door was volleyed with random items.

"No! Go away!" The voice screamed, crying hysterically, and the baby cried louder in response.

_A kid?!_

Kiri's eyes widened and she released the hilt of her own Ninjato, holding her hands open as she spoke up.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down! We're not going to hurt you!"

The thudding against the door stopped and the crying subsided.

"W-Who're you?"

Kiri lifted her mask off and rested it on the side of her head, then carefully opened the door wider to peer inside.

Natsumi blinked at the girl, who sat completely terrified against the opposite corner of the small room, holding a hysterical, wriggling baby in her arms. Her eyes were haunted, with dark bags beneath them and dried blood covered her clothes and clumped in her hair. She held a cooking pan in her hand defensively as she tried to rock her body back and forth in an unsuccessful attempt to soothe the baby.

"Easy now. We're here to help." Kiri stepped inside the room slowly, and Natsumi removed her own mask and stayed quiet as she looked around.

"H-Help?" The girl trembled and lowered the pan slightly. "W-Who are you? Where are my mother and father?"

_She's terrified and she looks like she hasn't slept in days... and she's really young. I don't think she's any older than ten, at most._

Natsumi bit her lip.

_What kind of horrible things has she suffered?_

"Oh... honey." Kiri shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. I don't know where your parents are. We haven't found anyone on the estate other than you guys yet."

The girl's eyes widened again, and she stopped rocking and dropped the pan as her eyes watered.

"No... that's... that's impossible." Her lip quivered. "They were going to come right back..."

"What's your name?" Kiri asked softly, and the girl patted the baby's back as he started to finally calm down.

"How do I know you're not one of them?" She held the baby closer to her. "How can I trust you?"

"One of who?" Kiri asked.

"One of those horrible, creepy men." She sniffed. "The ones who put a bag on my head and poisoned me, and then left me in that house with the other kids."

_She's the one who escaped?_

"It hurt so much... all of us hurt so much..." Tears flowed down her face and she hiccupped. "I thought I was going to die."

"It's okay. I promise that we're not with those guys. We were sent by the Hokage to investigate what's been going on and to help you."

"You're... Ninja?"

"From the Leaf." Kiri nodded. "We're here to help."

The girl's tension eased and the stuck her knuckle into the baby's mouth to let him gnaw on it, and his cries softened to whines.

"There were other Ninja, too." The girl whispered. "Bad men. They came here after those creepy men showed up."

"We're not with them." Kiri knelt to look her in the eyes with her hands still up. "We'd like to find out who they were, though, and capture them."

"You're really not their allies?"

Kiri and Natsumi shook their heads.

The girl broke down into sobs and trembled.

"I-I was so scared... I've been waiting and waiting for my mother and father to come back... I thought for sure one of those bad Ninja would find us and hurt us. I don't know what's going on... I'm just so scared."

"It's okay now." Kiri inched closer. "I'm sure it was terrible, but you've been so, so brave."

The girl hiccupped again and wiped her face with her sleeve. "I-I'm so glad that someone came to help... I was so scared."

"it'll be alright now." Kiri smiled faintly. "Can you tell us your name?"

"I-I'm Kanna." She wiped her face again, then looked down at the unhappy baby in her arms. "And this is Koji, my brother."

"It's nice to meet you, Kanna." Kiri smiled and nodded at her. "I'm Kiri. And this is Natsumi.

Natsumi gave a short wave and squatted beside Kiri. "Hi."

"Can you tell us a little bit about what's been going on?" Kiri asked. "It's okay if it's hard to talk about. It will just help us understand a little better."

"Okay..." Kanna nodded, hesitantly. "What do you want to know?"

"We know that Lord Abe was conspiring with someone who wanted to overthrow the Daimyo." Kiri answered. "We know that the Lord's become erratic and obsessive, and that his madness has started to spread to the rest of his family. Other than that, we don't know much."

"O-Overthrow the Daimyo?" She shook her head. "I... I haven't heard about that."

"That's alright. Tell us what you do know." Kiri smiled slightly. "Anything and everything you can."

"It.. it all started about a year ago." Kanna lowered her head as she explained. "There was a pair of strange men in cloaks that came seeking an audience with Lord Abe. Some kind of proposition. I don't know." She shook her head slowly and paused. "All I do know is what I've overheard from the other servants."

"What's that?" Natsumi kept her eyes on the girl.

"They said... that Lord Abe got angry at the men and had them thrown out. Then, about eight months ago, the men returned. That time, I guess the Lord made some kind of deal with them." Kanna paused again. "After two days of negotiations, the mysterious men left and I've heard rumors that the Lord has looked... different since. No one could explain it, and no one has wanted to bring it up with the Lord. He's always been temperamental... but he's just become someone completely cruel and tyrannical."

Kanna wrung her hands. "All of the people in the village and us servants... we used to look up to Lord Abe. We were always a little afraid of him, because he was always so strict, but we respected his authority and his judgement was usually fair and right. But... people started to notice his change and speak out. If they became too vocal about opposing him, Lord Abe would invite them to the castle and when they came out... they'd be different, too."

Kanna swallowed and lifted her eyes to look at them. "That's why my father started stockpiling supplies here, because he thought we might need to flee or hide for an extended period of time."

"So that's why your old man built this secret place, huh?" Kiri glanced around at the small room. "Smart man."

"My father didn't build it." Kanna shook her head. "Back when my grandfather was a boy, his family was selected to come and serve the Lord and his family directly. They lived in this house, and my father discovered this secret room then. We don't know why it was built, but it's as old as the castle itself."

"Well, it's still been very useful." Kiri smiled faintly.

"You said that the Lord was different..." Natsumi looked at the girl and spoke slowly. "But what does that mean?"

"Um..." Kanna bit her lip. "I'm not sure. My parents never worked for him directly. They're both tutors for the Princes, so they never interacted with the Lord. But, I've heard that the Lord looked inhuman, and his personality changed drastically from bad to worse..."

"How long have you been down here?" Kiri asked.

"I-I'm not sure." Kanna shifted as she sat, swallowing again. "There aren't windows, and no clock, so I'm not sure. All I know is that the Lord summoned everyone to the castle. Instead of hiding down here, my parents went because the only time Lord Abe seemed to change anyone was individually, so they thought that he was only giving some kind of address. Koji was asleep then, and they left him here to nap, so they must have assumed they would only be gone for a short time. They _never_ left him alone for more than a few minutes, not even when he was sleeping. _Never."_

_This doesn't make sense. Not Lord Abe's change, and not how he changed other people._

"Kanna." Kiri said softly, her expression almost pained. "That happened almost four days ago."

The girl's eyes widened. "F-Four... days...?" Slow tears ran down her face and she shook her head. "It... It can't have been that long. Mother and father would have been back by now..."

"I'm sorry." Kiri muttered. "I don't know where they are, or what's going on. But I promise that we'll do out best to figure it out."

"How have you been managing down here this whole time?" Natsumi kept her eyes on the girl, who wiped her face again.

"Dad put some bottled water and powdered milk down here, so... I've been feeding Koji that. But he doesn't like it much and he's been crying this whole time, wanting our mother. He's too little to eat the other food stored here, and I'm almost out of milk." Kanna bit her lip. "And there are only a few diapers left, too. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"You've been doing an amazing job taking care of him." Kiri praised. "I'm sure your parents would be proud of you."

"It's been so hard to try to keep him quiet." Kanna blinked hard and her eyes fell again. "I've been trying to keep him quiet in case one of those bad Ninja came looking for us. But he's just been so upset and wanting mother..."

"How _have_ you been doing it?" Kiri watched her, curiously.

"I..." Kanna pointed to a small far sitting on top of a box. "My father has insomnia sometimes, so he makes a tea out of Valerian Root that helps him sleep. I've been giving some to Koji when I haven't been able to keep him clam."

"Valerian Root?" Kiri repeated quietly. "I see. That's a powerful natural sedative."

"I really didn't want to give it to him, because he's just a baby and I don't know if it will hurt him, but I thought... it might be better to give it to him if it meant that no one bad would find us."

"As long as he doesn't get any more, I think he'll be okay." Kiri smiled and reached out to gently stroke the baby's head. "But to be safe, he should be checked at the hospital anyway, the same as you."

"H-Hospital?" Her eyes widened and her hand flew to cover her neck.

Kiri frowned slightly.

"What's wrong? What are you hiding?"

_That's it._

Natsumi looked at her. "Do you have a snakebite? And a mark?"

Kanna trembled, then nodded quietly. "A few days before the Lord summoned everyone to the castle, the strange men came. They made Lord Abe have all of the children my age on the estate rounded up, and we were handed over to the men with bags on our heads. I never saw their faces, but there were six others and we each got bit."

"Where did the markings come from?" Kiri asked, craning her head to catch a glimpse as Kanna lowered her hand.

"I-I don't know. It was just there when I woke up." She paused and balled her hand into a fist. "And the others... the were all dead. I was the only one who survived all that pain, and I got so scared seeing their bodies that I tried to leave, but we'd been locked inside. I escaped through that little hole and ran back home without anyone seeing. That's when I found Koji still asleep and all alone in the house."

"And you gathered supplies and came down here with him." Kiri added, nodding slightly to herself.

"Do you know what happened to me?" Kanna's eyes rose to look between them, then brushed her fingers against the mark again. "Do you know what it means?"

"Sorry, no." Natsumi shook her head.

"What... happens now?" Kanna looked at Kiri. "What do I do? If mother and father haven't come back in four days..."

"Hey, it's okay." Kiri put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "No one that went into the castle has been seen leaving, so your parents might be okay. We still have to investigate the castle itself and see what we find. I bet we'll find your parents there."

"Really?" Her eyes widened. "Can you? Will you?"

"We'll do everything we can." Kiri smiled. "In the meantime, you and your brother should wait for us to come back. I know you've already done a lot of waiting, but we'll be back as soon as we can, and we'll take you came to the Leaf with us so you can be safe."

"No!" Kanna's eyes watered again. "Please... don't leave me alone again. I don't want to be all alone..."

"We'll be back as fast as we can." Natsumi gave her a small smile. "Maybe we'll even find your parents."

"I don't want to be alone again." Kanna shook her head. "What... What if you don't come back? Just like my parents?"

Kiri and Natsumi shared a look, then Kiri sighed.

"If you're really that scared, how about you sleep?"

"S-Sleep?"

Kiri nodded. "I can make you and your brother sleep with a Genjutsu for a little while. That way, you won't feel anxious while we're gone. Is that okay?"

"I..." Kanna bit her lip. "I don't really want to, but if it will help..."

"It will. When you wake up again, we'll be back for you."

"You'll really be back?" Kanna looked at them each again. "Promise?"

"I promise." Kiri nodded. "This is a special Jutsu of mine that I created myself, called Oasis Plane. While you're sleeping, you'll have nothing but very nice dreams." She met the girl's eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Kanna replied quietly. "Just... please come back as fast as you can. I don't want to be alone anymore."

"We'll be back." Kiri smiled, then formed several hand signs and touched the tip of her middle fingers to both Kanna and Koji's foreheads, and both immediately fell asleep, faintly smiling after a moment from the pleasant dreams.

Kiri stood and sighted, then put her hand on her hip. "Natsumi, are you ready?"

Natsumi nodded and Kiri grinned.

"Alright, Red. Let's go figure out what's going on and kick some ass."


	71. Chapter 69: The Abe Estate Assault Pt 3

"You're late." Yuuri scowled beneath her mask at Kiri and Natsumi as they joined the rest of the team beneath an archway, hidden in shadows.

"Look, I told you on the way over what happened." Kiri rolled her eyes. "That girl will be valuable once we get her back to the Leaf. The Intelligence division can go through her memories and find anything useful."

"I know." Yuuri turned her face away, furrowing her brows. "That's the reason I'm not going to lecture you much."

_You kind of just did. _Natsumi kept silent with an inaudible sigh. _Still, she's being more gracious than I've ever seen her._

"Alright." Yuuri looked over her subordinates. "We hit the castle now. Remember, we don't know what to expect in there, so be on guard." She crossed her arms. "Now, Lord Hokage wants us to try to save as many people as possible. While I... _respectfully_ disagree, we're going to follow his orders. Our goal is to secure the Lord and his family." Her eyes rested on Jiro. "_Don't_ kill indiscriminately."

Jiro chuckled. "Yes, yes. I'll behave. You can trust me."

"...Right." Yuuri let out a short breath. "Additionally, I don't want there to be a lapse in communication. Set your radios on maintained mode so you don't have to keep pressing the button. If someone's found something, you say so right away."

"And, if we encounter resistance?" Jiro tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "Perhaps... some guards or mercenaries?"

"You don't have to ask for my permission to eliminate threats." Yuuri narrowed her eyes. "Kill whoever stands in the way of our mission. I don't care who it is as long as the mission is successful."

"Of course." Jiro smirked. "How silly of me."

Natsumi shuddered slightly, then focused back on the Captain.

"We'll each use a different point of entry and work our way through. Be as thorough as possible, and look for the missing staff and villagers as you go. Try to not separate from your partner if you can help it." She paused and glanced at Natsumi from the corner of her eye. "Oh. And, if any of you are wounded or fall behind, don't expect anyone to wait for you or save you. This is the ANBU. You pull your own weight, or you die. Any more questions?"

_It's almost like she's hoping that I die._ Natsumi clenched her hand in her pocket. _Well, I definitely don't plan on it. She can't get rid of me that easily._

She let out a slow breath and relaxed her hand.

_Besides, I have my special mission from Lord Third. _She glanced at Kiri. _I'll have to break off from her once I find the Prince, but there's no harm in staying together as long as possible._

"If there are no questions..." Yuuri paused, then turned the dial on her communicator to adjust the settings. "Move out."

The group separated immediately and Kiri and Natsumi slipped into the castle through a window on the west side. They glanced around the empty study and walked silently around to search for anyone, then glanced back at each other.

"Nothing." Kiri mumbled. "No signs of any traps, either. I guess no one was anticipating any company."

Natsumi nodded and looked around.

_Now, if only I could figure out where the Prince was. If someone does realize we're here, and they become hostile, he could be in danger._

"Wondering where the Prince is?"

"H-Huh?" Natsumi glanced up at Kiri. "How did you...?"

Kiri winked behind her mask and bent slightly as she spoke quietly. "Lord Third told me about your special mission before the official briefing. My job is to provide support for you and give you the opportunity for a rescue."

Natsumi let out a short breath.

_At least now I won't have to feel bad about trying to ditch her to go off on my own._

"Best way to figure it out is probably to ask someone." Kiri crossed her arms. "If we can find someone, that is."

_It's been a long time, and I've never been able to do it since that trial, but maybe I can just..._

Natsumi closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to clear her mind as she focused.

_It was a lot easier when all my other senses were turned off. It's hard to focus with every small sound. Even my own breathing is irritating._

She sucked in a breath and held it, shutting her eyes tighter as she gradually slipped into a quiet mindscape. Her Chakra flowed and she exhaled slowly, then opened her eyes and looked up at Kiri.

"I can't tell how many, but there are people gathered in a room down the hall. They don't seem to be moving, though. But I also can't tell if they're dead or alive."

Kiri smiled slightly and patted her head. "Sensory ability? That's useful."

Natsumi shrugged slightly and bit her lip. "Not very. I haven't been practicing and it's hard."

"Why don't we go stop by and ask a few questions?" Kiri winked, then went silent as she approached the door, cracking it open quietly to scan the hall. She held up a hand, signaling that it was clear, and they carefully moved down the hall.

Stopping in front of the door, Kiri and Natsumi each stood on either side, then Kiri cracked the door open to peer inside. She frowned and opened the door wider, motioning for Natsumi to look inside.

_What the...?_

Several people sat around a table where tea had been served, though each one was slumped over as if in a deep sleep on the table.

_Genjustu?_

Natsumi looked at Kiri and held up a hand signal. She shook her head, and Natsumi frowned as she looked around the table.

_If it's not Genjutsu, then..._

Kiri stepped inside the room, walking once around the table and then looking at Natsumi with a shrug.

_They're... dead?_

Kiri gently touched her fingers to the neck of one woman, then shook her head.

_But how?_

Natsumi stepped forward to examine the area and Kiri picked up a tea cup to sniff it. Taking a small scroll and dropper out of her pouch, she unrolled the scroll to reveal a seal, then dripped a single drop of the tea in the center. It sizzled and hissed and Kiri muttered curses quietly under her breath.

_They were poisoned? But why?_

Natsumi knelt beside a man and touched his shoulder, squeaking softly in surprise as his body slumped and fell to the ground. His body had started to bloat and most of the color had drained from his face as the blood had settled in his lower body. Dried blood and foam was evident on his face and Natsumi coughed slightly and held up her arm to shield the suddenly overwhelming scent of death.

_Yup. They're dead, all right._

She looked to each of the other bodies.

_Does that mean everyone in the castle is dead, too?_

She looked down at the man, and his frozen expression of agony.

_There's got to be some kind of clue here..._

She unbuttoned his jacket to search for hidden pockets and her eyes widened as his shirt was covered in Paper Bombs.

"Natsumi!"

Kiri's eyes widened as she glanced over, noticing the other bodies around them activated now, and she quickly shoved Natsumi out of the room and blocked the doorway with her body to shield her from the blast. The ceiling and walls collapsed and Natsumi blinked against the wall, and her eyes widened again at the destruction.

"Kiri!" She lunged forward, throwing rubble aside until she found Kiri coughing under drywall and beams. "Kiri, are you okay?"

Kiri shoved a large piece of ceiling off as she coughed again at the dust. "I'm fine." She tried to pull herself out and only grunted and glared at the beam across her middle. "I'm just... stuck."

Natsumi let out a breath and pressed the button on her neck. "There were bodies rigged with paper bombs. Kiri's trapped under the ceiling, though."

"So?" Yuuri snapped, and Natsumi could hear the sounds of sword striking flesh.

"I can't get her out on my own. If someone else is nearby—"

"Weren't you listening? I said before that if anyone gets wounded, don't expect someone to save you."

Natsumi gritted her teeth and Kiri sighed.

"Look, I'm fine. I don't seem to be wounded at all. A little scorched, maybe, but that's all. I can get myself out."

"But—"

Kiri held up her hand. "Keep going without me and I'll catch up. I've been in worse situations before."

Natsumi bit her lip.

_Once she gets an idea into her head, she can't be persuaded._

"Okay." Natsumi nodded again. "But hurry. I've got a bad feeling about this place, and it's better if I have backup."

"Don't worry about me." Kiri pointed down the hall. "From our intel, the Prince's room should be on the third floor. Start looking for him there."

"Alright." Natsumi bit her lip, then made herself turn around and run to the stairwell.

_There's no one else so far... I wonder where everyone is._

She slowed as she neared the landing of the second floor and carefully looked around.

_Despite that loud explosion, there isn't any activity. Maybe everyone really is dead?_

Moving quietly, she turned and started up the next flight of stairs.

_Please let him be in his room. The faster I find him and get out of here, the better._

She came to the next landing and let out a short breath.

_Empty again._

Natsumi walked forward, looking from door to door.

_Which is it? They all looked the same. It would be really convenient if one of them had a sign that said 'this is the door you're looking for' on it._

A door to the left opened and Natsumi froze and she watched as a young girl walked out, rubbing her eyes as if she'd been asleep.

_A little girl? She's the only person alive I've seen so far._

The girl kept her eyes down as she stopped in the hall and stared at Natsumi's feet.

"Who are you? What was that big, scary noise?"

"It's okay." Natsumi exhaled and knelt down to the girl's level. "I'm not anyone bad. I'm here to help, actually."

"Help?" The girl repeated, then tugged at the small, pink bow in her hair as she continued to stare downward.

_Something feels weird about her. Her skin looks too pale._

"Are you okay? Are there other people around?" Natsumi asked, and the girl bit her lip.

"I don't know. I just heard a scary noise..."

"It's okay." Natsumi paused. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The girl repeated, tugging nervously on her bow again. "It's Chouko."

"Okay, Chouko." Natsumi looked around the hallway, then back to the shy girl. "Do you know if there have been any bad people around lately?"

"Bad people?" She shook her head at first, and then her eyes watered and she nodded. "I remember... there were two strange men. But I don't..." She paused. "I remember hurting. And then not hurting. And the strange men were gone."

_This isn't helpful at all. She's too young to be any real help._

"Chouko... do you know who Hasu is?"

"Ha...su?" The girl sniffed and rubbed her nose. "He's my cousin."

_Cousin?_ Natsumi paused. "Do you know where he is?"

"Uncle said he did something bad." The girl muttered quietly. "He said Hasu was bad, and needed to be punished."

"Punished how? Where is he?"

The girl froze in place, and then broke into tears suddenly. "Are the strange men coming back? Are they going to hurt me again? I'm scared."

She clung to Natsumi and she blinked as the girl rubbed her face into Natsumi's chest.

_Her behavior is strange. Just a moment ago, it seemed like she didn't have any emotion._

The girl cried harder and Natsumi bit her lip.

_Maybe she was just traumatized?_

"H-Hey... it'll be okay. I came here to help."

"R-Really?" Chouko sniffed again and wiped her face on her shirt, then looked up at Natsumi with a smile. "You're such a nice lady."

Natsumi froze and stared at the girl's eyes; bottle green irises, surrounded by darkened, grey sclerae.

_What the...?!_

She swallowed and stared down at the girl. "Y-Your... eyes..."

"You're such a nice lady." Chouko said again, still smiling. "I like your hair. It's a pretty color."

_I don't understand... what's going on here? Her eyes... they look..._

"Pretty, nice lady..." The girl's smile grew unnaturally and her head tilted slightly. "Do you want to play with me?"

"P-Play...?"

"Yes, play with me." The girl put a hand behind her back. "I like games. Do you like games?"

"S-Sorry, but I don't have time to play right now."

_I don't understand. There's something very, very wrong with her._

"Too bad." Chouko laughed. "It would have been better if you said yes."

She moved her hand back into view, and this time, she was holding a knife and thrust it at Natsumi. Before it could make contact, the blade of a sword stuck through her chest and the girl stopped and trembled, glancing down at the wound as it bled.

"I-It... hurts."

Natsumi's eyes widened as the blade was removed and Jiro smirked beneath his mask at her.

"Y-You...!"

"You're welcome." Jiro flicked his Ninjato to the side, splattering the blood on the walls.

The girl dropped the knife and it clattered on the floor as she clutched her chest, blood pouring out. She fell into Natsumi's arms as she stared.

"W-What..."

"It... hurts..." Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she looked up at the redhead. "Help... me."

Her body went limp and Natsumi's hands shook as she dropped the girl's body in surprise and looked at her teammate.

"You killed her!"

"I don't think you fully grasp the situation." He chuckled. "She was trying to kill you. I saved your life."

"She's just a little girl!"

Jiro narrowed his eyes, turning the switch on his communicator so that he couldn't be overheard.

"You saw her eyes, didn't you?"

Natsumi froze and a chill went down her spine. "H-How...?" She swallowed. "How do you know...?"

"You're not the only one who has a hobby of reading forbidden scrolls." Jiro smirked down at her, his voice sickeningly sweet. "Now, do you understand the situation?"

"But... she..." Natsumi swallowed. "I... didn't read the full scroll. There... could have been a way to save her."

Jiro bent down at the waist to meet her eyes. "Don't be naïve. The only proper course of action is to cull them. They're already dead, you know."

Natsumi shuddered again, staring down at the girl's eyes and then down at her own hands, wet with blood.

"Who would do something so terrible?" She whispered.

"Oh, quite a lot of people." Jiro straightened and chuckled. "The question you _should_ be asking instead is _who_ else had access to this forbidden knowledge?"

_Who...?_

She gulped.

_Is it...?_

"Of course, that's not what matters now." Jiro slid his finger gingerly along the blade of his sword. "Right now, we get to have fun and put these... unfortunate people down like the filthy mongrels they are."

"Y-You're twisted." Natsumi stood slowly and wiped her hands on her pants.

"I simply take pride in my skill." Jiro turned to walk back down the hallway. "If you don't enjoy what you're best at, you'll lead a miserable life."

Natsumi bit her lip and watched him walk away before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Oh, little Red... If you're looking for the Prince, he's not here. But a little birdy told me that he's in a cell beneath the castle."

Natsumi's eyes widened and he chuckled.

"Well, don't stand him up now." Jiro turned his communicator back on, then continued to walk away.

_I have even more questions than before now._

She shook her head and turned back toward the stairs.

_But right now, I have a job to do._


	72. Chapter 70: All Nine Rookies Face Off

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto stood in the hall of the third floor with their eyes fixed ahead on the small sign above a door that read 301, then their eyes fell to Kakashi, who stood in front of the door with his hands in his pockets.

"I see. Sakura, you've come, too. Now you can formally register for the Chunin Exam."

They blinked at him and Sakura's eyes widened slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Actually, from the start, only three-man squads could apply and take the exams."

"But, Sensei! You said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual." Sakura frowned slightly.

"Yes... I did say that."

"Were you lying?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked away for a moment to avert his eyes. "Uh... Yes. I was." He paused, then looked back at his students. "If I said that, Sasuke and Naruto would probably have forcefully convinced you to take it."

Sakura glanced over at the boys, as Naruto swallowed slightly and nodded to himself, and Sasuke remained quiet and still.

"Even if you didn't have the will to apply," Kakashi continued. "If Sasuke asks you, you would attempt to take the exams half-heartedly." He narrowed his eye slightly. "For Sasuke's sake and, well, also for Naruto's..."

"Then, if..." Sakura started. "it had only been Sasuke and Naruto who had come here?"

"I would've stopped the Exam here." Kakashi answered simply. "I wouldn't have felt like letting them go beyond this point. But... you guys came here on your own will. Sakura. Naruto. Sasuke. I'm glad you came."

Kakashi smiled at them, and they each smiled back at him.

"You're a team I'm proud of." Kakashi stepped aside and nodded to them. "Now then, go on!"

"Okay! Let's go!" Naruto grinned and clenched his fist in anticipation and Sakura and Sasuke each grabbed one of the double doors and pushed them open.

Kakashi watched as they stepped inside, exhaling and closing his eyes once the door shut behind them.

"W-Wow!" Naruto looked at the crowded room and gulped.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura blinked.

"W-What's with... this?"

The exam hall was nearly overcrowded with Genin from each of the Villages, and they all had turned to stare intimidatingly at the three new arrivals. Some were teenagers, while others seemed to be in their twenties and even early thirties.

"There are so many of them..." Sakura's eyes scanned the crowd as she spoked softly. "Could it be that they're all applicants, too?" She gulped. _"They all look... immensely strong..."_

"Sasuke, you're late!" Ino cooed and jumped on him from behind. Sasuke's expression soured as he glared at her from over his shoulder. "I thought I'd be able to see you for the first time in a while, so I've been waiting in excitement."

Sakura's face contorted in jealousy and her brows furrowed. "Get away from Sasuke, Ino-pig!"

"Oh, my!" Ino released Sasuke and put her hands on her hips. "It's Sakura! I see your billboard brow hasn't changed..." She laughed to herself. "So ugly!"

"W-What did you say?!" Sakura glared and stepped closer to the blonde.

Ino laughed, stepping behind Sasuke to stick out her tongue at Sakura and pull down on her bottom eyelid mockingly.

"What's up with this?" Shikamaru asked, approaching them with his hands in his pockets and Choji in tow.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and turned to look at him.

"Are you guys going to take this bothersome Exam, too?" Shikamaru asked blandly, while Choji stuffed handfuls of chips into his mouth.

"Oh! It's the idiot trio." Naruto chuckled to himself and pointed at them.

"Quit calling us that!" Shikamaru's brows furrowed. "Man, this is such a drag."

_"Shikarmaru Nara."_ Naruto thought. _"Always complaining, has no motivation. He's a bellyaching idiot. And Choji Akamichi. He's always eating. That's all he is; a fat idiot."_

"Sasuke is mine." Ino whispered mockingly to Sakura, sticking out her tongue again.

_"And Ino Yamanaka."_ Naruto crossed his arms. _"She's always fighting with Sakura. They're rivals. She a Sasuke-obsessed idiot."_

"Yahoo! I found you!" Kiba chuckled and approached. "My, my, everyone's here."

"H-Hello..." Hinata smiled at them shly from behind Kiba.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and looked at Hinata, who blushed and averted her eyes. _"Hinata Hyuga. She's a weird person who looks away whenever I look at her! I guess she's just a gloomy and shy girl."_ He looked at Kiba next. _"Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru. They're louder than I am. He always brings his dog everywhere and always looks bossy. He really annoys me."_

Naruto looked at Shino last and squinted his eyes slightly. _"Shino Aburame. I really don't get this guy. He's a type I'm not good with."_

"What did you say?" Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You guys, too? Man..."

"Heh! I see." Kiba smirked slightly. "This means all nine Genin rookies are taking the Exam! Now then... Just how far can we go? Eh, Sasuke?"

"Hmph!" Sasuke smirked and narrowed his eyes at him. "You're mighty confident, Kiba."

"We've trained a great deal, so... there's no way we'll lose to you guys!" Kiba chuckled.

"Shut up!" Naruto interjected and pointed at Kiba. "I don't know about Sasuke, but I sure won't lose to the likes of you!"

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto..." Hinata mumbled softly and tapped the tips of her fingers together. "Kiba didn't mean it like that..."

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her, squinting his eyes again. _"What'd she say?"_

Hinata blushed and looked away, and Kiba looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

_"Akamaru, you've become kind of tasty-looking."_ Choji looked up at the small dog atop Kiba's head, then took a step forward. Shino blocked his path and he blinked. "What?"

Shino glanced down at the ground and Choji followed his gaze to where a small beetle crawled.

"Don't step on it." Shino said.

"Huh?" Choji blinked up at him.

"I said don't step on it."

"Are you... gonna eat it?" Choji glanced back down at the insect before someone called out to the group of Genin.

"Hey, you guys!" They turned to see an older teen boy with ash-grey hair in a short ponytail approach them. "You should be a little quieter. You guys are the 'Rookie Nine' fresh out of the Academy, right?" He put a hand on his hip. "Carrying on like that with cute faces... Man. This isn't a field trip."

"Excuse me!" Ino put her hands on her hips. "Who're you, acting all haughty?!"

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi." He looked at the blonde girl. "Anyway, take a good look around you."

The rookies turned to look at the other candidates in the room who all were looking at them with scowls and sour expressions.

"Behind you... They're from the Rain Village." Kabuto explained. "They're hot-tempered. Everyone's tense before the Exam. I thought I'd warn you guys before you get your butts whipped." He smirked slightly, closing his eyes briefly and tilting his head down. "I guess it can't be helped. You're just rookies who don't know left from right..." He opened his eyes to look back at them with a smile. "You remind me of my old self."

"You said your name is Kabuto, right?" Sakura looked up at him.

"Yes. That's right." He answered.

"Then, is this your second time?" She asked.

"No." He rested his hands on his hips. "It's my seventh time."

"H-Huh?" Shikamaru blinked and looked at him.

"This Exam is only held twice a year, so it's only my fourth year." Kabuto explained.

"Then, that means you know a lot about these Exams, right?!" Sakura's eyes widened slightly.

"Kind of..." Kabuto shrugged.

"No kidding." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "Kabuto, you're pretty awesome, huh?"

"But you haven't passed." Shikamaru furrowed his brows slightly.

"Heh." Kabuto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Well, that is the case, yes..."

"Is the Chunin Exam really that high a hurdle?" Shikamaru made a face and then let out a short sigh. "Man, this is a total drag..."

"Then, maybe I'll give a bit of information to my cute juniors." He reached into his back pouch and held up a deck of cards. "With these Ninja Info Cards."

"Ninja Info Cards?" Sakura repeated.

"To put it simply, they're cards that have information burned into them and coded with Chakra." He knelt down and set the desk onto the floor, then reached down to pick up the first card. "I spent four whole years gathering information for this Exam. There are close to two hundred of these cards." He set it face-up on the ground, revealing a blank face. "They are pure white to the eye..."

Kabuto placed the tip of his index to the card, then it started to spin slowly counterclockwise. "To open the data on these cards..."

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked as she watched.

"The way it works is that no one can see the info without using my Chakra. For example... like this." He formed a hand sign with his right hand and channeled Chakra into the card and an image appeared.

"Whoa, awesome!" Sakura bent slightly to admire the card. "What information is this?"

"The number of test-takers and participating nations, and the number of applicants from each respective village is individually displayed."

He looked up at them. "Why do you think that the Chunin Exam is jointly conducted in the first place?"

They didn't answer, so he continued.

"It's said it's done to deepen the friendship among nations first, and to boost the Shinobi levels, second."

"'It's said'?" Sasuke looked down at him.

"Thant's right." Kabuto nodded slightly. "The real goal is in the checking of Shinobi levels of neighboring nations and keeping the power balance equal."

"Power... equal?" Naruto repeated, scratching his head and crossing his arms.

"Why such bothersome things?" Shikamaru asked.

Kabuto held his hand over the card and the image vanished and it returned to a blank white slate. "If that's not done, the weak nations will be invaded by the strong nations in no time at all and may end up being controlled unilaterally. There's a point to mutual supervision. Probably."

"Hmph." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets.

"Of those cards," Sasuke stepped forward. "Are there ones with detailed individual information?"

The corners of Kabuto's mouth twitched in a slight smile. "Yes, there are... Are there ones you're concerned about?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, there are."

Kabuto picked up the deck of cards, shuffling it and straightening it as he spoke. "The information for the applicants this time around is not perfect, but is burned in and save." He set the neat stack back down again. For you guys, included... about those 'ones you're concerned about,' who you know. Anything's fine. Just tell me their information and I'll retrieve it for you."

"Gaara of the Sand Village, and Rock Lee of the Leaf Village." Sasuke answered quickly.

"Oh, you even know names." Kabuto looked up at him. "That makes it quick."

He quickly shuffled through the deck, drawing two cards and holding them up. "Here they are."

"Please show me." Sasuke's brows furrowed as he stared intently down on them.

Naruto looked between Sasuke and Kabuto, the nodded to himself as he crossed his arms. _"I really don't get what's going on, but I'll pretend like I do."_

"Well then, first is Rock Lee." Kabuto channeled his Chakra into the card, and the information appeared.

"He's one year older than you guys. His mission experience- twenty D-Ranks and eleven C-Ranks. His squad leader is Guy... In just this last year, his Taijutsu has drastically improved, but... his other skills are not good at all." Kabuto paused, then continued. "Last year, he'd attracted attention as a Genin rookie with his ability, but didn't participate in the Chunin Exam. This is his first time taking the Exam, the same as you guys..."

"Additionally, Tenten and Neji Hyuga are on his team..." Kabuto finished, then pushed up his glasses.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, then tilted his head slightly and squinted his eyes. "Hyuga?"

"Next is... Gaara of the Desert." Kabuto placed the second card on top of Lee's, then used his Chakra again to activate it.

"His mission experience-eight C-Ranks... wow. One B-Rank as a Genin, huh? He's a Shinobi from a different land and is also a rookie, so there is no further detailed information." He looked up at the Genin in front of him. "However... it seems he has returned from all of his mission uninjured."

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly. "A B-Rank mission as a Genin... but uninjured...?"

"What is this guy?" Naruto muttered as he looked down at the card.

Sasuke remained silent as Kabuto drew another card and set it on top of Gaara's and activated it.

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound... There are lots of exceptional Genin from those villages who have come to take the Exam this year as well." Kabuto turned to briefly look at the crowded room, then back to the rookies. "As far as the Village Hidden in Sound goes, it's a village of a small nation that just sprang up in recent years, so there isn't much information..."

Kabuto returned the cards to his deck, smiling slightly up at them. "At any rate, they're all Hidden Villages with nothing but crackerjacks."

"T-That kind of makes you lose your confidence..." Hinata mumbled and lowered her eyes.

Ino raised a brow and looked at the shy girl. "Why are you saying that now?"

"In other words," Sakura interjected. "all of the applicants who have gathered here..."

"That's right!" Kabuto pushed up his glasses again. "Not just Lee and Gaara, but they're all choice top elite Genin from each nation."

"Hm..." Naruto's eye twitched slightly.

"This isn't going to be easy." Kabuto added.

* * *

Outside of the Exam room, Kakashi stood against a wall near the door, keeping his eyes closed as he listened to the conversations inside, think back on the meeting with the Hokage.

_"I can't go along with this!" Iruka protested and narrowed his eyes slightly at Kakashi. "They may be your subordinates now, but they are children who were my students first. If it's about them I know—!"_

_"It's as you say, Iruka!" Guy stepped forward, cutting the teacher off as he looked at Kakashi. "It's not going to be that easy. You're too eager. I postponed my team's test-taking for one year and took care to build up their skills. Have them take the Exam after they've enjoyed their life a little bit more."_

_"Hmph." Kakashi looked away for a moment, briefly closing his eyes before glancing back up at Guy, shrugging. "They might be too easygoing. But they will surpass your guys in no time."_

_Guy furrowed his brows slightly and the Hokage let out a small exhale of smoke._

_"That's enough. That's as far as the rookie matter goes." Hiruzen paused. "Now then, next... I'll take the recommendations for Genin other than rookies."_

"Well, don't pour cold water over this." _Kakashi glanced upward slightly in thought._

_Kakashi let out a sigh and glanced over that the Exam room door. _"I said that, nevertheless... I wonder if even the fearless ones are frightened just this time around."__

* * *

_"Stubborn as he is, he's still consumed by this atmosphere and number of people."_ Sakura held her hand close to her mouth as she watched Naruto twitch slightly with his hands balled tightly. _"He's so tense... it can't be helped. Even though everyone is a Genin, we're the newest and most inexperienced rookies. I'm feeling very uneasy myself. But..."_ She paused and kept her eyes on the blond. _"It's kind of tough looking at Naruto who's not himself. Maybe I'll cheer him up a little bit."_

She took a step toward him, leaning closer as she smiled. "Say, Naruto! Don't be so worried." She paused as his fists clenched tighter until his knuckles turned white. "Huh?"

"AAARG!" Naruto growled suddenly, then furrowed his brows and pointed to the hostile-looking candidates that filled the room. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I won't lose to any of you! Got it?!"

* * *

Kakashi let out a small sigh from the other side of the door as he chuckled under his breath.

* * *

"Say! What's with him?!" Ignored glared at Naruto, then turned to Sakura with her fists clenched.

Sakura's eye twitched as she looked at Naruto and she frowned slightly. _"I should have known. That idiot would never get depressed! Absurd!"_

"It won't do any good for him to provoke everyone!" Ino shouted at Sakura.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Sakura shouted back and tightened her own fists.

"If I don't tell it to you, who do I tell it to?!" Ino shouted back and her expression tensed.

"What did you say?!" Sakura scowled and glared at Ino.

"Ah, I feel better." Naruto chuckled at himself and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Hmph." Sasuke chuckled under his breath and looked at Naruto from the corner of his eyes. _"That guy..."_

Kabuto smirked slightly and the rival candidates all stared at Naruto now with intense glares, some of them clenching their jaws and balling their fists.

"Isn't that the kid from before?" Kankuro chuckled and turned to look toward the Leaf Rookies.

"That dog's bark is bigger than it's bite." Temari scoffed quietly.

"Is he an idiot...?" Tenten rested her crossed arms on the desk in front of her as she looked over at Naruto.

"He's mighty high-spirited." Neji commented.

"He's the hot-headed type." Lee added.

Neji glanced at his teammate. "Lee, maybe you did not bully him enough."

"Did you hear? The Sound Village is only a minor Hidden Village of a small nation." Zaku chuckled and crossed his arms as he kept his eyes on the Leaf Rookies.

"Shut up." Dosu shot him a glare from the corner of his eye.

"Maybe it'll be fun to... play with them a bit." Kin smirked faintly and furrowed her brows.

"Yes..." Dosu nodded slowly, his low voice seething. "Being referred to as something like leftover Shinobis and all. We'll add this to his data." His expression darkened. "Those Sound Shinobi are brutal in their own way."

"I won't lose to any of you,' you say?" Kiba chuckled and smirked at Naruto. "You said it...!"

"That idiot..." Shikamaru shook his head. "In no time at all, he's made enemies of his surroundings."

"What are you talking big for?! You—!" Sakura grabbed Naruto from behind, putting him into a chokehold.

"Gah!" Naruto squirmed and coughed. "B-But I just said what was true, ya know!"

Sakura and Naruto froze, noticing the intense glaring and gulped. Sakura loosened her grip on her blond and laughed awkwardly, waving her hand.

"E-Everyone... that was just a joke. This guy's just a big idiot, you see... after all, he says idiotic, spazzy, scatterbrained things and gets carried away so please don't concern yourself with him."

She turned back to Naruto and hitting the top of his head. "Jeez! Thanks to you, I got glared at! I'm going to kick your butt!"

"Shall we do it?" Dosu asked in a gravelly mumble.

"Let's do it." Zaku furrowed his brows and clenched his jaw.

The Sound trio flickered and ran amidst the crowd toward the Rookies, and Kankuro glared slightly and slowly started to remove the equipment from his back, when Gaara held out her hand to stop him.

"Learn how to read the atmosphere already, you moron!" Sakura continued to scold Naruto, pointing at him.

"Alright, alright." Naruto muttered and rubbed his head.

Zaku leapt into the air, aiming at Naruto, and Kabuto turned quickly with his Kunai drawn, dodging the Kunai Zaku threw as Dosu appeared in front of him, swinging his right fist at him.

Kabuto's eyes widened slightly and he clenched his jaw. _"These guys are the Sound Village."_ He smirked and easily dodged the attack.

"He dodged it!" Sakura muttered and her eyes widened at Kabuto.

_"I can see right through that speed." Sasuke smirked and furrowed his brows._

Kabuto's glasses cracked suddenly and his eyes widened, taking a step back as the lenses shattered and glass shards fell to the floor. He smirked again, closing his eyes briefly to adjust the empty frames.

"I see... it was that kind of attack, eh?" He took off his glasses and Sasuke glared and stepped forward.

"What's going on?" He looked at Kabuto's glasses. "I thought he'd dodged it. Why'd that happen to his glasses?"

"Probably grazed the tip of his nose." Shikmaru shrugged, then scoffed. "He's trying to act strong. That punk."

Kabuto's eyes widened again as his ears suddenly started to ring. His body trembled and he collapsed to his knees with his breathing short and labored, then vomited.

"H-Huh?!" Naruto stared wide-eyed. "H-He puked?!"

"Kabuto?" Sakura's eyes widened as he wretched and the rest of the rookies stared in shock, as well the rest of the room.

"Keh." Zaku chuckled, standing over Kabuto with a wide smirk.

Sakura and Naruto rushed to Kabuto's side.

"Hey, Kabuto!" Naruto touched his shoulder and Sakura knelt beside him.

"Are you okay?" Sakura helped him up.

"Y-Yeah... I'm okay."

"Really?" Sakura frowned slightly

"Oh?" Dosu watched Kabuto. "so, he's not so special. Even though he's a veteran who's been taking the exams for four years."

Zaku crossed his arms and sneered. "Write this down on your card. The three from the Sound Village... Guaranteed Chunin."

Naruto gritted his teeth and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

_"Kabuto should've totally read that attack... but why did he vomit?"_

"Lee." Neji looked at him. "How about that technique just now?"

"I had no problems reading the speed. There was some kinf of trick to it." Lee analyzed.

"Silence, degenerates!"

A large cloud of smoke filled the front of the room. All eyes turned to the Ninja within the smoke as it cleared. A stern-faced man with scars smirked faintly and looked over the candidates.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I'm Ibiki Morino, proctor of the first stage of the Chunin Exam."


	73. Chapter 71: The Chunin Exams Begin

"I'm Ibiki Morino, proctor of the first stage of the Chunin Exam."

The crowd of Genin turned to stare at him in silence and he pointed his finger at the back of the group.

"You! Genin from the Sound Village! No doing as you please before the Exam! Unless you want to be failed before we've even begun?"

Team Dosu turned to look at the scarred man, and Dosu cleared his throat slightly.

"Sorry. It's our first time taking the Exams, so we flipped out... despite ourselves."

"Hmph." Ibiki chuckled slightly and he lowered his arm. "This is a good opportunity, so I'll say this now: There will be no battles, competitions, and the like without the permission of the proctors! And, even if you do get permission, actions that could lead to the death of an opponent will not be permitted."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed as he looked over the entire group and his expression darkened. "Any pig that screws with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?!"

Most of the Genin furrowed their brows and met the intense look with one of their own, remaining silent.

Zaku smirked slightly and crossed his arms. "This Exam looks like it's going to be too easy."

The proctors chuckled to themselves and the corners of their mouths twitched in smirks as they watched the haughty Genin.

"Now then," Ibiki continued. "We will finally start the first test of the Chunin Exam. Turn in your applications now, take one of these number cards in exchange," He held up a small with the bold number one on it for them to see. "And then, sit in the seat corresponding with that number. After you've done that, we will hand out the paper for the written test."

"Written...?" Naruto repeated under his breath. "Paper...? Paper...?"

Kotetsu held up a stack of papers with a smirk, giving them a little shake as the candidates looked at him.

"A p-paper test?!" Naruto's stammered and his eyes widened, his face paling slightly.

After every candidate had turned in their application and sat, the tests were placed in front of each of them with the backs up. Once the room quieted, the proctor's assistance all sat in chairs on either side of the room with a clipboard and watched the candidates carefully.

Naruto gulped at his seat as he looked around the room and made a face. _"Everyone's seats are all scattered... what should I do?"_ He gulped again and clutched at his head.

_"He's deflating..."_ Sakura watched Naruto clutch his head and rest his forehead on the desk, then she smiled to herself as she sat two rows behind him. _"It's the worst type of test for Naruto..."_ She laughed quietly under her breath.

"Naruto..." Hinata mumbled quietly and looked at him as she sat to his right.

"Huh?" He sat up slightly to look at her. "Oh, you're Hinata. Since when were you...?"

She blushed faintly and averted her eyes for a moment and looked back to him. "L-Let's both do our best."

"Yeah." Naruto smiled back at her and her blush deepened. _"I didn't notice her there at all until she spoke up... she has no presence at all..."_

Ibiki picked up a piece of chalk and tapped the blackboard with it, making a small dot.

"There are several important rules to this first test." He began. "I will take no questions, so listen well accordingly!"

_"Rules"_ Sakura looked up at him and furrowed her brows. _"No questions will be taken?"_

"First, we have the first rule." Ibiki turned to the board and began to write. "You are given ten points each from the start! The written test has ten problems in all! Each problem is worth one point. And, this test is a point deduction system." He turned around and rested on hand on his hip as he looked out at the classroom. "You are deducted one point for each problem you get wrong!"

"So," He continued. "If you get three wrong, you'll have seven points."

_"And if I get ten wrong, I'll have zero points..."_ Naruto held his chin and squinted in thought, then nodded to himself.

"Which brings us to the second rule." Ibiki narrowed his eyes slightly. "Passing or failing will be determined by the total points of the three-man squads."

A collective gasp filled the room and each of the team's expressions shifted in surprise or arrogance.

Sakura's eyes widened and she hit her head on the desk and clenched her fists. She looked back up quickly at the proctor.

"W-Wait a minute! What do you mean... total points of the teams?"

"Shut up!" Ibiki narrowed his eyes. "There's a perfectly good reason for this! So just shut up and listen!"

_"Reason?"_ Sakura pressed her lips together, her forehead throbbing slightly as she settled back into her seat.

"If you've got it, here's the most important next rule! Those who are deemed by the sentinels as having committed an act of cheating or something similar to that... will have two points deducted for each act."

Ibiki smirked and several candidates glanced at the Chunin sitting on either side of the room along the walls.

"What...?" The boy next to Sakura blinked and made a face.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked slowly.

"In other words..." Ibiki added. "There may be those who will be dismissed during the test without waiting for test grading."

Other Genin looked around in silence and Sakura furrowed her brows.

_"This means they're deducting points from other things beside the written test problems."_

"Know that those who commit awkward cheating... will only bring ruin upon yourselves."

Kotetsu narrowed his eyes at a candidate that watched him and then smirked. "I'll check you anytime."

Several Genin gulped and looked at Kotetsu.

"If you aspire to become a Chunin at all, know that Shinobi should act like exemplary Shinobi." Ibiki crossed his arms.

Sakura rested her chin on her hands and her elbows on the desk. _"Relax...! Naruto aside, Sasuke and I are okay. Even if Naruto gets zero points, if we can cover that..."_

"And, in the event that one person on the team gets zero points..." Ibiki stuck his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Everyone on that team will fail!"

_"What?!"_ Sasuke's eyes widened and he froze in his seat.

_"What?!"_ Sakura screwed up her face in a combination of shock, disgust, and anger.

_"Oh no..."_ Naruto gulped and paled, a bead of sweat already forming on his brow as his stomach turned. _"I feel two menacing stares..."_

"N-Naruto?" Hinata looked at his pained expression and frowned slightly.

"By the way, the last problem will be given forty-five minutes after the start of the test." All eyes turned to Ibiki. "The time for the test is one hour."

He glanced up at the clock and watched the second hand ticking. It sat at twelve, and he looked out at the Genin.

"Begin!"

Their eyes widened and everyone quickly picked up their pencils, turned their papers over, and began to work. The sound of graphite on paper filled the otherwise silent room and Sakura stared down at the paper and swallowed.

_"Could it be... that the fat is really on the fire now...?"_ She glanced at the back of Naruto's head and furrowed her brows. _"Naruto...! Just don't get zero points!"_

"Tch." Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glanced over at where Naruto sat on the other side of the room, clutching his head. _"That Naruto isn't getting jitters from the get-go, is he?"_

_"This is so bad..."_ Naruto gulped, shutting his eyes tightly as he clutched his head. He chuckled to himself. _"As if! I know I've cleared many obstacles like this before..."_ He held up the paper in his hands. _"At times like this, one should look at all the problems without feeling pressed or making a fuss! And then, with the utmost effort, I should tackle the problems that look the easiest to understand!"_

He began to read over the questions while grinning to himself.

_"Let's see, the first problem... is a code text. Eh... Excellent, I say!"_

He sat with a grin, holding his pencil over the paper for a while, before blinking.

_"Nevermind. Next one. Let's see... the second problem..."_

_"The parabola B in the diagram illustrates the greatest possible distance Enemy Ninja A can through his Shuriken from a tree seven meters high..."_ Sasuke read the second problem in his head and furrowed his brows. _"Predict and answer the Enemy Ninja's character inferred from the Ellipse this Shuriken forms, and also answer the longest firing range in battle on flat ground, and explain your basis."_

_"T-This is an... integrated problem based on predictions of uncertain conditions and dynamic energy analysis application!"_ Sakura looked up from her paper back at Naruto. _"There's no way he can solve this! I mean... hardly anyone but me can solve this problem!"_

_"Uh... next!"_ Naruto skipped the second question and looked over the third.

_"These other problems..." _Sakura reviewed the other questions. _"Are nothing but difficult ones."_

Naruto's grin fell and his expression fell and darkened.

"Hmph." Sasuke finished reviewing the last question and smirked to himself. _"I see... I don't understand a single one of these problems..."_

Naruto clutched his head tightly and squeezed his eyes shut as they watered. _"Oh, man! This is so bad! For real! For real! What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?!"_

Hinata looked at Naruto from the corner of her eye.

_"If about ten of all fifty-one teams are able to pass this, it will be bad if I didn't stretch myself and get a considerable amount of points."_ Sakura moved a piece of her hair out of her face. _"It's like a system inviting cheating... I hope Sasuke and Naruto won't panic and try to cheat."_ She smiled slightly and looked forward at the blond. _"It's okay... Naruto's not that much of an idiot. I know that..."_

_"Don't panic..."_ Naruto gritted his teeth and clutched the pencil tightly in his hand and stared down at his paper. _"For now, all there is to do is be very, very cautious... and cheat without being found out!"_

Ibiki paced slowly in the front of the room and turned slightly to glance at Naruto, who sat idle. Naruto paled and smacked himself in the head.

_"No! No! I can't! That's no good! I can't tread on such thin ice!"_

Sasuke glanced over at the sentinels on the side of the room. _"At any rate, this elaborate fuss... it's like a trick assuming that we're going to cheat. They probably check with that paper..."_

One of the men scribbled something on his clipboard and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

_"Somebody got nailed."_ He turned back to his test. _"Cheating deducts two points... a two-point deduction, huh? Ordinarily, it'd be a failure the moment the cheating was discovered..." _His eyes widened suddenly and remembered Ibiki's words.

_"Know that those who commit awkward cheating... will only bring ruin upon yourselves... Shinobi should act like exemplary Shinobi."_

Sasuke clenched his jaw. _"I see. So that's how it is. This isn't just an achievement test! The real aim is... a test to see the ability for intensive information collection with the full use of deception and concealment techniques. 'Shinobi should read the double bluff,' huh? In other words... the true intention of the proctor is... if you're going to cheat, not 'awkward cheating,' but like 'exemplary Shinobi' to not get caught."_

Sasuke glanced up at the board where Ibiki's three rules were still written.

_"Viewed in this light, the extraordinariness of the point deduction system, the lenience of only deducting two points for each discovery of cheating makes sense. In other words... what's being tested is how we can gather the correct answers without having our cheating discovered by the proctors or by the ones being cheated on."_ He glanced back over at Naruto. _"Realize it quickly, Naruto! It'll turn into a fatal mistake! Realize it!"_

Naruto trembled in his seat with his legs shaking uncontrollably as sweat dripped down his pale face and he stared blankly ahead.

_"T-This is bad..."_

_"If the purpose of this test is seeing the ability to gather information... then, there should be someone in this classroom somewhere..."_ Sasuke looked around the room and furrowed his brows. _"Who knows the answers to all the problems..."_

Gaara held his hand over his paper and a small amount of sand gathered beneath.

Kankuro glanced over to look at where Gaara sat, then looked away. _"Soo, Gaara has also started, eh..."_ He closed his eyes and let out a short breath. _"Hmph... I'm counting on you, Crow."_

Along the wall where the other proctors sat was a false proctor, wearing the clothes and matching Leaf headband as the others. It turned its head as if checking the students.

Akamaru sat on top of Kiba's head and looked around at those around them, then softly barked a few times. Kiba chuckled to himself and started to write as he whispered. "Woo hoo. Good boy, Akamaru! Next is problem four."

Dosu sat with his eyes closed and listened carefully to the candidate writing steadily in the seat behind him. _"Judging from this rhythm... the stroke order... and the number of strokes... I see."_ Keeping his eyes closed, he brought his pencil down to the paper and imitated the writing exactly on his own test.

A fly sat on a table, overlooking the writing of a candidate from carefully. After a few moments, the boy noticed the insect and waved it away and it flew off and perched on the tip of Shino's extended finger.

"Okay. Please tell me." He stared down at the small insect carefully and it flew above his paper, circling above it in a pattern. "Eight, is it?"

Tenten glanced upward at a group of mirrors held on the ceiling with Kunai and adjusted the angles with wires tied around her fingers as she filled in the answers reflected. _"Lee, if you can see it, wear your headband!"_

Lee glanced up from his blank paper to see the mirror that reflected Kiba's test, and he removed his headband from around his waist and wore it at his forehead as a signal, then began to fill in the sheet.

Naruto gripped his hair tightly and rested his head on the desk, sweating continuously as he trembled and glared at the paper before him. _"Time is rapidly going by! Oh, man! I'm afraid all there is left to do is cheat...!"_ He sighed and rested his chin in his hand and opened his eyes. _"But if I'm discovered, it'll be trouble for Sakura and Sasuke..."_ He gritted his teeth. _"But on the other hand, if I get zero points... Sasuke and Sakura will be my companions in failure..."_

"N-Naruto..." Hinata whispered and looked over at him.

He blinked and looked over at her and she blushed as his eyes fell on her.

"I'll show you... my test." She whispered.

"Huh?" He blinked again and sat up. _"What is Hinata saying...? Why would she do such a thing for me?"_ His brows furrowed slightly. _"Could it be...? Some kind of trick? But... I don't think Hinata is one to do something like that..."_ He looked down at his paper and made a face. _"But... she might've been coaxed into it by Kiba and that other guy on her team..."_

"Hinata, let me ask you one thing." Naruto whispered and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Why would you show me?"

She blushed and balled her hand and trembled slightly. "I... uh... actually..." She gulped and looked at him. "I... don't want you to have to leave at this stage..."

"Huh?"

"I mean..." Her blush deepened and she gulped again. "You see... the nine of us are the only rookies... and I have many anxieties about what's to come, so...!"

Naruto smiled at her and nodded slightly as he whispered back, chuckling quietly under his breath. "Now I get it. I was kind of strangely suspicious of you at first."

_"Anyhow, this is crazy lucky, I say!"_ Naruto grinned to himself and turned away from her. _"Thank goodness I ended up next to Hinata..."_

Hinata looked away from Naruto and shifted her paper so that he could see. Naruto continued to grin as he tilted his head slightly to peek.

A Kunai shot from the front of the room, narrowly missing Naruto's face as it pierced the test of the boy behind him and lodged into the desk. The boy leaned back with his eyes and mouth open in shock and all eyes around them turned to look at the Kunai.

Naruto paled slightly and trembled as a bead of sweat rolled down his brow. _"W-W-What was that? I was about to turn..."_

The boy gulped and stared wide-eyed at the knife in front of him and then stood to look at Kotetsu.

"W-What was that for, s-sir?!"

Kotetsu smirked and crossed his arms. "You made five mistakes. You fail!"

The boy's eyes widened. "N-No way..."

Ibiki pointed at the boy and narrowed his eyes.

"His two buddies, both of you get out of the classroom right now."

Two others stood up slowly, staring down as they sighed and slowly walked to the door and left. Naruto gulped and remained fixed in place, gulping and relaxed slightly as the boy followed his teammates out and the door closed behind them.

"Number twenty-three fails!" Another proctor called out, and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Numbers forty-three and twenty-seven fail!" Another added.

They stood and quietly left the room, though one had to be dragged out, shouting loudly in protest as the proctors removed him.

"Hey, hey!" Another boy slammed his hand on the desk and gritted his teeth. "Do you have proof that I cheated five whole times?! Really, how efficiently are you guys properly checking this number of people...?"

A proctor with bandages wrapped around his head pinned the boy against the wall suddenly with his elbow and smirked.

"Hey, listen up." The proctor narrowed his gaze at the Genin, who swallowed and kept quiet. "Even among us Chunin, we're elites who were selected for this Exam specifically. We don't even overlook you blinking a single time." He lowered his arm, freeing the boy, and stuck his hand into his pocket. "In a manner of speaking, this strength is the proof."

The majority of the classroom stared at the commotion, not daring to speak or move. Naruto trembled and stared at the Genin as he slid down the wall, disheartened and wholly defeated. Hinata frowned slightly and looked at him.

"Naruto?" She whispered. "Hurry up and look..."

Naruto looked down at her paper and his eyes widened as he heard the sound of a pencil writing quickly. He looked to see Izumo out of the corner of his eye, writing something down quickly on his clipboard. Once he was finished, he smirked and met Naruto's eyes.

Naruto gulped and turned to quickly focus on his paper as his hands started to tremble again. He smiled weakly and glanced at Hinata from the corner of his eyes and whispered.

"Hinata, you don't get it... do you?"

"H-Huh?"

Naruto smiled and pointed at himself with the pencil. "An awesome Ninja like me won't cheat. Believe it!"

"N-Naruto..." She paused and glanced at his blank test. "B-But..."

"Also, if something went wrong..." Naruto's smile faded and his expression became serious. "You'd be in a hot spot for helping me, right?

Hinata's eyes widened and she blushed. _"N-Naruto..."_ She blinked and quickly looked back at her paper, her face flushing deeper. "S-Sorry... I did something uncalled for..."

"Heh..." Naruto chuckled and turned his eyes back down to the test. "Nah, it's okay." He turned his face away from her, his eyes watering as he made a face. _"I went and acted big... what am I going to do now? I'm extremely stupid."_

Sakura glanced up at the clock and leaned closer to her paper, turning her eyes to the last problems and began to solve them.

Neji closed his eyes briefly and exhaled and opened them again. _"Byakugan!"_ He looked through the boy in front of him at the completed test, and then began to copy down the answers.

Sasuke furrowed his brows and activated his Sharingan and focused one the person in front of him who was steadily writing. _"I'll just copy all of his movements!"_ Sasuke smirked as his hand moved on its own. _"My hand is moving fluently... I hit the jackpot straight away with this guy."_

Ino smirked faintly and looked at where Sakura sat several rows ahead. _"Sakura, it looks like you're done already, huh? I'm acknowledging that your smarts are as exceptional as your forehead is wide. SO, you should thank me."_ She held up a hand sign and narrowed her eyes. _"Thank me for getting to be the target of this Jutsu. Ninja Art! Mind Transfer Jutsu!"_ She formed a second hand sign and pointed it at Sakura.

Sakura's body slumped for a moment, and then sat up with a grin as Ino had taken control.

_"So, Ino started using that Jutsu..."_ Shikamaru sighed softly with his chin resting in his hand.

_"There's no countering that Jutsu of Ino's..."_ Choji glanced over at her limp body and narrowed his eyes.

_"Sakura, I let myself move into your mind for just a little bit."_ Ino, as Sakura smirked, then held up the paper to review and memorize each of the answers. _"Then, I can pass these answers to Choji."_

"Number fifty-nine fails!" A proctor chuckled as he announced it.

"Number thirty-three and nine!" Another called out.

Kabuto narrowed his eyes and watched the failed Genin leave the room, almost squinting without his glasses. _"This is the thirteenth group to fail already."_

"Number forty-one fails."

"Number thirty-five and sixty-two... fail!"

"No way!" A boy complained before being escorted out of the room with his teammates

Gaara continued to gather a small amount of sand in his palm, forming a small orb, and he reached over with his right hand to cover his left eye.

_"That brat... he just coolly proceeds through this chaos without moving an eyelash." _Ibiki stood at the front of the room with his hands in the pocket of his coat and narrowed his gaze at the red-haired Suna Genin and then smirked. _"Very well done considering he's new._

The ball of sand in Gaara's hand shifted in appearance to become an eye. After a moment, it looked around the room and its vision became clear.

_"The optic nerves are connected... the third eye opens."_

Gaara squeezed the eye and is became sand, then scattered into the air in a radius around him

"Ugh!" A Leaf Genin rubbed his eyes and dropped his pencil as sand irritated his eyes. _"There's something in my eyes... Damn it! It won't come out!"_

The sand reformed into an eyeball over the nearly completed test and looked from question-to-question as the boy was distracted.

With his free hand, Gaara picked up his pencil and began to write down the answers onto his own test.

"Excuse me." Kankuro raised his hand after glancing over at Gaara.

"What is it?" A proctor crossed his arms to look at him.

"I need to go to the restroom." Kankuro lowered his arm and shrugged slightly.

The proctor sighed and stood, then beckoned Kankuro over. He placed a set of handcuffs on the boy and another proctor tied the end of a thin rope to the cuffs.

"I will accompany you to the bathroom."

"I see..." Kankuro forced a sheepish smile and obediently followed him out of the room.

Gaara set down his pencil and opened his left eye and watched Kankuro being led out of the room.

"Ah..." Kankuro chuckled as he relieved himself as his escort stood on the other side of the wall in the bathroom. "Those proctors are nothing special! They don't even realize that there's an extra in their ranks... don't you agree... Crow?"

Parts of the proctor's face crumbled like sand and cracked to reveal a portion of the puppet's true face. Kankuro smirked as he looked over at it, then washed his hands and was escorted back into the room.

Naruto gulped and stared up at the clock on the wall as the second hand continued to tick rapidly. _"Forty minutes hand passed since the test started... only twenty minutes left now... huh?"_ He glanced down and furrowed his brows. _"Since it's come to this, it's the last problem to be given forty-five minutes after the start of the test. All there's left to do is bet on this. Believe it."_

He glanced back at the clock and gulped again.

_"Everything depends on the tenth question..."_


	74. Chapter 72: The Abe Estate Assault Part

_Please still be alive._

Natsumi padded down the stairs quickly and quietly.

_I don't remember the castle layout well from the briefing, but I think I remember how to get to the dungeon._

Shemoved quickly through the halls, passing rooms that had already been searched by her teammates and slowed at the sight of the blood splatter and corpses. The bodies of servants and nobles alike had wounds from a blade stuck directly into their hearts, while others were missing their heads.

_Jiro. This is definitely his work._

She dry heaved and supported herself with the wall, the scent of blood thick so in the air that she could taste it with each gasping breath.

_They're all dead. Everyone..._

She staggered down the hall, biting her lip as she coughed and covered her mask with the opposite hand in a failed attempt to ward away the stench.

_Were they all the same as that little girl? All of them...?_

Sounds of an intense fight came from the floor below on the other end of the castle. She shook her head slowly, turning to walk slowly in the opposite direction as she trembled.

_Why...? Why would anyone do this? All these people... Why kill them and then do this to their bodies? They at least deserve to rest in peace..._

She stopped as her foot crunched and she shook and looked down to see what she had stepped on:

A severed arm.

She let out a small, silent scream and dry heaved again, quickly moving away from it.

_Why? Why? Why?_

She gulped and stepped over a still-warm body, unable to look away from the crimson splatter dripping down the halls.

_Why did this happen? Why did they all have to die? Why am I even here?_

Natsumi stopped at the last door of the hall which stood distinctly different than the others.

_That's right... I failed my mission before..._

She swallowed and shakily reached out to touch the door's handle.

_It's because of me that the Prince was captured. Lord Third gave me the special mission to rescue him. I can't be like this. I have to be strong._

She turned the handle and stared down at the darkened stone staircase that led below and sucked in a deep breath. She exhaled and clenched her fists.

_I'm going to be strong. I'm not going to fail this time. I refuse to._

With each step, she fortified her courage.

_I'm strong._

_Lord Third chose me to be on this mission._

_Kiri and Sena and even Hidemi-sensei recommended me for the ANBU._

_I've been training and dedicating so much time for missions like this._

_I'm strong._

_I'm strong._

_I have to be._

_I'm going to be._

_I am._

At the bottom of the stairs, she quieted her breathing and looked around the corner.

_All clear for now._

She continued quietly down the hall, then looked around the next corner. Her eyes widened and she clenched her Ninjato tightly.

_No. Not more of them._

A dozen people with dark sclerae that had been lying on the ground as if dead suddenly twitched and stood, their movements unnatural as if they were marionettes. Natsumi paled and gulped, taking a step back.

_Please no. I don't want to fight them. I don't want to kill people._

"S-Someone's... here." A man muttered, and he held knives in each of his hands, which were bloody as he'd chewed the tips of his fingers off.

_I didn't want anyone to be here. I'm not cut out for this. I can't do it._

The image of Jiro's dark, exhilarated expression surfaced in her mind.

_"Don't be naïve. The only proper course of action is to cull them. They're already dead, you know."_

_I know that. _Natsumi trembled as she took another step back. _I know that they're dead._

_"They're already dead, you know."_

Natsumi bit her lip harder.

_I know that! I do! It's just..._

She took another step back.

_They're still people. They still bleed. They still seem to have at least remnants of human emotions. How can I be expected to kill them so easily? Or with a gleeful expression like Jiro?_

She stepped back again and discovered that she had backed into a corner.

_They're still human, damn it!_

"Kill... the intruder..." One of the women muttered.

"Kill..." Another man staggered forward and held up his own knife.

_They're dead already... They're dead already... and they're not in control of themselves..._

A man lunged at her and she narrowed her eyes and dodged his attack easily, then kicked him back hard in the chest. He fell backward into one of the other zombie-like people and slowly got up again, unharmed.

_They're already dead... and what's been done to them is abhorrent. They deserve to rest in peace._

She drew in a breath, then slowly exhaled.

_As much as I don't want to... I have to be the one to put them to rest._

"I'm sorry."

A slow tear rolled down her cheek and rushed at the people, slicing at them accurately and dodging their attacks.

_Ignore the blood. Ignore their expressions. Ignore their pain. Give them a quick death._

Natsumi jumped off the wall and, with a single movement, severed the heads of two attackers.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, blinking away the tears as she watched their bodies spurt blood and collapse to the ground.

_I have to end their suffering. I have to free them from this._

She cut the hand off of a woman as she tried to stick a sharpened broom handle through the girl, then Natsumi stuck her sword through her chest, pushing her to the ground with a kick. The woman gurgled and shrieked, and then suddenly went quiet.

_There's so many of them!_

Natsumi dodged two men, jumping up and clinging to the ceiling with her Chakra gathered in her feet.

_At least they're not natural fighters, but their numbers are still an issue in close-quarter combat like this._

She formed a hand sign and looked down at them.

_I'm not sure how well this will work, but I have to try._

She focused her Chakra, then pointed the hand sign at them.

_Temporary Paralysis Jutsu._

The people froze in place and Natsumi strained to hold them all at once.

_This is even harder than I thought._

She jumped down in the middle of the group, and they twitched and were able to turn their heads, but were otherwise frozen.

_I can't keep this up for very long._

"Sorry." She muttered again and quickly and precisely drove her blade through their hearts, only looking away for a moment as blood poured out and they fell.

_Only four left now, and I'm at my limit._

Beads of sweat rolled down her face and the paralysis lifted. She struck down one of the women holding a set of long knives and stepped back, her feet squishing in the puddle of blood there. Acid rose to her throat and she swallowed to force it down.

_Don't throw up. Don't throw up. We're almost done._

She turned to look at the last pair of men, each armed with a long sword.

_These two look like they used to be bodyguards._

They swung in unison at Natsumi from different angles and her eyes widened.

_I can't dodge in time!_

She shifted to smoke and the blades passed through her.

_Just in time._

Their eyes widened slightly and, before they could strike again, she swung her sword in a wide arc, launching a large blade of air at them. Their upper bodies fell separately from their lower bodies, and Natsumi looked away once more, nearly dry heaving.

_I can't stand this. Is this really the only way?_

She looked up at the last woman, who had pressed herself against the wall with her eyes wide.

_She's different. She's more aware._

The woman watched Natsumi carefully, and then fell to her knees.

"Please... kill me." She pleaded quietly and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"W-What?" Natsumi stepped back.

"Please..." The woman's darkened eyes watered, and unlike the others, her irises weren't dull and empty. "I can... resist a little better... than the others. I don't... want to hurt you. Please... just kill me."

Natsumi's breath caught in her throat.

_It was hard enough fighting the others, but she's undeniably human still._

"I don't want to..." Natsumi admitted softly.

"Please. You... must." The woman blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't know how much longer... I'll be myself for." She glanced downward. "I've already lost... my husband. There's no hope... for me."

_I don't want to do this. Anything but this. Why did she have to be aware?_

"I..." Natsumi swallowed.

"Please." The woman pleaded again. "Do it quickly... I want to see my husband... in the afterlife."

Natsumi swallowed again. "I..." She shook her head and whispered. "I don't want to kill you. I didn't want to kill them, either. But... I can't just let you suffer, either."

_She's begging for me to kill her._

Natsumi's hands trembled.

_I can't... but I have to... I hate this. I hate this with every single part of me._

She nodded and slowly stepped forward, pointing the tip of her Ninjato at the woman's heart.

"I-I'll... make it quick."

The woman smiled slightly. "Before... could you tell me... are my children... safe?"

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "Your... children?"

A face appeared in her mind and she stared at the woman.

_Of course... I don't know why I didn't notice before... they have the same eyes._

"Your daughter... her name is Kanna, right?"

The woman's eyes grew and welled with tears. "Kanna... that's right. My sweet Kanna... they said she died."

An ache formed in Natsumi's chest.

_This is her mom. The one we promised to find. The one we told her that we would try to save._

"S-She's alive." Natsumi managed to say softly. "She's safe."

"Thank God." The woman's eyes closed and she cried. "She survived... my sweet girl..."

"Your son, too." Natsumi forced herself to smile faintly. "He's okay. Kanna has him. She's been taking good care of him."

"Koji...?" The woman choked on a sob, shaking as she put her hand over her mouth. "I can't... believe it. My babies... I'm so happy."

Natsumi bit her lip and a slow tear rolled down her cheek.

_I can't... how can I do this? How can I look in those girls' eyes if I see her again, and tell her what happened? How can I tell her that the parents she's been waiting for are gone?_

"W-We..." Natsumi closed her eyes briefly, pausing as she held back tears. "We're going to bring them back to the Leaf with us... when everything here is finished. They'll be safe."

"Thank you..." The woman cried and looked up at her. "Thank you..."

Natsumi took another step forward and touched the tip of her blade to the woman's chest.

_Please. I don't want to do this. Please, don't make me do this._

"Make sure... she's safe. If he finds out that... she survived... he'll come for her."

Natsumi bit her lip. "Who? Who's behind all this? Who did this to you?"

"I don't... know. He never said... his name." The woman shook her head. "But his eyes... I've never seen such... cruelty... or sadism."

_I wonder... is it?_

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

_No, it has to be. I can't think of anything else that makes sense._

"Do you know where the Prince is?" Natsumi asked softly.

The woman pointed at the cell two doors down.

"Fourteen... cell fourteen. Please save that... poor boy. Keep my children safe... that's all I ask."

Natsumi turned back to her and swallowed.

"I-I'll... do my best. For as long as I live... I'll keep an eye on them. I'll watch over them."

The woman closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall with a soft breath.

"Thank you... I can die... happy."

Natsumi's hand shook and her Ninjato rattled.

"I... can't." She whispered. "I can't do it."

The woman smiled faintly. "It's okay."

"N-No... it's not okay." Natsumi choked. "None of this is..."

"You're a good girl." The woman closed her eyes and grabbed the blade with her hands, steadying it and aimed it at her heart. "Thank you..."

She leaned forward quickly, pulling the blade into her chest. Blood dripped from the wound and her mouth, and after a moment, she went limp.

Natsumi dropped her sword, trembling as she quickly tore off her mask and fell on her hands and knees as she retched.

_Why?! Why?! Why?!_

She sobbed as her stomach turned, and she coughed, vomiting up more acid and bile.

_Why?! Why did I have to be the one to do this?! Why did she have to still be human?! Why?!_

She sat up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, and paled as she looked over the pile of corpses around her. Her eyes widened as her vision blurred with crimson, and she screamed. She screamed with all of the air in her lungs, screaming so loudly that the sound had completely been lost.

After some time, she wiped her face again, her lips quivering as she swallowed and shook.

_What have I done?_

She took up her sword, flicked the blood off, and forced herself to a stand. Most of her body tingled with numbness and she shuffled in a daze over to the cell door marked fourteen.

_I have to snap out of this. I have to fulfill my promise to her. Starting with rescuing the Prince._

Natsumi stood on her tiptoes to look into the small barred window of the cell and her eyes widened at the boy in the cell. His skin was sallow, his frame was thin, and he lay in a heap on the ground. His formal robes were filthy and torn, and he didn't seem to be moving.

_Is he... dead?_

After a moment, she breathed out a short sigh of relief as his chest rose and fell slowly.

_He's alive. But very weak._

Natsumi looked around and bit her lip.

_Now, how do I get to him? The cells walls are stone, the door is really thick wood, and I don't see a key anywhere. And I didn't find it on any of the bodies, which means that someone else in the castle had the key._

She touched the door gently and then stepped back and gripped her Ninjato tightly.

_Looks like I'm going to have to do a little demolition work._

Focusing her Chakra to her blade, she swung in a wide arc at the door and a blade of wind splintered and shattered the door.

_It worked, but the door's too thick. I need to try again._

She fired off two more slices of wind, and the door broke and its pieces fell all around. The boy in the cell had jumped awake at the noise with his eyes fearful as he shook.

"W-Who's there?"

Natsumi stepped into the doorway to look at him, then slowly took off her mask.

"It's okay. I'm from the Leaf; I'm here to save you." She stepped toward him to kneel in front of him.

_Thank goodness. His eyes are normal. He wasn't changed like the others._

"You came for me." His eyes watered and he hung his head slightly. "I was afraid... that you'd forgotten me."

"I'm sorry we took so long." Natsumi gingerly touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry this happened to you." She swallowed, speaking quietly. "I was on the original mission to meet with you. We ran into some... unexpected trouble. Some dangerous rogue ninja. We were badly injured and couldn't come to you in time. I'm sorry."

He looked up at her. "You were on that mission...?"

She nodded. "Can you walk or stand? Let's get you out of here."

"I-I'm not sure." He frowned slightly. "I haven't eaten anything in several days and my body does not want to move."

_Judging by his appearance alone, I expected that._

"That's okay. I can support your weight."

_I hope._

She turned around to look the hall outside of the cell and bit her lip.

_He can't see this. There's no telling how badly it will scar him. These are all people he knew well. He doesn't deserve to have this image of them be burned into his mind._

Natsumi turned to glance at the boy over her shoulder, blocking his line of sight.

"You trust me... right?"

He lifted his head to meet her eyes slowly, then nodded weakly. "Yes."

"Okay."

She turned and knelt in front of him, taking her headband off and holding it up. "I'm going to put this over your eyes now."

"Huh?" He blinked slowly. "W-Why?"

She pressed her lips together. "Trust me... you don't want to see what's out there."

His face paled slightly, then he nodded. "...R-Right." He closed his eyes. "Go ahead."

Natsumi nodded in response and gently tied the headband around his head and helped him to his feet. She draped his arm over her shoulders and she held in a grunt at his weight.

_Even being starved, he's still really heavy._

"Do you want me to get anything for you before we go? My orders are to go ahead of my team and bring you directly to the Leaf."

He shook his head again. "No... I... I just want to be away from this place."

She nodded quietly, carefully guiding him out of the room and into the hall, avoiding the bodies and puddles of blood as she went.

_I feel like I'm going to be sick..._

She gulped and forced her eyes forward.

_I'm in the middle of a rescue mission. I can't be pathetic and start puking in front of him._

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up, grimacing slightly at the thought of carrying him up.

"Um..." The Prince said slowly, lifting his head up to look around beneath the blindfold. "There's a better way out. A secret passage. That's how I got out the first time."

"Secret passage?" She looked at him. "Where?"

"At the end of the east hall in the dungeon. There's a mural of the sun goddess." He answered weakly. "If you press in the left pupil of the goddess, it opens up the path."

She turned and looked down the hall, walking back the direction they had come from, turning east down another hall, passing empty cells as they did. Eventually she came to the end of the hall, where the she found the mural he had described.

Careful to not let him fall, she stood on her tiptoes to press on the pupil of the goddess until she heard a click. The stone wall at the back of the nearest cell opened up to reveal a narrow doorway.

She opened the unlocked cell, stepped carefully over the bones, and led him into the hall. The air was even more bitter and stale than in the dungeon, and, once they were inside, a pressure plate on the floor activated and sealed the doorway behind them.

"If we follow this path, it leads to a small abandoned temple in the middle of the woods. It's not on any maps, so no one should find us there."

"Does anyone else know about this place?" Natsumi adjusted her grip on him, trying to ignore his weight.

"I don't think so." He shook his head slowly, then gently lifted the headband from his eyes. "Could we... maybe stop for a bit? I feel light-headed."

Natsumi stopped walking, then nodded slightly and gently leaned him against the wall and guided him down to a comfortable sit.

"If you're sure that no one else will look for us here."

The Prince let out a breath, then removed the blindfold the rest of way and leaned his head against the stone wall and closed his head.

"I found this place when I was a child." He said quietly with his eyes still closed as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Being the youngest of six sons, I was nowhere near close to ever being in line to be heir. As such, few were concerned about my whereabouts or how I spent my time. Father still made me study many subjects, but unlike my brothers who had well-known tutors from noble families, mine were villagers. Although, I think they were better teachers than the ones my brothers had."

His lips curved faintly in a smile. "However, my father seemed to only be putting on airs. It would have been a disgrace to him if I was a fool or ignorant, so he had me tutored in the fundamentals, but he didn't care to oversee my education or make note of my progress. In short, I think my education was merely a tool to keep me occupied so that he did not have to see."

He let out a short sigh. "And so, once my lessons were through, I enjoyed playing with my younger cousins, though they are girls. When they were busy, I enjoyed spending long hours in the library, reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. I also greatly enjoy exploring, and, since people don't bother themselves with keeping track of my whereabouts, I've been able to spend long hours wandering outside as well."

His eyes opened and he looked around the tunnel. "It's how I discovered this place. One day I was reading ancient journals of the stewards of the estate from many years ago, and I came across one that piqued my interest. It said that, after a series of terrible natural disasters, the Abe castle and all of its estate had to be entirely rebuilt from its foundation up. The prince at the time, who was set to become Lord— as his father had died in a fire— commissioned a secret passage during its rebuilding that wasn't part of the original plans."

Natsumi knelt beside him, relaxing just enough to recover her own stamina, though she stayed aware of their surroundings in case anyone were to approach.

"Why build a secret tunnel?"

The prince smiled faintly.

"He was in love with a peasant girl on a nearby farm. He was forced to marry a princess from another kingdom, but she had a cold personality and he had no feelings for her. However, he'd been secretly in love with the farm girl since they were small children. He had the tunnel built so that he could sneak out undetected and visit her. She was his secret mistress for several years, and they were happy."

"I bet his wife didn't like that much, though." Natsumi smiled faintly, leaning her back against the coolness of the stone.

"In truth, I'm not sure that she knew." Hasu shrugged slightly. "Although, I doubt that she minded. It wasn't uncommon for Lords to have a mistress, or even several. Even now, it's still common enough where it isn't a surprise." He paused. "The rest of the story isn't as pleasant, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" Natsumi looked at him and he softly exhaled.

"According to my reading, the farm girl became pregnant with his child. His Lady seemed to be barren, and she was unable to get pregnant for many years. However, she overheard the Lord confide in his most trusted advisor that his lover was pregnant, and the Lady became jealous and enraged."

Natsumi's expression fell slightly. "What happened?"

"She plotted." The prince said simply. "She began to form a plot with her brother-in-law, the second brother. He agreed to assassinate the Lord and his heir, and marry the newly widowed Lady so that she could maintain her position. Initially, they had wanted to steal the child and raise it as their own, but as time passed, she became more and more jealous and embittered. And so... the pregnant peasant woman and the Lord were both killed, and his brother and wife married only days after the funeral and took over."

"That's horrible."

He nodded. "Before he died, the Lord ordered every builder who knew about the secret passage to die by their own hand as punishment for his lover being discovered and killed. After that, there was no one else who knew." He paused. "The scroll I found had been written by the confidant of the Lord himself, who killed himself out of guilt shortly after the Lord's funeral. It was buried under a mountain of books and other scrolls that were considered useless artifacts when I eventually discovered it. I became curious to see if it was true, and that was the first time I came here."

Natsumi shuddered slightly. "I can't believe they would plot to murder a pregnant woman and an innocent baby like that."

The prince looked down at his lap. "Unfortunately, it isn't uncommon for there to be frequent assassination attempts on Lords and their heirs. It makes sense, strategically... let the child live, and they pose a threat to later challenge you for their birthright. Morally, however... it's barbaric."

Natsumi went quiet and looked down at the ground in front of her.

_I wonder if that's part of what happened here? There are so many questions._

He coughed weakly and trembled slightly.

_I know I have to bring him to the Leaf as quickly as possible, but he's in no condition to travel at all._

She shifted where she sat, then held up her arm. "Bite my arm."

He blinked quickly and blushed slightly. "W-What...?!"

Her cheeks warmed and she looked away. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, please! My clan has an ability to heal others when we're bitten, so..." She looked back at him. "You're not in any condition to travel. If I heal you a little, it'll be easier for both of us."

"R-Right." He nodded, blushing slightly and he cleared his throat. Then, he gingerly took her forearm and clamped his teeth down. His eyes widened slightly as his body emitted a faint green light and his bruises and cuts began to fade. His larger wounds slowly sealed, his discoloration corrected, and his breathing stabilized.

He released her arm and wiped his mouth with the back of his hard, staring at himself as the light vanished.

"I... I can't believe it. It really did work."

Natsumi nodded, wiping her forearm with her hand and then looked him over. "How do you feel?"

"Much better." He clenched and unclenched his hands. "I still don't feel quite up to par, but most of my pain has subsided." He met her eyes. "That is an incredible ability that you possess."

"T-Thanks." Her cheeks warmed and the heat spread to her ears. She took out a small canteen and passed it to him. "Here. I don't have any food on me at the moment, but as soon as we get to the village, I'll make sure you get a proper meal."

"That sounds... wonderful." He let out a breath and passed her back the canteen after taking a long gulp.

"Do you think you're ready to get up now, your Highness?"

He blinked for a moment, then laughed weakly. "You don't have to call me by a title... especially not now. You're my rescuer, and I'm currently very... pathetic."

"Oh." Natsumi pressed her lips together. "Then... what do you want me to call you?"

"Just 'Hasu' is acceptable."

"Hasu." Natsumi repeated with a slight nod. "If that's really okay, then that's what I'll call you."

She helped him to a stand, and he smiled faintly.

"I think I can walk on my own for the most part." He took a step and stayed upright, though his legs did shake slightly. "Somewhat."

"Here." Natsumi draped his arm over her shoulders. "Use me as a crutch as much as you need to. As long as it's safe to, we can take periodic breaks as we travel, too."

He nodded, and they started to walk. After some time, she glanced at him.

"By the way... how long is this tunnel exactly?"

"Ah." He smiled sheepishly. "I forgot to say that before... It takes approximately thirty minutes to reach the end."

_Good thing he's supporting most of his own weight now. I didn't expect it to be this long._

A strange silence fell between them as they walked, and Natsumi pressed her lips together.

_How much longer is it? It's dark and I can't tell. This silence is so awkward... should I say something? What would I even say? 'Sorry your family got massacred and turned into zombies and that you were tortured'?_

"Do you have any family?"

The prince was the first to speak, and he looked at her curiously in the darkness.

"Were they the ones accompanying you here for the mission?"

"H-Huh?" Natsumi shook her head. "No... they're just my teammates. Although some of us are friends."

"I see. What about your family?"

"I have a brother." She answered quickly and looked away.

He stayed quiet as if listening for her to list other relatives and his expression fell slightly.

"Oh." He paused. "...Is he like you? Part of the ANBU, I mean?"

"Hah." A sharp laughed escaped her lips and she covered her mouth quickly. "I... Didn't mean to laugh... I mean no disrespect."

Hasu was quiet for a moment, then laughed himself. "There is nothing to apologize for. I assume the answer is no."

Natsumi laughed quietly under her breath. "My brother is... normal. A perfectly goofy, hyperactive, unpredictable... very normal Ninja."

_You know, besides the whole demon fox thing inside of him._

"Right now, he's probably almost finished with the Exam, I think."

"Exam?" He asked, then laughed quietly to himself again. "I apologize if I seem ignorant. There isn't much I was taught about Shinobi, or the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"The Chunin Exam." She explained. "It's an important rite of passage for any Shinobi in order to advance to the rank of Chunin. Besides the Kage, the highest ran a Shinobi can be is a Jonin. Chunin are next, with Genin at the bottom. Below that are the children at the Ninja Academy."

"I see." He looked down at the darkness in front of them. "Similar to a class system?"

"Huh?" She shook her head. "No, not really. Your rank reflects your skill level and shows which types of missions you're capable of doing. It's not a class system in the way the lower-ranking Ninja are oppressed. It's just... a job title, really."

"I think I understand." He paused. "Then, what about the ANBU?"

"They exist outside of the standard Ninja levels. They're usually the Village's most elite Shinobi, but the doesn't mean that they have a high ranking, officially. It depends on when you're recruited, I guess."

"What rank are you?"

"A... Genin." She looked away from him.

"And, you're not eligible to take the Exam?"

"Well..." She shrugged. "It's not really necessary, since I'm in the ANBU. Lord Third _did_ ask if I wanted to take the exam, but I decided against it."

"I suppose I should be grateful for it, or else you wouldn't have been here to rescue me."

Her cheeks warmed slightly. "Y-Yeah... I guess."

"What does he think?" The prince asked.

"Hm?" She looked at him. "Who?"

"Your brother. What does he think about your position? I imagine there might be some jealousy or tension there?"

"Oh." She shook her head. "He doesn't know. ANBU operate confidentially, so... no one besides the Hokage and other ANBU are supposed to ever know the identities of members."

"Ah. I suppose that means I will have a 'gag order,' then?"

"Definitely." Natsumi's mouth twitched in a small smile. "You'll be in protective custody, so I assume you'll have ANBU guards, but you'll probably never learn their identities. I only showed you my face and told you my name so that you would know I was trustworthy."

She paused. "Technically, I violated the rules by telling you my real name and showing you my face. Depending on circumstances, it can be allowed, but..."

"Will you get in trouble for it?"

"...Most likely." She pursed her lips. "My captain is very... strict. Lord Third might understand, but I deal with the captain daily, so..."

"In that case, I'll pretend like I don't know your name or face." He smiled wryly. "It would be the least I could do."

"T-Thanks. I appreciate it." She averted her eyes. "But, if anything comes up, refer to me by my codename, Mina."

"Mina." He repeated. "That's nice. Although, I think Natsumi is a beautiful name and suits you better."

"I..." She cleared her throat quietly and looked away, thankful for the darkness that concealed her face. "...Thanks."

"I don't know much about Shinobi, but I do know that you can use incredible powers, right? Conjuring flames and other elements?"

_His ignorance is kind of... adorable._

"Well... we can, but it all depends on your aptitude for one of the elements. Some Ninja can learn a few types, but the average Shinobi typically can only master one or two."

"What about you?" He looked at her in wide-eyed curiosity.

"My specialty is the Wind style." She closed her mouth. "Ah, well... I guess Yin style, as well. Although, I haven't had it long and I'm not as good with it."

"Amazing..." He murmured. "I would love to see you use them in a fight. That sounds exciting."

"I'm... flattered, but my mission is to escort you back to the Leaf quickly and safely. If you see me fight, that means we would get ambushed, and that would be less-than-ideal."

"Oh. Right." Hasu smiled sheepishly. "In that case, I hope that I do not have to see you demonstrate your skills."

_The less eventful our travels, the better._

Natsumi let out a breath and looked ahead and pressed her lips together.

_How much farther? It feels like we've been walking forever._

She glanced over at him as him and noticed the slight twitch in his expression with each step. She stopped and looked at him.

"Are you alright?"

"Am I...?" He laughed quietly and nodded. "Of course I am, I—"

"Then, how do you explain the fact that you're limping?"

"I'm not—" Hasu laughed shortly and scratched his head. "A-Alright... perhaps I am just a little."

Natsumi eased him over to lean him against the wall and she crossed her arms.

"And you didn't mention that before?"

"W-Well..." He averted his eyes and scratched his head. "You had already used your ability to heal me, and I did not want to seem ungrateful..."

She sighed and shook her head slowly. "You didn't have to hide it." She glanced down at his foot. "What's wrong with it?"

"I'm not sure." He frowned slightly. "Although... I think it is only badly sprained."

_Think?_ Natsumi pressed her lips together.

_What am I saying? He's been tortured. I should have expected him to have other injuries._

"Here." She held out her arm to him again. "If you're worried about imposing too much, I naturally have a ton of Chakra, so doing this a second time won't bother me."

"Sorry." He bit her forearm gently and an aura of green glow enveloped him. After a few minutes he let go of her arm and his cheeks warmed. "I apologize for causing us to be delayed."

"Don't worry about it. _You're_ my mission." Natsumi smiled slightly. "How is it now?"

He stood on his own and pressed his foot to the ground, then nodded. "Fine, now. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Natsumi nodded and led him forward to continue down the tunnel.

"We're nearing the exit." Hasu walked beside her, and as the darkness slowly shifted to a pale lightness, he eyed her mask. "Is it stifling to keep on like that?"

"It fits perfectly, as if I was born to wear it." She answered after a moment. "It used to feel heavy at first, but now it's like a natural part of my body. It does get a little hot underneath sometimes, though."

"The life of a Shinobi is very different than what I've become accustomed to. I hope that I am able to learn a great deal more while I'm in the Leaf."

"Well, we do have a big library." Natsumi smiled faintly and felt the slightest warmth from sunlight as the path ahead brightened almost blindingly. "But we've got to get there, first."

"Of course." He nodded and they stood at the end of the tunnel, where the opening was partially overgrown with vines, and he let out a soft breath. "Finally. The temple is just outside. Eight kilometers south is a road that leads to the Leaf."

"We should follow the road, but stay off of it, just to be safe that no one is after you." Natsumi swept some of the vines away and stepped out of the tunnel, which was hidden as the mouth of a dragon.

"I have no argument with that." Hasu followed her out and their eyes took a moment to adjusted to the brightness.

"Well, well, well."

The pair jumped and turned to look at the steps of the temple where a woman lounged there, cleaning beneath her nails with the tip of a serrated knife. She smirked and looked up at them.

"Master told us that if we waited, some little mice might come scurrying out of that hole, and he was right."


	75. Chapter 73: To Fulfill a Promise

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stood in front of Hasu with her Ninjato drawn and muttered an order to him. "Stay behind me."

Hasu's eyes widened slightly. "I don't... understand. No one else knew about that passage... I was sure of it."

"And here I was about to get bored and wander off." A younger woman stepped out from behind one of the temple's pillars, smirking behind a mask that covered the lower half of her face and resembled a skull. "But our patience finally paid off."

_There's two of them._

Natsumi's eyes quickly scanned the area.

_Several ways for us to escape. Not a lot of places we could be cornered. No innocent bystanders around. But the temple looks old enough to be unsafe to go inside of._

"I knew _someone_ would come looking for the princeling in distress, but I never expected it to be a little girl." The dark-haired girl sneered and narrowed her eyes at Natsumi.

"Now, now, Shita." The woman glanced up at her with a chuckle. "Do show a little respect. She may be younger than you, but she's obviously skilled if she's part of the ANBU."

"Hmph." Shita crossed her arms. "Perhaps she's skilled by the _Leaf's_ standards. That's not saying much."

"Hey, kid." The woman sheathed her dagger and looked over at Natsumi and stood. "What's your name? I don't like killing people without proper introductions first."

She took a step forward and Natsumi remained silent and in place as he stood, blocking Hasu with her Ninjato raised.

"Oh, I see." The woman laughed and then smirked. "It's rude of me to ask your name without giving mine, right?" She took another step forward and put her hands on her hips. "I'm Nya."

Natsumi exhaled and glanced between the two.

_They look comfortable around each other, as if they're used to fighting together. That puts me at a bigger disadvantage than just having to deal with two enemies at once, and on top of that, I have to protect the prince while fighting._

"...Mina." Natsumi answered after a moment.

"Hah." Nya smirked and bent slightly to meet her eyes. "That your little nickname? That won't do. I can't kill someone in good conscious without knowing their real name."

"I'm Mina." Natsumi repeated.

"Hmph." Nya straightened and her eyes flashed angrily. "Don't insult me, child. I can tell when I'm being lied to. I _was_ being gracious, but my instinct to have an honorable fight doesn't override the fact that you're _lying."_

_I'm not lying exactly. When I wear this mask, I'm supposed to be Mina._

Natsumi's eyes narrowed and she watched both women carefully.

"Hasu, stay behind me." Natsumi muttered. "Your life is in my hands and I won't let them hurt you."

"Oh, how cute." Shita laughed and brushed her fingertips over the sheaths strapped to either leg, then took out one from each side. "She looked like she meant that."

"Had you not pissed me off, I was going to be generous and give you the offer to live if only you'd step aside and let us kill the princeling." Nya shot the redhead a glare. "But now... I don't think I will."

_When in a fight against greater numbers and stronger opponents, determine who the leader is and go after them first in order to incite fear, lower morale, and eliminate the chain of command._

Natsumi's eyes darted between the two as she reminded herself of her lessons.

_Keep your enemies in your sight at all times. Never let them get behind you. Use the environment around you to your advantage. Don't make any wasteful movements. Never let them make the first move. Use cheap shots if necessary._

She continued to watch them as they slowly moved toward her, each coming from a different side.

_However... I can't follow that exactly when I'm trying to protect someone at the same time. If I make the first move, I leave Hasu completely open. But, if I wait until they attack, I'll be at a disadvantage because they clearly have more fighting experience than I do, not to mention, they expected us to come and had time to prepare for this fight. _

"Hasu." Natsumi mumbled under her breath. "I'm at a major disadvantage here against them. Things will get difficult. You need to do exactly as I say and trust me if you want to get out of here alive."

"Oi! I don't like being ignored!" Nya gritted her teeth and reached her hand behind her back to the small backpack there.

_Logic dictates that the only solution is to run, and this is an open area, after all, but I don't know their abilities and they're on either side of me. I can't just teleport us back to the Leaf, either, because that's too far, and I don't have a point tagged closer, either. If I wasn't alone, this would be a lot easier._

Her eyes widened slightly and then she smirked faintly under her mask.

_It's not guaranteed to work, but... I think that would even the odds, at least._

"I trust you." Hasu mumbled and gently touched her back, nodding slightly.

Natsumi drew in a breath.

_Alright. Time to prove that all my training has paid off._

Natsumi bit her thumb and brought her hands together to form hand signs and Shita grinned broadly and lunged at her.

"Too slow!"

_Ninja Art! Summoning Jutsu!_

Before Shita's daggers could strike her, Natsumi's palm glowed as the seal appeared and Yuki shot out, sword at the ready. Yuki hissed and barred the daggers with her sword and Shita scowled and leapt back, glaring.

"You little—!" Shita took another stance and growled. "I _hate_ cats. Especially _fluffy_ ones."

"I don't know what the situation is, but I want to kill her." Yuki landed softly on her feet beside Natsumi and held her katana at the ready.

"Defend the prince and escort him back to the Leaf." Natsumi watched the women as she shifted her stance.

"So... it's fine if I kill her?" Yuki's lips pulled back to expose her teeth in a large smirk. "Sounds fun."

"Priority's to defend him." Natsumi let out a short breath.

"Fine, fine." Yuki hissed slightly and narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired girl. "Just so ya know, princey, you should feel honored you get to be protected by the most beautiful and strongest Ninja Cat of all time."

"You all are really pissing me off." Nya took her weapon out of her pack and slashed it against the ground to the side of her and Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_What the hell is that?! A whip? A sword? No... it's both?! I've never heard of anything like that before._

"Kill the princeling." Nya glanced at Shita. "I'll slice this rude little bitch to pieces."

"My pleasure." Shita smirked and locked eyes with the cat blocking her path. "But first... to skin a filthy beast."

Shita rushed at Yuki, who pounced at her quickly to lock blades with her as she hissed.

"I'll skin _you_, you brat!"

"Try to stay back from the fighting, but stay close enough so that they can't get to you." Natsumi ordered Hasu, who nodded and swallowed.

"Don't act as if you even stand a chance against us." Nya swung her weapon in an arc against the ground as she scowled and the three flexible blades tore up the earth. "You don't stand a chance."

_Her arms are longer than mine, plus that weapon's reach is pretty impressive. I don't have a good technique to counter it from this distance. This is a bad match-up, but switching with Yuki would be an even worse pairing. It has to be me._

Nya spun and twirled her weapon rhythmically, swinging it in wide arcs around her.

_I can't get close to her at all like it. It's as if it's creating a bubble around her. She's untouchable._

Natsumi let out a breath and adjusted her stance.

_If I can just find one weakness, I can exploit it._

The woman stepped forward to bringing Natsumi into her range and she laughed.

"Don't bother trying to think of a way to defeat me. The only way to defeat an Urumi is to have one yourself."

Nya arced her next swing at Natsumi and Natsumi remained in place.

_She can't hit me if I'm smoke._

Natsumi shifted and her body changed, but as the blades drew close, Natsumi's eyes widened and she glanced at the boy behind her.

_Crap! If it passes through me, it hits him!_

Natsumi re-solidified just as the weapon struck her and she cried out as it cut her arms and made her drop her sword. She dropped to one knee and the woman laughed loudly, and the prince's eyes grew.

_Damn it. Does this thing really have no weakness? If I could just use that smoke technique, I could get in close... but I can't leave him unguarded. I can't fight in this situation at all, not even enough to make us escape._

Natsumi picked herself off the ground, eyeing the cuts on her arms that dripped blood.

_The wounds aren't deep at all, but it definitely still hurts. If I lose too much blood this way, then it won't matter if I can come up with a plan or not, because I'll be dizzy and weak by that point._

"Go!" Natsumi blocked the Urumi only slightly with her Ninjato, the ends of the weapon still curling to slice her hands and arms, and she shouted at Hasu. "Back into the tunnel! I can't focus on fighting if I have to protect you!"

He nodded obediently and ran back towards the tunnel and disappeared into the inky blackness.

"You won't get away that easily!" Shita smirked and tried to follow him, but Yuki cut her off and her sword only narrowly missed the rogue ninja's face.

"Don't you dare forget about me, you unrefined heathen!" Yuki hissed and swung at Shita again, chasing her as she leapt over the cat and ran off.

"You just guaranteed his death." Nya laughed and yanked back her weapon, disarming Natsumi again and adding cuts to her arms.

Natsumi gritted her teeth to keep from crying out again and clutched her Ninjato tightly.

"Yuki will protect him."

"Your faith in that pet of yours is admirable." Nya narrowed her arms and swung at Natsumi again. "But deluded!"

Natsumi shifted to smoke and the blades passed through. The woman's eyes widened briefly and she glared.

"You think that's going to be enough to fight me?"

_Well, I was kind of hoping it would be._

Natsumi moved in closer as Nya continued to attack.

_If I can somehow get into her blind spot, then I can turn solid again and end this quickly._

Natsumi moved closer and closer with the blades passing through her as the woman grew more annoyed.

_Find an opening... find an opening..._

Natsumi leapt into the air, solidifying to make an attack from behind. Nya smirked and reached into her pack with her left hand, pulling out a second weapon and flicking her wrist to strike Natsumi down with it.

Nastumi was struck out of the air and fell hard to the ground, rolling to a stop in the earth. She gasped for air to recover the wind that had been knocked out of her and winced as she tried to get up.

_Two?! She had two?!_

"What's wrong?" Nya sneered. "I bet you aren't happy with yourself that you lied about your name and ticked me off, huh?"

Natsumi trembled and she got up slowly, still wincing at her movements and how the dirt aggravated the cuts.

_I can't even defend against one. How could I possibly survive against two?_

Natsumi flexed her right hand, summoning her Ninjato to it and she drew in a breath.

_There's got to be a way... I can't give up. _

Natsumi attempted to circle around to look for an opening, but the woman continued to gracefully spin and twirl the deadly weapons in her deadly dance. Nya swung the weapons at her and Natsumi tried to jump back out of the way, only to be caught in the path of the second.

It sliced her deeper than before, causing her to scream in pain and fall to her knees. Natsumi tried to stand and staggered to her hands and knees, gasping for air through the pain.

_It's no good. I can't get anywhere close to her, and I'm bleeding too much. Her technique has no weaknesses. _

She shook and picked up her sword, only to be struck directly with both weapons. She screamed and her body arched as she fell. Fiery pain shot through her and blood oozed and poured from her arms, back, and legs.

Nya laughed and slashed at Natsumi again, and she writhed as she screamed.

"Aw, poor little girl. Does it hurt?" Nya cackled and cracked down the blades on her back again, tearing through the flak jacket and flaying the skin beneath. "Maybe your mommy should've taught you better manners!"

_I can't... move._

Natsumi screamed again as another wave of pain shot through her.

_I've lost too much blood already that I don't think I can even get up._

Nya slowed her movements, dropping her weapons to the ground to kick Natsumi hard in the face with a laugh. The mask cracked and shattered and Natsumi rolled from the force, grunting as she gasped for short breaths.

_I can't be beaten like this... I promised that I would protect him... I promised that I wouldn't fail..._

Nya smirked and stepped on Natsumi's stomach, grinding her foot into one of the wounds as she screamed. Then, she bent down to stare into the girl's partially clouded eyes. A cry of pain echoed from the tunnel and Nya chuckled.

"Hear that, little girl? That's the sound of Shita killing that boy. You know, the one who said he trusted you to protect him?" She laughed. "How delicious his expression must be right now, full of terror as he realizes that you won't be saving him."

She laughed louder, grinding her heel into Natsumi's wound again and she grabbed her red hair and tugged on it.

"Here's a little tip: never make promises you can't keep." She released Natsumi's hair and her head thudded to the ground, squelching slightly in the blood-soaked earth. "Not that you'll even be alive to use that advice."

She stepped off of Natsumi and squatted beside her, pinching one of the cuts on her cheek to squeeze out more blood.

"You wanna know what Shita's specialty is?" Nya released her cheek and tugged on the girl's hair again. "That bastard half-sister of mine _loves_ leather. _Especially_ human leather. She prefers to skin her victims alive. She says it makes it softer and more pliable." Nya shrugged and laughed. "I just prefer slicing and watching how beautifully a person bleeds."

Natsumi's eyelids grew heavy and the assassin scowled and slapped the girl.

"Hey! Don't die yet! I want you to hear every single scream of his until he finally passes out from shock. I want you to fully understand just how much you failed. You got that?" She leaned in closer, narrowing her eyes with a smirk. "I want your last thoughts to be of how weak you were, and how afraid he was because of _you, _you little _failure._"

* * *

Hasu turned and hurriedly ran back into the tunnel, tightly balling his fists as he heard Natsumi's cry of pain behind him.

_"Is this all I can do? Is this acceptable? Is all that I'm capable of is either running or being in the way?"_

A dagger rushed by his head and his eyes widened. Before he could stop, it lodged into the ground in front of him and he tripped on its handle and landed hard on the ground.

"Not very graceful of you, your highness." Shita chuckled and tossed another dagger up and caught it with a smirk. "Not very polite of you to run, either. All I want to do is play with you a bit. Master said I could have fun."

Hasu gulped and got to his feet quickly and stepped back.

_"What can I do? I'm unarmed and I have no training in combat whatsoever."_

"Hmph." Shita frowned slightly as she looked the boy up and down. "What a shame. They really messed you up, didn't they? And I'll bet your skin was so smooth and lovely before, being a pampered prince and all." She shook her head. "It's such a waste. I can't use skin that's scarred up or bruised."

He continued to move back away from her.

"W-What do you mean?"

Shita smirked and held up her dagger for him to see the hilt.

"Isn't it lovely? All my blades have _special_ leather handles that I made myself." She kissed the leather and her lips turned upward in an unnaturally wide smile. "This one was made from the skin of an Iwa Black Ops guy who stumbled upon my Master's work." She held up another dagger to show him. "And this one was made from the skin of the assassin who killed my father."

Hasu froze in place and shuddered, gulping as he started to tremble.

_"It's all... human skin?"_

He looked the girl up and down, his eyes widening as he mentally counted each dagger and knife she had.

_"There are at least nineteen that I can see... and they're all... human skin?"_

"Soon, I'll have a pretty new blade, though." She smirked at him and stepped closer. "What do you want to be? Something fun like a serrated blade? Or perhaps a hooked sword?" She licked her lips. "Although... you _are_ a prince. Maybe I should make you into a nice, classic sword. Something elegant like that?"

"Well, I'll have plenty of time to decide as I skin you." She laughed and took another step forward, her expression darkening. "Won't you scream for me?"

His eyes widened as she vanished from his sight, reappearing behind him to slice his arm. He let out a cry as he bled and the assassin laughed.

"Ah... There it is." She shoved him into the wall with one arm, pinning him there with her forearm to his neck and gently trailed the tip of her dagger down his torso to his stomach. "And... another." She slowly pressed the tip of the blade into his skin, twisting it as he screamed loudly.

"Wonderful..." She took out the blade and licked her lips at the sight of his blood, then met his eyes. "You have such nice skin, little prince. You'll make my new favorite weapon."

"I don't think so!"

Yuki struck Shita in the face with her feet, scratching the girl with her claws before turning and slashing her sword downward. Shita scowled and dodged, releasing Hasu as she held up a pair of knives. The mask on her face was shredded in part and hung down, revealing her faces and the scratches on her cheek as they dripped blood. She glared at the cat and gripped her knives tightly.

"Damn you, you nasty beast! You'll pay for that!"

Shita lunged at Yuki, who countered her with a hiss. They continued to fight and the cat smirked and revealed sharp, ivory teeth.

"Is this all you've got? I could have beaten you as a kitten!"

Shita growled and slashed at the Ninja Cat furiously. "Just. Die. Already!"

Yuki leapt gracefully out of the way, scratching the girl's face again as she kicked off to land between the boy and the assassin.

"I hate cats!" Shita wiped a drop of blood from her cheek, formed hand signs, and pressed her hand to the wall. The summoning seal appeared and an unnaturally large yellow serpent lashed out of the feline.

"Yikes!" Yuki hissed and dodged the strike, but the snake quickly followed each of her movements until finally catching her and coiled tightly around the cat.

"Good boy, Shun." Shita narrowed her eyes at the cat as she struggled and hissed. "Now... finish it."

The snake coiled tighter and Yuki yowled and vanished in a small puff of smoke, and the assassin scowled.

"Damn! It got away!" She rounded back on Hasu, who had clamped his hands over the hole in his belly. "That damn beast interrupted my fun, but I already have enough blades for now, so I'm just going to kill you slowly to put me in a better mood."

She gripped his neck and pressed the smooth side of the dagger to his cheek.

"That look in your eyes sure is delightful. My sister would be so excited to see that." Her grip on his neck tightened slightly. "Forget all about that girl coming to save you... I'm sure she's nothing but a pile of shredded meat by now."

She drew the dagger back to prepare for a strike, then froze in place as a scream pierced the air from beyond the tunnel.

Hasu's eyes widened and the sound sent chills down his spine.

_"I-Is that...? Is that Natsumi?"_

He gulped. _"No... that doesn't sound right... then, if it isn't her..."_

Shita's handed trembled slightly and she turned to look down the tunnel as she muttered. "W-What the hell?!"

The screaming continued and then stopped suddenly. Shita paled slightly and clenched her jaw.

"No..."

* * *

A desperate scream reached Natsumi's ears and her eyes opened wide suddenly.

_No._

_I won't accept this._

_I won't let him die._

_I'm not weak._

_I'm not a failure._

_I made a promise._

"Huh?" Nya smirked and tugged on Natsumi's hair. "How sweet. You're still not dead? Are you that concerned about that princeling?"

Natsumi gritted her teeth, trembling as she tried to move.

**_"Pathetic."_**

A deep voice sounded in the back of Natsumi's mind and a low growl escaped her throat.

**_"Do you want to kill her?"_**

Natsumi clouded vision rested on the woman and she balled her hand into a fist.

_I want to rip them apart._

A chuckle echoed through her mind and her skin seemed to sizzle, the blood evaporating off of her as the cuts and wounds closed and healed. Violet Chakra bubbled out of her body and when she blinked, her eyes became red and slitted.

**_"Good."_**

Natsumi growled and her hands twitched, the nails elongating into sharp claws and her canines grew into fangs. Nya's eyes widened and she jumped back from the girl quickly.

"What the hell?! What kind of power is that?!"

Natsumi glared, shifting to all-fours as the Chakra continued to swell around her. Nya picked up her weapons again and swung them at the girl. Natsumi dodged, moving so quickly that the ground beneath her cracked from force and formed a small crater.

Nya turned all around, glaring as she spun the weapon around her defensively and muttering.

"Where the hell did she go?! And so fast?!"

Natsumi growled and seemed to reappear from above, crashing into the woman and pinning her to the ground, the earth crumbling and shaking from the force. Nya coughed and blood spilled from her mouth and she swung at Natsumi, who disappeared from her sight again.

_"Damn it! How can she be so strong now?!"_

Natsumi swiped at her with her claws, cutting deep into her sides and throwing her across the field. Before she could recover, Natsumi hit her again and again, throwing her to the ground.

Nya coughed blood again, shakily lifting herself from the ground. "D-Damn it...! It's no good... I can't even tell where she's coming from."

Natsumi landed behind her and her eyes widened, and she turned to try to run. Natsumi reached out and the Chakra extended, forming a large hand. It gripped the assassin and she screamed as it the Chakra burned her, then Natsumi swung the arm around, crashing into the temple and destroying it; splintering the wood, knocking over columns, and smashing windows.

She slammed the woman back into the ground, shattering bones upon impact. Nya screamed again and gasped, unable to move. Her eyes stayed wide as she watched Natsumi move over to her, walking on her hands and feet like an animal.

"...What the hell kind of monster _are_ you?!"

Natsumi growled, then roared as she picked up the woman with the Chakra hand again, squeezing her. Nya screamed in pain as she was crushed and the air forced from her lungs, barely able to speak as she pleaded.

"S-Stop! P-Please!"

**"NO!"** Natsumi roared again, her voice distorted and half-beastly. She closed her hands into a tight fist, and the Chakra hand tightened and closed fully. The screaming stopped immediately and blood exploded all around.

The Chakra hand opened, releasing what was left of the woman and receded back to Natsumi as the Chakra cloaked her. Her breathing heavy, she threw back her head in a roar and the Chakra began to seep back inside of her.

_Not... yet..._

Natsumi staggered and stood, picking up her sword and moved toward the tunnel with her eyes still red and the violet aura around her.

_There's still one more..._

Natsumi walked down the tunnel, trembling as the rage continued to bubble inside. A snake lunged at her with its jaw wide and she sliced its head off cleanly, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_One more..._

Natsumi moved forward and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the dark-haired assassin.

"N-No..." Shita released Hasu and trembled, gripping her dagger tightly. "T-There's no way... she'd never lose..."

Natsumi glanced at Hasu, whose eyes widened, and she scowled as her eyes rested on his wound. She turned on Shita, who paled and took a step back, though still held up her blades.

"D-Don't even think about it! I'll kill you!"

_"N-Natsumi...?"_ Hasu stared at her, unable to move. _"I... don't understand. What kind of power is that?"_

Natsumi growled and grabbed Shita with a Chakra hand, the talons piercing her as the hand tightened around her and held her in place. With her other hand, she held up her sword, pointing the tip between the assassin's eyes.

**"Any last words?"**

Shita gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain as she gathered saliva in her mouth and spat.

"G-Go to hell, _monster."_

Natsumi smirked, the fangs flashing menacingly.

**"You first."**

Natsumi drove the sword through her head and she went limp. She released the body and it collapsed to the ground, blood pulsing out. Natsumi looked at Hasu and lowered her arm.

**"Are you alright?"**

He nodded slowly and watched as the Chakra disappeared and Natsumi wobbled and clutched her head, the red in her eyes shifting to her normal hue as the rest of her appearance returned to normal.

"Good..."


	76. Chapter 74: The Tenth Question

The second hand of the clock continued to tick and Ibiki closed his eyes briefly and smirked as he opened his eyes to look out over the room.

_"I think we're almost finished shaking off the losers."_ He chuckled under his breath, and a candidate in the first row glanced up at him. _"Then, I guess I'll move onto the main issue. It's now been forty-five minutes, so I'll start."_

"All right! Here is the tenth question!"

All eyes immediately rose to look at the proctor and Naruto gripped his pencil tightly and gulped.

_"Here it comes! I have to put everything on the line for this question!"_

"Hmph." Sasuke watched Ibiki carefully and furrowed his brows. _"Making such a big deal."_

_"This is the final obstacle."_ Sakura smiled confidently and sat straighter in her seat.

_"Kankuro, come back already!"_ Temari glanced over toward the door of the classroom and clenched her hand on her lap beneath the desk. _"If he starts the tenth question, your cheat sheet has no meaning!"_

"But, before that..." Ibiki stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm going to add some rules for the last question.

The door creaked open and Kankuro stepped inside, followed by the puppet proctor. He stopped and his eyes widened at the quietness and Ibiki chuckled to look at him.

"Aren't you lucky?" Ibiki smirked. "It looks like playing with the dolls wasn't a waste, after all."

Kankuro's eyes narrowed slightly. _"This guy... He's figured Crow out!"_

"Anyway, sit down already."

Kankuro walked back to his desk, passing Temari's and carefully dropping a small ball of paper onto her desk unnoticed, then sat at his seat once more.

"Now, let me explain." Ibiki took a step forward. "These are the Hopeless Rules!"

* * *

"Well, anyhow." Kakashi let out a sigh and leaned forward, resting his arms against his legs as he looked at Asuma. "There's nothing to do when the subordinates are gone, huh?"

"Well, it'll get busy soon enough." Asuma took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled smoke.

"Hm?" Kakashi sat up slightly. "Why?"

Asuma tapped his cigarette against the grate of the ashtray beside him and the ashen tip crumbled off, then he brought it back to his lips.

"This year's first proctor... I hear that it's Ibiki Morino."

Kakashi's eyes widened at the name, then closed partially as he made a face. _"Well then, passing the first exam already seems iffy."_ Kakashi sighed and leaned back and rested his arm on the back of the seat. "Of all the people, that sadist..."

"Sadist?" Kurenai repeated and Asuma smirked slightly and turned to her.

"Kurenai, you're a new Jonin, so you wouldn't know."

She paused and pursed her lips momentarily, then turned to Kakashi. "Who is that person?"

"He's a real professional." Kakashi answered.

"Professional? Of what?" Kurenai furrowed her brows and looked at Asuma.

Asuma let out a small cloud of smoke and smirked. "Torture and interrogation."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"Well, there may be no physical torture in the Exam itself," Asuma continued. "but he's sure to use his skill as an interrogator to torment them psychologically. That is... the Leaf Village's ANBU Torture and Interrogation Unit Marshall, Ibiki Morino."

"Ibiki completely understands how the human psyche works." Asuma blew out a small cloud of smoke and tapped his cigarette over the grate again and met Kurenai's eyes. "And the most horrifying part is... that by cornering people psychologically, he controls their psyche and reveals the fundamental weakness of a human."

* * *

Naruto gulped at Ibiki's serious expression.

_"Hopeless Rules...?!"_

"First, you guys will have to choose whether or not you will even take this tenth question!"

_"Huh?"_ Sasuke's eyes widened. _"Choose whether or not to take the question?"_

"What? Choose?!" Temari furrowed her brows at the proctor. "What happens if you choose not to take the tenth question?"

"If you choose not to take the question, then your score will be zero." Ibiki smirked. "In other words, you fail! And, of course, the same goes for the other two in your group!"

"W-What?!" The Genin around the room protested. "What is that supposed to mean? Of course everyone will choose to take the question! This is ridiculous! As if we have a choice!"

"Also, there's one more rule." Ibiki closed his eyes and looked down for a moment.

_"What?! Another one?!"_ Sakura bit her lip and squeezed her hands into balls. _"Get on with it, already!"_

"If you choose to take it and are unable to answer it correctly, then you will have to..." Ibiki opened his eyes and looked back up at them dramatically. "...relinquish your right of taking the Chunin Exam forever!"

Everyone's eyes widened and Naruto gritted his teeth as he trembled.

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that?!" Kiba narrowed his eyes and stood, pointing his finger at Ibiki. "Besides, there are plenty of people here who have taken the Chunin Exam multiple times!"

Ibiki chuckled darkly and looked at the boy as the room fell silent.

"You're just unlucky. I make the rules this year. But, I did give you the option to go back!"

Kiba's eyes widened and Akamaru whimpered at the man's stare and laid down on top of Kiba's head.

"For those of you who aren't confident, you can choose not to take it, and then take the exam the next time." He chuckled again.

_"How terrible." _Sakura gulped and stared downward. _"If one of the three chooses not to take the question, then all three will be failed. But, if you do choose to take it, but get the wrong answer... then, that person will be a Genin for the rest of their life! No matter what, the odds are against us! It's an impossible choice for anyone with normal nerves!"_

Naruto gritted his teeth and Hinata frowned slightly as she glanced at him.

"Then, let's begin." Ibiki looked around the room. "The tenth question... Those who will not be taking it, raise your hands! Once your number is confirmed, I'll ask you to leave!"

Naruto tightened his fists until they whitened and he sat frozen in place. _"What kind of question is this going to be...? Damn! If I get it wrong, I'll be a Genin for the rest of my life. I absolutely don't want that! But if I choose not to take it...! Then I'll fail Sakura and Sasuke, too! I don't want that, either!"_

_"I won't raise my hand!"_ Sakura trembled. _"I'm confident that I can answer it correctly. But... Naruto, you're different! You should retreat this time even if it means to ignore us and think of your next chance to take the Exam!"_

"I...I..." The boy beside Naruto stood and raised his hand. "I'm quitting! I'm not going to take it!"

"Number fifty failed!" Izumo called out as he read from his clipboard. "Numbers one-hundred-and-thirty and one-hundred-eleven will be failed as well."

"I-I'm sorry... Gennai... Inaho..." The boy clenched his fists and shut his eyes and his teammates stood after a moment. "Damn it..."

"Me too!" Another boy stood up and raised his hand, joined by several others.

One by one, the teams walked out of the room with their heads down and Naruto gritted his teeth and stared down at his empty sheet.

_"Naruto..."_ Sakura's expression fell as she watched him slouching in his seat with his head hung, trembling. _"Why don't you raise your hand? That guy... he's always got such a one-track mind. Always saying 'Hokage, Hokage' all the time like a fool."_ She sighed quietly. _"I'm sorry, Naruto. It seems like... I don't want to... crush your unachievable dreams."_

Sakura's hand twitched and she slowly raised it, stopping as she saw Naruto's hand raise. Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened at him, and he kept his eyes shut tightly and clenched his jaw.

Ibiki turned to look at Naruto and studied him. _"That kid..." _

Naruto's eyes opened and he slammed his palm down on the table, and met Ibiki's eyes.

"Don't underestimate me! I won't run! I'll take it!"

All eyes turned to him and Sakura's widened as he continued.

"But, even if I do end up stuck as a Genin forever, I'll still become the Hokage no matter what it takes! I'm not scared!"

Naruto sat heavily back into his seat and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as Ibiki continued to look down at him.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head slightly and leaned forward to rest his arms on the desk. _"That guy... he wasn't even thinking of us at all. What audacity!"_

_"That's right..."_ Sakura smiled faintly. _"This is exactly the kind of fool that you are!"_

"I'll ask once more." Ibiki looked at Naruto intently narrowed his eyes. "It's a choice that will alter your life. If you want to quit, now is your chance!"

"Hmph!" Natsumi smirked slightly and leaned back in his seat. "I'm not going to take back my words! This is my Ninja Way!"

Around the room, the other candidates' expressions shifted from nervous to confident.

_"Heh. What a funny kid. He completely brushed away those kids' anxieties."_ Ibiki stepped forward and counted the remaining Genin. _"Seventy-eight, huh? Much more left than I expected. It's going to be the same, no matter how much more I push it."_

He turned to look at the proctors, who nodded at him, then he nodded back and turned to look back at the blond boy.

"I like your determination!" He paused and looked over the rest of the Genin. "Then... for those who are still here... the first exam... you've passed it!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he dropped his pencil, his mouth gaping open like the rest of the candidates.

"Huh?"

"H-Hey, what does that mean?" Sakura blinked and stood up quickly. "All of a sudden you're telling us that we've passed!? What about the tenth question?"

Ibiki laughed and grinned. "There wasn't such a thing to begin with! You can look at the choice you just made as the tenth question."

W-What?" Sakura blinked again.

"Hey!" Temari stood up. "Then, what were all those nine questions for? Was it all just a waste of time?"

"Not a waste." Ibiki laughed again. "The objective of the nine questions was already accomplished... to test your individual ability to gather information!"

"Ability to gather information?" Temari repeated and slowly sat back down.

"First, the focus of this test was on the system of determining the pass or failure based on the three-person groups that was proposed in the first rule. By grading the exam on a group basis, I added the unimaginable pressure of dragging down your teammates."

"Hmm... I see." Naruto nodded and muttered under his breath. "I kind of felt that was the whole point of the test."

Sakura glared at Naruto from behind. _"No, you didn't, you moron!"_

Hinata giggled softly and looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"However... the questions on this test weren't things that Genin Ninja would have been able to solve... So, in that case... I imagine that most of you here came to this conclusion: 'In order to score points, I'll have to cheat.' In other words, this test was created under the premise that you all would cheat! That being said, I had two Chunin in the group who knew all of the answers from whom you could cheat."

Ibiki paused for a moment to watch their expressions as two of the boys in the class raised their hands with a smirk and stood.

_"What?! That's what it was?!"_ Naruto's eyes widened and he paled.

"I had a hard time figuring out the guy at first." One boy laughed to the one next to him.

"Yeah, me too."

Naruto laughed and crossed his arms behind his head. "It was so obvious, ya know? There'd be something wrong with you if you didn't notice! Right, Hinata?""

Sasuke made a face and groaned quietly. _"He... didn't realize it..."_

"However,those who just foolishly cheated, naturally were disqualified." Ibiki continued,taking off his bandanna to reveal the scarring on his head. "That's because... information, depending on the time and situation, it will be more valuable than life. And in a mission or on a battlefield, you will always have to risk your life to fight for it!"

"Horrible burn marks... nail punctures and scratches..." Sasuke muttered to himself. "Those are from torture...!"

Naruto gulped and Hinata covered her mouth in surprise.

Ibiki tied the bandanna back around his head and turned his attention back to the Genin.

"When information is gathered and the enemy or a third party finds out about it, that information is no longer guaranteed to be correct. So, just remember this: To be given wrong information can bring a catastrophic blow to your friends and town. That is why, out of necessity, we forced you guys to cheat in order to test your ability to collect information and we filtered out those who were clearly lacking in those abilities."

A short silence fell over the class, and Temari spoke up again.

"But that last question doesn't make any sense."

"However, this tenth question was the main issue of this first exam."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"I'll explain." Ibiki put his hands into his pockets. "The tenth question was to take on the challenge of the question or not. Needless to say, it is a painful decision to make." He held up two fingers. "Those who chose not to take the question would be immediately failed along with their whole squad! And those who chose to answer is and got it wrong... would be robbed of their chance to take the Exam again forever. It's an unfair question."

He slowly walked along the front of the room for a moment as he continued to explain, then stopped to look out at them again.

"Then, what about these two choices? Let's say that you guys did become Chunin. Your mission is to steal a secret document. You have no idea how many Ninja then enemy has, their ability, and other armament they may have. On top of that, there may be the pitfall of an enemy trap. Now this mission... Will you take it? Or not take it? Because you want your life spared... because your partners will be put in danger... can you get away from dangerous missions? The answer is... no!"

"There are going to be missions you cannot avoid no matter how risky or dangers it may be! Showing your courage to your teammates in a tight spot, and the ability to get through the hardships... this is the quality that is needed in a Chunin troop leader!" Ibiki paused and let the meaning of the words settle before he kept speaking. "In a pinch, there are those who cannot risk their own fate, and there are those who waver and give up their chances because they think they will have another chance. I believe that such fools who don't have strong determination have no right to become Chunin! For those of you who chose to take on the question, you can say that you have successfully answered it! You shall be able to take on the adversity that may lie in your way. You've passed through the gates! With this, the first stage of the Chunin Exam has been completed. I wish you all well."

"All right!" Naruto cheered and clenched his fists as he grinned, his outburst drawing all eyes to him. "I did it! I did it! Woo hoo! Yeah!"

Ibiki chuckled to himself as he watched and closed his eyes briefly. _"What a funny kid..."_

He suddenly looked toward the window as a Kunoichi shot through like a cannonball and shattered the glass. She threw the cloth off of her and threw Kunai to hold it in place on the ceiling and smirked.

"Whaaa!" What's going on?!" Naruto's eyes widened and he fell back into his seat in surprise.

Ibiki let out a short breath and looked at the cloth that blocked his view like a curtain. _"Damn, this one..."_

"You guys! This isn't the time to be celebrating!" She narrowed her eyes and stuck her arm out with a flourish as she smirked. "I'm the proctor for the second stage of the Exam! Anko Mitarashi! Let's move onto the next stage already! Follow me!"

She pumped her fist into the air and the Genin all blinked and remained sitting in stunned silence. Ibiki peered out from behind the cloth and frowned.

"Read the atmosphere."

Anko scowled slightly as she blushed in embarrassment, frozen in place for a moment.

Sakura made a face and looked at the Kunoichi, her eye twitching slightly.

_"This proctor... is a lot like Naruto."_

"Seventy-eight?" Anko blinked and lowered her arm, looking around the room. "Ibiki, you let twenty-six teams slide by?! I guess your test was far too easy."

"Conversely, it seems like this time, there are a lot of excellent candidates." Ibiki stepped out to stand in front of the cloth and looked at her.

"Hmph." Anko turned her attention back to the Genin. "Well, all right..." She smirked slightly. "I'll drop more than half of them in the second phase!"

Sakura's eyes widened and she paled. _"M-More than half?!"_

"Ah... I'm getting excited now." Anki licked her lips and muttered to herself, then looked back at the Genin. "I'll give you the details tomorrow! We'll be changing locations, so get information from your Jonin about the location and time! That's it! You're dismissed."

* * *

Ibiki went around the room collecting papers after everyone had gone and blinked at Naruto's as he picked it up, laughing under his breath.

"I didn't think that there would be a guy that would pass with a blank sheet. Naruto Uzumaki... you really are a funny kid."


	77. Chapter 75: Return to the Leaf

Natsumi groaned and opened her eyes, then quickly blushed when she realized that she was being held.

"H-Hasu!"

She sat up and held her head as it pounded.

"A-Ah! Be careful!" He held up his hands and his eyes widened. "You hit your head when you fell, so you shouldn't move too quickly."

"...I fell?" She mumbled and rubbed the back of her head gently. Her eyes fell on his blood-stained robes and they widened. "H-Hasu! Are you alright?! The bleeding—!"

"It's stopped." He smiled faintly and touched the center of the red spot on his stomach. "You healed me before you collapsed."

She let out a small sigh. "I don't remember it, but I'm glad that you're okay."

Hasu adjusted as he sat on the ground, watching her intently in silence. After a moment, he met her eyes.

"If I may ask... what kind of power was that?"

She bit her lip and stared down at her hands. "...I don't really know." She bit her lip harder. "...Were you scared?"

He averted his eyes for a moment and she balled her hands into tight fists, digging her nails into her palms.

"For... just a moment." He admitted softly. "However... you only defended me. Once I realized that, I was no longer afraid."

Natsumi looked up at him. "I didn't hurt you?"

Hasu shook his head. "No... why?"

She sighed and pressed her lips together.

"I don't remember it, and no one has told me about it, but I think I've used that power before. All I know is that one of my friends got hurt and my other friends looked afraid of me."

_And now Hana won't even look at me anymore._

"No. You did no such thing." He touched her shoulder. "To be honest, you were... incredible. And, your timing was impeccable. I was sure that she was going to kill me."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she looked away.

"You wouldn't have been in danger like that if I had been strong enough to defeat them right away and get you to safety." She looked down at her hands again. "...I'm the worst bodyguard ever."

"Hm?" He laughed quietly. "You defeated two powerful enemies on your own, didn't you? That makes it twice now that you have saved my life... my gratitude is immeasurable and I am forever in your debt."

"H-Huh?" She blushed faintly and looked at him. "O-Oh, no! I'm not that great! I'm only doing my duty, after all."

"That doesn't make me any less grateful." He stood with a smile and held out his hand to her. "Shall we get going? If I remember correctly... you promised me a meal?"

Natsumi blushed deeper and took his hand, and he helped her to his feet. "I-I did."

She cleared her throat and released his hand, then followed as he started toward the light at the end of the tunnel. They stepped into the light and their eyes widened.

_W-What?!_

Natsumi swallowed and looked around. The ground had been torn up, with small craters scattered throughout. The temple was nothing but a pile of debris, and the ground was soaked with blood.

_Was this... me?_

"Wow." Hasu muttered and looked around. "It seems that I missed an incredible battle."

Natsumi glanced at an unrecognizable pile of blood, cloth, and flesh and her stomach turned.

_Incredible isn't the word I would use..._

He looked at her and pointed. "If we head south eight kilometers, we'll find a main road that leads directly to the Leaf."

Natsumi nodded. "Considering they left us a welcoming party like this... I doubt they'd have anyone else looking for us. They would have assumed that we would have been killed." She crossed her arms slightly, beginning to walk as she looked around. "Although... I wonder if there's anything around here that would make traveling easier for you. I can't exactly carry you, and you can't keep up with my running."

"Running?" Hasu smiled. "I'm not a bad runner." He paused. "However... how quickly can _you _run?"

Natsumi put her hands on her hips and laughed. "The average Shinobi can run from the Hidden Leaf Village to the Land of Wind in three days without stopping."

His eyes widened and he laughed, then scratched his head. "Ah. Well, I certainly can't keep up with you at all. I suppose finding a different method of transportation would be the better option."

Natsumi nodded.

"Once we reach the road, there's a small village there. We may be lucky enough to find something to help us there."

_We can hope._

* * *

Hasu panted and leaned against a tree to catch his breath as Natsumi stopped walking and stretched.

"A-Apologies... Normally... this distance... no problem at all."

Natsumi walked to him and watched him stand and lean his back against the tree.

"Do you need to lean on me again?"

"N-No." He smiled sheepishly and took in a large breath. "We finally made it to the village."

Natsumi turned to follow his eyes, then walked beside him as he walked to the edge of the trees and into a clearing. Before them stood a small house with a young boy playing with wooden figures in the yard. His eyes widened as he saw them, and he let out a quiet scream and ran into the house.

Natsumi blinked and then sighed. "Well, that's one way to get someone's attention."

Hasu smiled faintly. "It's alright. When I sneak out on occasion to explore, I often come to this village. They are good people."

A woman stepped out of the house with the boy clinging to her, and her eyes widened.

"Y-Your highness!" She gasped softly and covered her mouth, looking him up and down. "Are you alright? You're covered in blood!"

"I-I'm fine." Hasu laughed quietly and scratched his head.

"Quickly, hurry inside." She moved behind Hasu and Natsumi and ushered them inside, guiding them to sit at a table.

"Haruka, close the curtains, please."

The boy stayed behind her for a moment, staring unblinkingly at the visitors. His mother patted his head.

"Go on. Quickly."

He nodded after a moment, reluctantly leaving her side to shut the curtains. Natsumi watched the boy, then looked at the woman as she brought over two cups and filled them with tea.

"Here. You look like you need something to drink."

"Yes, thank you." Hasu bowed his head slightly to her, then took a long drink.

Natsumi picked up her cup and sipped it slowly and watched the woman sit across from them, wringing her hands in her lap.

_Something's not right._

Natsumi cleared her throat slightly and looked at the woman. "Thank you for the tea."

"Oh." She beamed. "You're welcome. Can I get you anything else?"

Natsumi shook her head. "Can you tell me why you're so anxious?"

"O-Oh." The woman looked away for a moment, then looked at Hasu. "Did anyone else see you arrive?"

He shook his head and set down his cup.

"Good." The woman exhaled and turned to Natsumi. "I do apologize... I'm only cautious because, a few days ago, a pair of strangers passed through this village and were asking about you." She glanced at Hasu. "Of course, none of us said anything about your visits, or even that we knew you. They left after a while, but I've had the feeling that we have been watched ever since."

"Do you know who they were?" Natsumi asked. "Or, could you at least describe them to me?"

"Of course." The woman nodded. "One was a tall woman, with dark skin and white-blue hair, and the other was a dark-haired girl in a mask that looked to be around sixteen. They looked dangerous, and they tried to intimidate us to give them information."

_Nya and Shita._

Natsumi shared a look with Hasu, and he nodded slightly.

"We just had the... pleasure of meeting them." Natsumi set her cup down.

The woman's eyes widened. "You...?" She swallowed and looked them over again. "Are you injured? How did you survive?"

"Natsumi here defeated them both." Hasu smiled faintly. "She saved my life, and, with them gone, you no longer have to worry about them returning to this village anymore."

"S-She—?" The woman stared at Natsumi, then bowed her head. "We are all grateful, then. The prince has been a good friend to us, and if you stopped those women then we don't have to worry about them coming back to bother us anymore. Thank you."

"Natsumi, this is Mao Tsukuda. She is the granddaughter of the founders of this village, and has been a good friend to me." The woman bowed her head at Natsumi respectfully again. "Mao, this is Natsumi, a Shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She's as powerful and trustworthy as she is kind and charming."

Natsumi blushed deeply.

"I'm honored to meet you." Mao bowed her head slightly and smiled. "If the prince speaks so highly of you, you are a friend to us and welcome here anytime."

The boy returned and clung to his mother, and she lifted him up to set him into her lap.

"This is my son, Haruka." She pressed her cheek to the boy's. "Can you say hello? You remember Prince Hasu, right?"

The boy looked at Natsumi and quickly looked away, and his mother laughed

"Please excuse him. He's very shy around girls, but he's a sweet boy."

Natsumi smiled at the boy and he blushed and buries his face into his mother's shirt.

Mao paused, then looked between her guests. "If I may ask... why did you come here?"

Hasu opened his mouth to answer, but Natsumi spoke.

"The details are classified, but something terrible has happened at the Abe estate."

Mao frowned slightly but nodded slowly. "I was afraid of that..." She paused. "Are you sure that you two are alright?"

Hasu nodded. "Thank you for your concern and hospitality, Mao."

"If there's anything I can do to help, please just let me know, your highness."

"Actually, we need to get to the Leaf as soon as possible." Natsumi sipped her tea. "If you know of a way we can get there quickly, we would appreciate it." She paused to add. "As of right now, Hasu is under the protection of the Leaf."

"Transportation?" Mao smiled. "I can help with that." She glanced over at the clock on the wall. "My husband is working now, but since this is an emergency, I can have him bring you there right away."

"That would be greatly appreciated." Hasu smiled. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." Mao smiled, then looked at Natsumi. "Because of Prince Hasu, we received the supplies our village needed last winter when we were raided by bandits. We were able to stay well fed through the winter because of his generosity, so we are all willing to help you with anything you need."

She refilled their teacups and stood, gently setting the boy down beside her. "I'll go fetch you some fresh clothes, and then I'll bring Kazuo." She smiled down at her son. "Haruka, please keep our guests company, alright? I'll be right back."

The boy nodded slightly, catching a glimpse of Natsumi from the corner of his eyes and he turned to face the other direction. Mao laughed quietly, then bowed slightly and left the room.

Natsumi drank her tea, closing her eyes as it warmed her, and she opened them again to see Hasu watching her intently. She blushed and looked away.

"W-What?"

"Ah..." He scratched his head and took a sip of his cup. "I apologize for staring. For a moment, I nearly forgot our circumstances. Being here always puts me at ease."

He smiled at the young boy, who glanced at him. "Haruka, how have you been? The last time I saw you, you were learning how to make traps. Have you caught anything good yet?"

The boy shook his head quickly and kept his eyes off of Natsumi.

"Ah, I see. Well, I've heard that it takes time to master, but you have an excellent father, so I'm sure that you will pick it up quickly."

Natsumi smiled as she looked at the boy, then looked at Hasu, whispering. "Why is he afraid of girls?"

"Not all of them." Hasu chuckled to himself as the boy overheard her question and blushed, looking away. Hasu lowered his voice to a whisper. "Only the pretty ones."

Natsumi blinked and her cheeks warmed. "H-Huh?"

"Haruka is only six, but he is already quite the... uh... 'ladies man,' is it?" Hasu smiled. "He can't help it, though. If he sees a girl that he thinks is beautiful, he becomes unable to speak. I can't argue with his taste, though his affliction is a bit debilitating. I suppose he will grow out of it eventually."

Natsumi's blush deepened and she coughed, nearly inhaling her tea.

_B-Beautiful?_

"I'm back." Mao smiled and stepped back into the room with a small stack of neatly folded clothes in her arms. "I apologize if they don't fit exactly, but they will serve you better than what you currently have on."

Natsumi and Hasu reflexively looked down at their torn, bloodied clothes.

Mao placed the clothes in front of each of them. "The bathroom is just down the hall on the left. Feel free to wash up and change there."

"Thank you." Hasu smiled, then looked at Natsumi. "Ladies first."

She blushed and set her cup down. "B-But, y-you're a prince, so..."

He took her hand, then gently kissed it and met her eyes. "A Prince's duty is to spoil his Princess, correct?"

Natsumi's face reddened, rivaling her own hair, and she stammered as she stood quickly out of the chair, nearly knocking it over.

"U-U-Um... I-I'm... I'll be back!" She quickly grabbed her fresh clothes and rushed down the hall, leaving Mao to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Your highness, I've never known you to tease like that before."

"Heh." Hasu smiled sheepishly and leaned back in the chair as he looked up at her. "Was it too much?"

Mao laughed quietly, faintly blushing as she glanced over her shoulder down the hall. "That depends on what your intentions are, your highness."

Natsumi closed the bathroom door behind her, her heart pounding loudly in her ears as she blushed and pressed her back to the door.

_W-What was all that about?! Right out of nowhere, too!_

She swallowed, then turned her head to look at her reflection, then quickly looked away again as she saw how red she was.

_H-He's... flirting?! With me?! He's a prince! And I nearly got him killed! This is neither the time for flirting, nor is it appropriate for someone like him to flirt with a normal girl like me._

She drew in a large breath, then exhaled slowly.

_Calm down, Natsumi. We're going to get back to the Leaf. We're going to talk to Lord Third. Mission will be a success, then I can go home and sleep this off and pretend like none of this ever happened._

She slowly pulled off her clothes with a sigh and dropped them into a pile, then crossed her arms to cover her chest as she looked back into the mirror.

_All the fighting, and all of the death... I'd like to forget that. But, even if it's inappropriate, I guess it is a little nice to have someone giving me attention like that._

She looked down at the ground and her cheeks warmed.

_I've never really had anyone flirt with me before. I don't know what to do or what to think. It feels... weird. But nice._

Natsumi slapped her cheeks and made a face in the mirror.

_What am I even thinking? I'm on a mission. This is a mission. The sooner we get back home, the better. He'll be safe, the investigation can continue, those people can be avenged, and then I can go back to my normal life and watch Naruto's progress in the Exams like the good big sister that I am._

She stepped into the shower and washed quickly, just enough to cleanse herself of the blood and dirt before she stepped out again to dry off.

_These past six hours have been... crazy._

She held up the soft blue kimono and slipped it on, then carefully tied the belt on. The dress fell to her knees and the sleeves were simple and small. She looked at her reflection again and smiled faintly.

_I've never had a hand-me-down before. It's cute._

She combed through her hair with her fingers, then rested her hands on the counter.

_Well... I'm all done. Now I have to go back out there..._

Natsumi blushed faintly at the thought and groaned quietly.

_This is so awkward. How can I go back in there after running away like that?_

She took in a breath, then crossed her arms.

_Don't be a baby. I just have to do it._

She picked up her headband and pouches, then stepped out of the room to rejoin everyone around the table. She blushes slightly as Hasu looked up at her, and Mao smiled.

"It does fit." She nodded as she looked at Natsumi in approval. "I'm sorry I don't have anything nicer to give you. This was a dress I made when I was around your age."

"No, it's great." Natsumi smiled and touched the fabric. "I can tell that you put a lot of effort into it, and it's very good quality, especially since it's still perfect now."

"Oh, thank you." Mao touched her shoulder and led her back over to the table where a small plate of assorted snacks had been set out. "Please, help yourself. I'll step out for a bit and fetch my husband so that you can be on your way quickly."

"I'll go change, then." Hasu nodded, sipping his tea again and he took the fresh clothes and left the room.

Natsumi blushed ass he met her eyes before walking away and quickly turned to look down at her cup.

_What am I supposed to do?! Is there some kind of flirting protocol? Is there some kind of rule where I'm not allowed to reject him because he's a prince?_

"Prince Hasu is a very charming boy, isn't he?" Mao smiled at Natsumi faintly and she blushed.

"I... um..." Natsumi cleared her throat. "He is."

Mao smiled and paused, then spoke up again.

"I'll go get Kazuo now, then. I suppose you kids will all be just fine until I get back. It shouldn't take long, but do make yourselves comfortable."

She kissed her son on the top of her head, gave a small wave, and then left. Natsumi swallowed and looked around awkwardly in silence and looked at Haruka, who froze at her gaze as he stuck a cookie into his mouth.

"Um... hi." Natsumi waved at him, and he blushed deeply and rushed out of the room, nearly tripping over his feet. Natsumi sat and picked up a cookie for herself, chewing it as she rested her chin in her hand.

_This is so... weird._

* * *

Mao smiled as she draped a large scarf over Natsumi's head. "There. This should hide your hair well enough as you travel, just in case there might be anyone else out there looking for you." She glanced over to Hasu, who had one himself. "I know it isn't much of a disguise, but I hope that it helps."

"These are great. Thank you." Natsumi smiled and touched the scarf. "Are you sure that it's alright for me to keep these, though? I have no problem returning them—"

"Oh, please, think of them as a gift." Mao patted the top of her head. "I don't have any daughters, and Kazuo's family only produces boys, so it's nice to be able to pass down something of mine."

_When you put it like that, I can't refuse._

Natsumi nodded and bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for everything. I hope that one day I can repay you for all of your help." She paused. "And, just to be on the safe side, I'll speak with the Hokage about having someone investigate things around here, just in case those assassins had any allies of theirs around here that kept out of sight."

"That is very reassuring, thank you." Mao looked at Hasu. "Your highness, please have a safe trip and look after yourself. Once you are able, we'd love to have you visit again." She glanced at Natsumi briefly before looking back at him. "Both of you, of course."

Hasu smiled and looked over at the girl momentarily, then nodded. "I would very much like that."

Natsumi blushed faintly and averted her eyes

"Everyone ready?" Kazuo glanced outside of the open door, then back to Natsumi and Hasu. "If you want to get moving without anyone noticing, we should go now."

Hasu nodded and followed the man to the pair of large horses tied to a post and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"H-Horses?"

The man patted the dappled stallion with a nod. "Is there a problem with that?"

"N-No..." Natsumi looked away, blushing slightly and scratching her cheeks. "It's just... I don't know how to ride."

"I do." Hasu smiled and took her head, leading her over to the chestnut mare and patted its neck gently. "It's quite simple, so I can give you instruction as we go if you like."

Natsumi reached out to stroke the horse's neck and the mare turned to meet Natsumi's eyes with its own large brown eyes, then sniffed her hair for a moment before snorting.

"That's Cinnamon. She seems to like you." Kazuo patted the stallion. "And this is Noble, the finest hunting steed you'll ever find."

"Hunting?" Natsumi repeated quietly.

"The villagers here specialize in hunting wild boar." Hasu answered. "Though, that isn't all they hunt."

"These are the best horses for speed and endurance. Kazuo nodded. "They'll get us to the Leaf in good time."

_Not faster than a Shinobi, but we can't exactly be picky at the moment._

Kazuo helped to lift Natsumi onto the horse, then helped Hasu to sit behind her. She blushed at the as he reached around her to grasp the reins and she gulped.

_He's so close! There isn't any space between us and it's so awkward!_

"We didn't have any double saddles, but with you two still being kids, that should do nicely." Kazuo mounted his own horse and looked at him, his eyes resting on Hasu. "You sure you're well enough to ride?"

Hasu nodded with a smile. "I haven't been able to ride for some time now. I wouldn't like to miss out on this opportunity."

The man nodded and looked between Mao and Haruka. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He looked at the boy. "Look after your mom until I get back, ago? You're the man of the house for now."

The boy's eyes widened and he nodded quickly and straightened.

"Have a safe trip!" Mao waved, and with a slight kick, the horses ran off.

* * *

"Finally here." Kazuo slowed the horse's pace and turned to watch Hasu do the same.

They stopped and dismounted, and Natsumi trembled as she stepped down and then dropped to her knees to touch the ground.

"Oh sweet, sweet stable ground." She patted the earth and let out a sigh. "I'll never take you for granted again."

Hasu laughed quietly to himself and Kazuo patted the mare.

"Not much of a horseman, is she?" Kazuo chuckled to himself. "I remember my first gallop. I fell off and hit my head so hard I didn't wake up for an hour."

Hasu nodded slightly and looked at the man, then laughed under his breath. "I vomited after mine."

The man laughed and patted the boy's shoulder and Natsumi stood, blushing slightly as she overheard them. She cleared her throat and looked up at the man.

"Thank you again, for getting us here. I feel bad for having to impose like that."

"We helped because we wanted to." Kazuo patted her head. "Both of you stay safe now, alright?"

Natsumi nodded and pulled the scarf down to shake out her hair.

_That's better. I was getting hot with that on._

"The sooner we report in, the better." Natsumi looked at Hasu. "I'm sure the Hokage will want to speak with you, too. "

_And I have to do the paperwork, too. _She sighed softly at the thought. _Oh joy._

"Of course." Hasu nodded and looked upward. "The sun is already starting to set."

"We made good time." Kazuo nodded, then raised a hand in a wave. "I hope to see you around later. You're always welcome to visit our village."

"Thank you." Hasu bowed his head slightly. "As soon as I am able, I will visit again."

"Come on." Natsumi waved and motioned for him to follow her inside the gates.

"Natsumi?" Izumo looked up from the hand of cards he held, drawing the attention of Kotetsu as well.

"Hi." Natsumi smiled slightly and held her hand up in a small wave, leading Hasu over to the desk to write their names down.

"I didn't even know you had left the village." Kotetsu squinted slightly at Hasu, then lifted his hand to one side of his mouth to whisper to her. "Did you sneak out to see your boyfriend or something? If so, it's not really a secret anymore if you bring him home."

Natsumi blushed and shook her head quickly and whispered back in agitation. "H-He's not my boyfriend!" She cleared her throat. "My mission was to escort him to the Leaf. That's all."

_I would have come back through the back door if I didn't have the Prince with me..._

"Ah." Kotetsu scratched his head and sat back down. "Is that so?"

"A mission?" Izumo looked over the papers and frowned slightly. "We weren't told anything about it."

_That's because you're not clued in about ANBU comings and goings._

"Weird..." Natsumi laughed slightly and averted her eyes. "Anyway... I have to go make my report now."

"Right." The Chunin shared an expression, then shrugged.

Natsumi waved and started to lead Hasu away, then looked at the men over her shoulder.

"Oh, Izumo!"

The man looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Kotetsu's got Four of a Kind!"

Kotetsu's eyes widened and Izumo laughed, then slapped his cards down.

"Royal Flush!"

"Gah!" Kotetsu dropped his cards and clutched his head, then raised a fist at Natsumi. "What was that for?! I could have still gotten him with my bluff!"

Natsumi laughed and Izumo laughed and slid the stack of coins toward him.

"No way! Just admit that you such at this game!"

"I don't suck at it!"

"That's four games in a row you've lost!"

"I'm just warming up!"

Natsumi laughed again as their voices faded behind them and Hasu chuckled.

"Friends of yours?"

Natsumi nodded. "More like... friends-slash-rivals of a friend." She smiled. "But they're good people and I consider them my friends." She paused. "And, between us, my friend Kiri and that guy Kotetsu have _huge_ crushes on each other. The problem is that they're both incredibly stubborn people and don't want to admit they have feelings for each other."

"That seems... complicated."

"Tell me about it." Natsumi smiled. "But it's still fun to watch how embarrassed they get when it's brought up."

Hasu slowed his pace to look around at the shops they passed and Natsumi looked over her shoulder at him.

"I promise I'll show you around later, but we should get to the Hokage as soon as possible, so be sure to stay close so that you don't get lost."

"I look forward to it, then." He stepped closer to her to walk beside her, watching her blush faintly from the corner of his eyes.

"R-Right..." Natsumi looked away and focused her eyes ahead.

* * *

Natsumi lifted her hand to knock of the door.

"Come in."

Natsumi opened the door to step inside, holding it open as Hasu followed her, then she shut it behind them. She moved to the center of the room and dropped to one knee in front of the Hokage's desk and Hiruzen looked up from the scroll in his hands.

"I completed the mission you gave me, Lord Third."

"Excellent." He looked from her to the boy, then bowed his head slightly. "It is good to finally meet you, Prince Hasu." He looked back to Natsumi. "I trust it went well?"

"Well..." She stood and met the old man's eyes. "All went as planned at first, but there were... complications."

Hiruzen raised his brow. "Oh?"

"A pair of assassins were ambushed us as we escaped." Natsumi pressed her lips together. "Somehow, they knew we would be there. It seems... troubling, especially when considering that the passage we took wasn't common knowledge."

"Hm..." Hiruzen touched his chin and stroked his beard for a moment. "That is indeed concerning." He lowered his hands and looked at the boy. "In any case, it is good that you are here. There is much to talk about, and I hope that you are able to help us with out investigation of these events."

"For now, I'd have you get some rest and recuperate." Hiruzen lifted his hand and a boar-masked ANBU member appeared beside the desk. "Soma will guard you tonight and show you where you will be staying. Tomorrow evening, I ask that you visit our Intelligence Division that you can provide them with any information you can."

"Of course." Hasu nodded. "If I am able to assist in any way, I will be glad to do it."

"As for you," Hiruzen looked at the girl. "Starting tomorrow morning, you will look out for the prince. I'm placing him under your care for the duration of his stay here. You'll show him around, and indulge him in the Leaf's hospitality, but most of all, keep an eye out for any suspicious activity or trouble, in the event that someone comes looking for him."

Natsumi blushed faintly and nodded slowly. "Y-Yes, Lord Third."

_Why me?_

"I hope your accommodations are suitable, and that you are able to rest properly. I will send a Medical Ninja over to examine you as well." The Hokage looked to the prince. "And, I should add— it would be wise to refrain from using the Abe name for now. Until our investigation has been completed, it is not safe for it to become known that you are here, for your own sake."

"I understand." Hasu nodded. The ANBU man stood beside the boy and placed his hand on his shoulder, then held up a hand sign. Hasu looked at Natsumi with a small smile. "See you tomorrow."

They flickered away and Natsumi let out a short breath and looked away as her face warmed.

"Now..." Hiruzen rested his elbows on the desk and laced his hands together, bringing them near his face as his expression turned serious. "Tell me everything."


	78. Chapter 76: Morning

Natsumi held up her Ninjato and eyed the automated dummies as they began to move around the area.

_Alright. Same thing as every other day. Let's do a little training before I have to go meet with the Prince._

The dummy came at her with its arms swinging and she dodged easily and waited for the second to come with its spinning blades. She raised her sword to strike, but the face of a woman superimposed on it in her mind and she gasped slightly, freezing in place. As the blades drew closer, she quickly shifted to smoke and they passed through her.

_W-What was that?_

She bit her lip, reforming as she swallowed and turned toward the next dummy.

_Just focus on training. Focus..._

Another face appeared in her mind she stepped back, only able to dodge in time. A group of dummies converged on her location, all bearing human faces in her mind.

She stepped back again, her breath caught in her throat as she tripped over her own feet and fell down.

_Damn it..._

She gritted her teeth and stood quickly to dodge another dummy, moving around one of the enormous gears that turned.

_I can't... stop seeing them._

She dodged again and again, biting her lip as she was unable to strike. She was knocked to her knees and froze as she looked up at the dummy before her. Her eyes widened at the girls face there and she dropped her Ninjato.

Natsumi flickered away in time for part of the floor to vanish beneath her and she pressed herself against the wall, gasping heavily to catch her breath before reaching over to shut off the mechanism. The echoing sounds and movements slowed to a stop, and she fell to her knees.

_Why? Why can't I stop thinking about it?_

She shut her eyes tightly and balled her hands into fists, seeing the girl's wide eyes in her mind as the sword had gone through her chest. Natsumi opened her eyes again and saw red all around her. Closing her eyes tightly, she wiped her hands on herself and clamped her hands over her ears as the sounds of slicing, screaming, splattering, and bodies falling bombarded her.

_No!_

_Stop!_

_I don't want to think about it anymore!_

_I didn't want to do that!_

_Leave me alone!_

_I just want to forget!_

She slammed her fists into the ground and let out a scream, and it echoed around her and tapered off into a growl.

_Damn it..._

She struck the ground again and again, gritting her teeth.

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!_

Natsumi stopped and hung her head slightly as her eyes watered. Her fists loosened and her hands trembled.

_Why was that the only way?_

_I had no choice._

She shut her eyes and shook her head.

_I know that... I know there wasn't another way. So why do I... feel so dirty? Why do I feel so guilty? I... I helped them, didn't I? They don't have to suffer anymore..._

Natsumi swallowed and drew her legs in close.

_So... why won't their faces go away?_

She looked around, blinking hard as she shook her head again.

_It's no use. This place is used for combat, and that's all I can think about now. It's only making it worse._

She picked up her bag and quickly ran out, closing it off behind her and ran back to the village.

_I have to find some way to snap out of this. I have to go on duty soon and be a guide for the prince._

Nearing the village again, she walked in the quietness of the morning and hugged her bag close.

_Maybe if I ignore it, it'll be fine..._

She sighed heavily and shook her head.

_I was ignoring it before and it came back to me as soon as I held my sword. If I can't figure this out, I won't be able to fight properly, and I have to protect the prince, still. I can't be completely useless._

She stopped walking, letting out another heavy sigh as she looked up.

_I really hate mornings. It's just too quiet._

Natsumi started walking again and stopped at the bridge to linger and watch small fish darting back and forth in the river and leaned her arms against the railing. Her stomach growled after a moment and she clutched at her stomach.

_I should hurry up and grab breakfast before I have to meet up with Hasu._

She turned to leave, then looked back at the open field as a figure walked across it.

_Isn't that...?_

She turned and took a few steps toward the field.

_But that's where the Memorial is, isn't it?_

Natsumi continued to move closer, watching curiously until she saw Kakashi lounging in the grass near the stone memorial, reading his book. He looked up as she approached and gave a slight wave.

"Hey. You're awake early." He sat up, still looking at the book as she nodded.

"I'm always up this early." She pointed in the other direction. "I have a secret training spot that way. I always spend a few hours there in the morning before I have to report in."

"Is that so? I suppose you're on your way back now?" He glanced up at her and lowered his book. "Is something on your mind?"

Natsumi stood rigid for a moment, then shook her head quickly. "N-No! I mean..." She paused and bit her lip, then looked away. "...Yes."

He closed his book and she sighed and dropped to the ground, sitting with her legs crossed as she made a face.

"I just got back from a mission last night, and it was... difficult." She paused. "I know I can't tell anyone the details... but I never expected that I'd have to do anything like that."

His expression shifted and he looked at her. "As a member of the ANBU, you're to carry out your missions without asking questions or hesitation, but that doesn't change the fact that you're human. If witnessing death and taking life didn't affect you, there would be something wrong with you."

Natsumi nodded slowly and hugged her bag closer. "I know that... and I know that we're not assigned to kill anyone unless it's really necessary, but..." She bit her lip again and lowered her voice. "I _know_ there was no way to save them... and that we had no other options... but I still feel guilty. They felt pain, and even if they were being controlled and made to attack us... they were human the same as me. Killing them..." She stared at her hands. "...I feel like a monster."

"Controlled?" He repeated and raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. "I... can't go into detail. But there was no way to save them. Everyone there... we had to kill them all." She buried her face into her bag. "With the adults, it was hard but I could reassure myself that I was doing the right thing. But that little girl..."

"A child?" His expression darkened slightly and he went silent. _"Now I understand..."_

"I-If Jiro hadn't killed her... she would have killed me. But she was so young... I couldn't have..." Natsumi swallowed the lump in her throat. "I held her while she died. She was _herself _even for just a moment, and she was... scared."

"How?" Natsumi sat up slightly and hugged her arms closer. "How can I stop thinking about it? Can I block it out somehow?"

Kakashi watched her in silence, recognizing her expression. "Some might suggest trying to separate your personas." He answered after a pause. "And, for some, it does work."

_Separating my personas?_

"However, if you do that, you'll become someone completely unrecognizable."

Natsumi looked up at him. "H-Huh?"

"Well, it's like this..." He looked up and leaned back as he spoke. "When I first joined the ANBU... I was about your age. I had already hit rock bottom... so that dirty work... I was already numb to it." He paused. "But you... if you try to shut yourself off to it, you'll get stuck in that dark place. It isn't easy to get out of, and you'll regret if you allow yourself to get there."

Natsumi bit her lip as a coldness spread through her chest.

"Then... what am I supposed to do?"

"You had a reason for joining, didn't you?" Kakashi patted her head and smiled slightly, holding up a finger.

Her eyes widened slightly.

_My reason... that's right._

She looked away and balled her hands.

_I want to be strong and protect Naruto, so that he can achieve his dream and make people acknowledge him... even if that means that I have to fear things that I don't like... as long as he can keep smiling and gets closer to his dream, that's fine with me._

"You'll still be effected by every tough decision you make or each life you take... but keeping your goal in mind is bound to help for coping with the aftermath."

Natsumi glanced back up at him. "Can I... ask you something?"

Kakashi stuffed his book into his pouch and blinked at her. "Hm?"

"Do you... still see them?" Natsumi's eyes wandered away and she looked off into the distance. "The faces...? Will they ever go away?"

He glanced at the monument out of the corner of his eye, then looked out toward the river. "Everyone has a different way of handling it."

_I think I've heard Kiri say that before..._

She bit her lip, then sighed as she mumbled. "I'm not really cut out for killing people..."

"If you feel that way, you can always ask Lord Third to take you out of the Anbu." He looked at her. "Not everyone is cut out for that kind of work, and having the talent and skills alone don't necessarily mean it's the right place for you."

Her eyes widened slightly. "L-Leave?" She lowered her eyes and furrowed her brows. "I..." She paused again, then shook her head and met his eyes. "I can't! Even if it's difficult... even if it's scary sometimes... I agreed to join! It's my responsibility to follow through with it. That's my Ninja Way! I can't just back off after I've agreed to do something!"

She shook her head again. "I don't like some of it, but I like my team, and we've gotten close in just a short amount of time. I've also learned a lot, and fine-tuned my techniques, and I've gotten stronger. If I just walk away now, after everything so far... I'm just a coward, and I'd be putting a burden on everyone who would have to make up for my absence."

Natsumi stood and held her bag under her arm.

"It's not that your suggestion is wrong, it's just..." She sighed. "I won't turn my back on my team and instead of trying to run from it... I should be improving myself to handle it better. I won't be able to forgive myself if I just walk away. That's not the kind of person that I want to be, and it'd make me a disgrace as a Ninja."

"Well, if that's what you've decided, then I won't persuade you." Kakashi stood and put his hand into his pocket. "Just don't push yourself too far."

"I won't." She smiled and nodded. "I feel a little better now, though. Thanks."

"I really didn't do much of anything, but you're welcome."

She moved to leave, then looked back at him. "I do have one more question, though."

Kakashi looked at her. "Hm?"

The corners of her mouth twitched in a smile. "Is this where you are every time that you're late?"

Kakashi laughed to himself and scratched the back of his head. "You got me." Then, he leaned forward slightly and held his finger up to his lips. "Let's keep that between us, alright?"

She nodded and her eyes rested on the stone. "You're here to visit someone, right? That's why you come here?" She looked back at him and smiled faintly. "I won't intrude on your visit, then. Coming here is important to you, and I'm not the type of person to tell secrets like that. That would make me trash."

She turned and waved, walking back across the field to the bridge, where she looked up and her eyes widened slightly and she started to run.

_Crap! I'm going to be late for sure now!_

* * *

Natsumi caught her breath and slowed her pace to a walk and looked up at the building. A slight shift in color on one balcony and she recognized the concealment technique trademark to the ANBU.

_That's the man that was assigned to watch him, so that must be his room._

She jumped up onto the balcony quickly, landing softly. Her eyes fell on the empty space where the invisible figure stood.

"You're late." He shifted to cross his arms and, for a moment, was faintly visible.

"I'm not." She frowned slightly and looked through the window where the curtain was opened to peer at the clock. She made a face and averted her eyes slightly. "O-Only by a few minutes..."

He scoffed slightly, stepping back into the shadow of the building and becoming visible. "Just do your job, and I'll do mine. No slip ups from you."

_I get the feeling that he doesn't trust or like me... Is it because I'm young? Or is it because I'm Naruto's sister...?_

She nodded and sighed softly. "I know what I have to do. You don't have to remind me."

"Good." He glanced out over the village to look at a small inn in the distance. "We don't know who may be connected with the Abe incident, so be sure to suspect anyone. Especially those foreigners."

"I know that." She huffed quietly.

"Just keep that in mind and don't get distracted." He nodded his head and motioned toward the door. "He hasn't been up long, but he is expecting you."

"Right..."

Natsumi drew in a breath, then stepped up to the door and knocked. The boy inside scrambled to his feet and opened the door with a smile.

"Good morning!"

Natsumi blushed faintly, then smiled back at him. "Good morning, your Highness... Sorry I'm a little late."

For a moment, he stared at her with his lips twitching in a half-smile.

"O-Oh... right." She cleared her throat softly. "I mean... good morning, Hasu."

He laughed quietly and she let out a quiet sigh as she mumbled.

"You're supposed to be laying low and here I am, having trouble calling you by name."

"It's only a precaution. I doubt that there would be anyone here that might be targeting me, however I do understand the Hokage's reasoning. That aside, you do not have to feel pressured to call me by a title." He smiled and shrugged slightly. "After all, as the sixth son, many in my family did not consider me to be a prince anyway."

_Well, that just makes it sound pretty depressing._

"Now," He glanced at the clock and then to her. "I know that I have to go to the Inteligence Division this afternoon, but we have plenty of time before then. What will do?"

She scratched her head slightly. "What do you want to do?"

"Well..." Hasu chuckled, then retrieved a small pad of paper and pen from the side table. "It was difficult to fall asleep, so I wrote a list."

"A list?" Natsumi looked it over.

_Well, I hadn't expected this. Of all the things... He wants to visit...?_

She looked back up at him. "The library?"

"Y-Yes." He averted his eyes momentarily. "I realize that I'm entirely ignorant about Shinobi, so I would like to learn more about the Hidden Villages and Ninjutsu. The more I contemplate it, the more intrigued I become." He paused and looked away for a moment. "Is that a strange request?"

Natsumi smiled and shook her head. "Not at all." She looked back over the list again. "I think we could knock a lot of these off during a tour of the Village, and then we can go to the Library. How does that sound?"

"I'm brimming with anticipation." He grinned and went to the balcony door, then opened it. "Shall we?"

Natsumi coughed under her breath, then pointed toward the other door. "I think we should go that way. You aren't a Shinobi, so you can't really go the way I came... not unless you can jump down three stories and land on your feet without sustaining injury."

His eyes widened slightly and lit up as he grinned. "You don't know until you try, right?"

Natsumi blinked and raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to make the executive decision here, as your appointed guide and bodyguard, and say... no." She pointed at the other door again. "That way."

Hasu laughed and ran his fingers through his hair, shutting the balcony door as his laughter tapered into a sigh. "Next time, perhaps."

Natsumi rolled her eyes and followed him out of the room. "You know I'm just going to say the same thing, right?"

"It won't hurt to try. I can be quite persuasive."

"And I know a Jutsu that can paralyze you." Natsumi crossed her arms and held back a laugh.

"Ah." He paused and then cleared his throat. "I see your point."

* * *

**_In regards to the questions about Natsumi seeming to run out of Chakra too quickly, it will be explained later on. There is a good explanation for it (and later, a solution)_**


	79. Chapter 77: Special Report!

"W-What is this place?!" Naruto stared at the enormous forest before them, surrounded on all sides by a tall fence and signs that read 'No Trespassing.'

"This is the location for the second stage of the Exam... the forty-fourth training field." Anko answered and smirked. "Also known as... the Forest of Death."

"The... Forest of Death?" Naruto repeated, a chill shooting down his spine as he gulped.

A rustling came from the treeline as a box painted to resemble a rock moved toward the group of Genin slowly.

"Hm?" Naruto looked to the side as the box stopped and he narrowed his eyes. _"Fake rocks? What's up with that?"_

Naruto slowly walked away from the box, watching it carefully from the corner of his eye as it followed him. He stopped suddenly and the box stopped as well. Then, he ran and was followed again, while the other Genin stood around and watched in confusion. Back and forth he ran, moving faster as he went, until he stopped suddenly again and turned toward the box as it almost skidded to a halt and rested his hands on his hips.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and pointed at the box. "That's the worst disguise of all time, Konohamaru! There's no such thing as square rocks! It's totally obvious!"

"You saw through my camouflage yet again!" The boy's voice came from beneath the box, muffled slightly. "You're slick, Boss. That's just what I'd expect from my greatest rival."

The box exploded in a burst of smoke and Naruto's eyes widened. When the dust and smoke cleared, he saw Konohamaru and friends coughing on the ground.

"I think we used a little too much gunpowder, guys." Konohamaru coughed as his ears rang. "Huh?"

He blinked as he met Naruto's eyes and the kids jumped to their feet to pose.

"I'm Moegi, the sassiest Kunoichi in preschool! Check me out!"

"I love algebra!" Udon sniffed at the snot dripping from his nose. "Call me Udon."

"And I'm the number one Ninja in the Village! Konohamaru!"

"And when we're all together, we're the Konohamaru Trio!"

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and rolled his eyes as he muttered.

"Yeah, I knew it was you guys the whole time. What do you squirts want? I'm about to take the second phase of the Chunin Exam, so I don't have time to be playing games with you."

"We didn't come to play around, Boss!" Konahamaru closed his hand into a fist. "We're on official business!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Moegi nodded quickly. "We came here for an exclusive interview."

"Uh-huh." Udon nodded in agreement and sucked his snot again.

"An interview?" Naruto blinked and looked down at them.

"Yeah." Konohamaru put his hands on his hips. "We're here on assignment to write an article for the Academy's newspaper. It's a big-time feature story all about the Chunin Exams."

"So that's why we want to do an exclusive interview with you. Please say that you'll do it." Moegi clasped her hands and widened her eyes.

"It would mean a lot to us." Udon wiped his nose and smiled slightly at the Genin.

"Yeah, but... right now?" Naruto lowered his arms and squinted slightly.

"Hey, you over there!"

"H-Huh?"

"What are you doing?! You're holding up the exams!" Anko walked over and narrowed her eyes at Naruto.

"Uh, sorry, but Konohamaru was telling me something about an interview for the Academy newspaper."

Anko's eyes widened and she gasped slightly, then laughed and scratched her head. "O-Oh yeah... I forgot all about it. Lord Hokage did mention something about them interviewing me."

"Uh... interviewing you?" Naruto repeated slowly.

"Alright! We're taking a ten-minute break!" Anko announced to the crowd of Genin. "For those that are scheduled to be interviewed, please be courteous and respectful to the reporters from the Academy newspaper!"

"I thought I was the only one being interviewed." Naruto blinked.

"No, Boss, but you are the most important to us." Konohamaru looked at him.

"Oh? Well, in that case, I'll be happy to give you an interview." Naruto chuckled and scratched his cheek, then pointed his thumb at himself. "It'll make it clear to your readers why I'm the greatest Ninja ever!"

* * *

Natsumi slowed her pace as she saw the group of Genin and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh good. We're just in time. They haven't started yet."

Hasu's eyes widened at the sight of the enormous trees beyond the high fence and then he looked over the Shinobi gathered there.

"Is that where they have to take the Exam?" He pointed at the forest, and Natsumi straightened with a nod.

"It's referred to as the Forest of Death."

He paled slightly at the name, then looked away briefly. "That sounds... exciting."

"It's dangerous." Natsumi muttered. "It's full of giant animals, just waiting to eat you. Not to mention, traps and poisonous plants."

"And, it's appropriate to send children there?" Hasu blinked and glanced back at the trees.

Natsumi looked at him. "In the Shinobi world, you're a fully-fledged Ninja as soon as you graduate from the Academy. That means even being eligible for being called upon in times of war."

His expression fell slightly and he looked over the Genin again.

"At your age?" He quieted as he watched her nod. "That's terrible."

"That's the life of a Shinobi." She replied quietly. After a pause, she looked back at him. "We can't stay long, and we to be careful around the foreign Ninja. I don't think they'll have any connection to what happened to your family, but we should be careful anyway."

Hasu nodded and Natsumi turned her eyes back to the group, and she smiled.

_There he is._

"Come on." She motioned for him to follow her, then walked quickly over to where the blond boy stood with his back to her and she hugged him tightly from behind.

"Naruto!"

"Ah!" Naruto jumped at the sudden embrace and then turned and grinned as his sister released him from the hug and he looked at her. "Natsumi! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I had to see you before you went into the Forest of Death, didn't I?" She put her hands on her hips. "After all, you _are_ my younger brother, and people have died in there. I couldn't live with myself if something happened and I didn't see you beforehand."

Her eyes narrowed and she pointed at him. "By the way, you'd better not die. I don't want to be alone, and I'd miss you too much. If you die, I swear I'll bring you back and beat you to a pulp myself."

Naruto paled slightly and gulped, then crossed his arms with a huff. "As if I would die, ya know! I'm the one who's going to be Hokage someday!"

"Huh?" Natsumi blinked and looked over at the trio of kids. "Konohamaru? Why are you guys here?"

"Neechan!" The boy's eyes lit up and he hugged her. "We're here to do interviews for the Academy newspaper! We're doing a big story on the Chunin Exams."

"Oh, really?" Natsumi smiled and looked between the kids. "That sounds like it's going to be good. Once it's done, could you save me a copy? I'd love to read it."

"Yes, Neechan!" They cooed in unison and she laughed and patted their heads.

"I won't get in the way of your journalism, I promise. I just came to see Naruto for a minute." Natsumi looked back at her brother, who made a face.

"Eh? You just got here and you're leaving already?"

"Sorry." She held up her hands in a small shrug and shook her head. "I have important things that I need to do."

"Important stuff?" Naruto repeated in a mumble and crossed his arms, then noticed Hasu and squinted. After a moment, he leaned close to Natsumi and held up a hand to his mouth to whisper. "Uh... Natsumi... there's a guy stalking you."

"Stalking?" Natsumi laughed quietly, shaking her head as she stepped back to stand beside Hasu. "He's not stalking me." She paused. "Naruto, this is Hasu. Hasu, this is my brother."

Naruto narrowed his eyes again and looked the older boy over, then his eyes widened once more and he pointed at the boy. "I-Is that your boyfriend?!"

Natsumi blushed deeply and Hasu blinked, his own cheeks warming faintly.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"I-I wouldn't use those exact words..."

The two looked at each other, then averted their eyes quickly. Natsumi crossed her arms, then let out a short breath and looked at her brother.

"Hasu is a _friend_."

"Friend, huh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy again, then shared a look with Konohamaru. "I've never seen you around before."

"I'm visiting the Leaf currently, and Natsumi has graciously volunteered her time to be my guide for the duration of my stay."

"Visiting?" Naruto repeated.

"You're not a Ninja, then?" Sakura asked, stepping closer as she looked at the boy. _"H-He's so handsome!"_

"I am not." Hasu smiled and looked at Sakura. "Though, I have recently become very fascinated with Shinobi and am eager to learn more."

_"He talks so formally, too. Who is he?"_

"Hasu, this is Sakura, Naruto's teammate." Natsumi motioned to the girl, then her expression shifted slightly as she moved her hand to gesture to the other boy. "...And, that's Sasuke. The other one on their team."

Hasu took Sakura's hand, touching it to hips lips as he smiled.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I see the Leaf is in no short supply of beautiful girls."

Sakura blushed and froze in place, unable to speak. _"B-Beautiful?!"_

Nastsumi blushed, looking away slightly.

_It's nice of him to get on someone's good side from flattery, but... I mean, she's not that pretty._

Hasu released Sakura's hand, and she continued to stand fixed in place.

_"H-He's so charming! Like a fairytale prince!"_

"Well, Hasu, I think we should get going now." Natsumi cleared her throat quietly and looked at him. "There's still a lot to see around the village."

_Besides, us being here is drawing unwanted attention._

Natsumi glanced at the group as several sets of eyes fell on them. Her eyes rested on the trio from the Hidden Grass.

_I don't like the aura they're giving off. It's dangerous for a non-Shinobi to be here._

"Of course." Hasu nodded and stood beside her.

"Naruto, be safe, okay?" Natsumi looked at him and lowered her voice slightly.

Naruto met her eyes and then nodded. "Yeah. I will."

The corners of her mouth twitched in a smirk.

"Also, show everyone just how awesome you are, okay? Dominate the competition so epically that everyone will talk about it in every Village."

"Of course!" He put his hands on his hips with a grin. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, after all!"

Natsumi hugged him gently, then waved at the kids.

"Good luck and have fun with your story!"

"Bye, Neechan!" They waved at her with a smile, and Konohamaru grinned and looked at Naruto.

"Should we get started now?"

* * *

Natsumi turned and walked away with Hasu beside her as a chill ran down her spine and she slowed to look over her shoulder at a Genin with a straw hat on with his face was hidden by the shadow of the hat.

_He's been staring at us since we walked up..._

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the Shinobi until he turned to look away and Natsumi kept her eyes on him for a moment.

_And, I can't explain it, but... something about him feels familiar. I don't like it._

Natsumi slowly turned to continue walking his Hasu, and his expression had become neutral.

"Trouble?" He muttered and looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Not explicitly." She answered under her breath. "But a few of them have a nasty sense of bloodlust that I recognize."

_Thanks to Jiro._

"I'm going to teleport us back, okay? It might feel a little weird."

"Teleport?" He raised a brow. "You can do that?"

Natsumi touched his shoulder and held up a hand sign, and the two vanished from the training grounds and reappeared in a side street of Konoha.

His eyes widened as he watched her seal faded on the fence where she had placed it. Then, he leaned against the fence and groaned quietly.

"Are you okay?"

Hasu nodded after a moment and straightened. "That was as... exhilarating as it was dizzying. Is that how using all Ninjutsu feels like?"

Natsumi shook her head. "That's a rare, very difficult technique. It's harder than the others to learn and control."

"Amazing." He smiled at her. "You really are incredible."

She blushed faintly and looked away. "A-Alright... where do you want to go next?"

Her stomach growled loudly and she stiffened at the sound, blushing deeper and he laughed.

_Crap! I completely forgot to get breakfast!_

"I think somewhere where we could eat would be ideal."

"That's not nece—"

Her stomach growled again, louder now, and she clutched at it and lowered her eyes. "...I guess I could eat."

"Any recommendations?"

Natsumi grinned and met his eyes. "How would you like to try the world's greatest ramen?"

* * *

"Naruto and the rest of Squad Seven." Konohamaru introduced, then looked at Naruto. "All right, Boss, first tell us a little about yourself."

"Okay!" Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei gets me and my sister at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen with my sister and comparing them. And my future dream is to become the greatest Hokage! The whole village will respect me then and treat me like I'm somebody important! No other Genin can match any of my Jutsu. Even Iruka-sensei can't help being impressed. And now that I'm in Squad Seven, I get to prove it by going on dangerous missions every day. In Group Seven, there is also Sasuke and Sakura. Since I'm the only one that shows great potential, you don't have to worry about the other two."

"Don't say that!" Konohamaru interrupted Naruto's rambling. "Introduce them properly!"

"I know, I know." Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms. "This guy's name is Sasuke Uchiha and he's a pretentious guy. I heard that he's one of the last members of the famous Uchiha clan, but he's a pretty pitiful guy... Anyways, he's always swooping in at the last minute and making me look bad."

"There's also Sakura Haruno." Naruto paused, chuckling softly and scratching his cheek. "I'll let you in on a little secret. She's madly in love with me. She'd never admit it, of course, but I think her coyness just makes her even cuter."

"Eh... It doesn't really sound to me like she's in love with you, Boss." Konohamaru frowned slightly.

"Ha!" Naruto laughed awkwardly, then crossed his arms and grumbled. "Very funny, Konohamaru. But, you gotta trust me when I say that she is, ya know." He paused. "Anyway, putting that aside, our squad is like a well-oiled machine that can succeed in any mission, no matter how dangerous."

"I don't think you've done a lot of dangerous missions..." Moegi held up her hand near her mouth. "I mean... didn't you just weed gardens, walk dogs, and collect trash...?"

"I mean, I'm not always busy with dangerous missions." Naruto made a face. "I still had time to teach the Hokage a thing or two. Like when I knocked him out with my Sexy Jutsu."

"Boss, I don't really think this material is appropriate for the article." Konohamaru frowned slightly.

"Fine, fine." Naruto grumbled. "What do you want to talk about? How about the first time you met me?"

"Okay!" Konohamaru grinned. "My name is Konohamaru and I'm the grandson of the Hokage. Grandfather is the most important person in the Leaf Village and is the Third Hokage. Those who succeed the Hokage name is the top Ninja of the village. Especially the Fourth Hokage, who is a great hero who protected the village from the demon fox!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Naruto interrupted and waved his hands. "You're only talking about other people!"

"I was just about to start on myself!" Konohamaru defended. "Besides, Bro, you talk too much about yourself!"

"Of course! I'm the star of the article! The other people don't matter!"

"Big Bro! Next up... I'm counting on you!"

"Right, right." Naruto nodded and crossed his arms. "Oh, then I guess I could talk about Sasuke's stories of failures..."

"We've already heard you say stuff like that. Get more serious!" Moegi protested.

Sasuke and Sakura watched Naruto sitting with the kids, their eyes twitching slightly. Sakura let out a hot breath and put her hand on her hip.

"That Naruto...! He's just making up stuff as he pleases..."

"Hmph." Sasuke huffed softly and closed his eyes briefly. "Who cares either way?"

Sakura sighed again, then looked at Sasuke and crossed her arms as she muttered to herself.

"I wonder how much longer this is going to take, anyway. We've still got the Exam to do, after all." She looked back to where Natsumi and Hasu had been, then went quiet.

_"I wonder who that boy was... He must be a VIP of some kind if he's got a guide like that..."_ She blushed and blinked, then covered her mouth slightly. _"O-Or... could it be...? M-Maybe he really is her boyfriend?!"_

Sakura fidgeted in place where she stood and then glanced over at Sasuke, who was sitting nearby.

_"Could she really be so much more mature than me? First, she almost openly flirts with Sasuke, then when they were fighting and he ended up staring at her..."_ She blushed deeper and looked down at her own chest. _"Being more confident like that, and having a nice figure... she really is more womanly, than me, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if that's her boyfriend at all."_

She let out a sigh.

_"And here I am, unable to even get Sasuke to really acknowledge my presence."_

* * *

Kankuro stood with his arms crossed and leaned up against the tree as the rest of the Genin candidates stood aimlessly around during the break. After a while, he let out a breath and Temari glanced over at him, then followed his eyes to an empty space across the field. She stood beside him, then leaned against the tree.

"You know, if you were trying to make it obvious that you have some kind of connection to that girl, you're succeeding."

Kankuro blinked at her sudden interruption and jumped slightly, looking at her.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, you don't. You're just standing at where she was with kind of a dumb expression on your face while you think." Temari's lips twitched in a smirk and she looked at her brother. "You're jealous that she was with a guy, right?"

"Shut up. That's not it." Kankuro's cheeks warmed and he looked away. "I'm just... irritable that we have to wait around like this instead of starting the Exam already."

"Hah." Temari smirked and laughed under her breath. "You really _are_ jealous, then."

"Shut up." Kankuro muttered again, avoiding eye contact with her, then muttered to himself. "I didn't think she had a boyfriend, though."

Temari laughed to herself again, then stepped closer to her brother. "You never struck me as the jealous type, Kankuro."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He furrowed his brows slightly.

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge a girl, though." Temari waved her hand slightly. "After all, it's been a while since you saw her, and they didn't seem all that close. If they are dating, it only happened recently."

Kankuro blinked. "You're surprisingly defensive."

Temari furrowed her brows and she crossed her arms, shooting him a glare. "Maybe it's because I'm also a female and I don't appreciate how you were so quick to assume that she's fickle. Guys like that really piss me off."

Kankuro leaned back from her for a moment, chuckling awkwardly to himself as he scratched his head. "Sorry, sorry."

"Anyway, don't get distracted." Temari crossed her arms and looked away, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked around at the other Genin. "We came here for a reason. Getting caught up with a girl isn't part of the plan."

"I know that." Kankuro mumbled and scowled faintly. "I'm not getting caught up in anything. Maybe I was just curious..."

"You know what they say about curiosity..." Temari smirked slightly and Kankuro frowned.

"Shut up."

* * *

"The Art of Being a Ninja." Meogi smiled. "We'll now have my senior as a Kunoichi, Sakura Haruno, give us a short lesson about Ninjutsu."

"Yes, of course." Sakura smiled and coughed softly. "Yes, I am the lovely Sakura Haruno."

"Lovely?" Moegi repeated and raised an eyebrow.

Sakura crossed her arms. "What? You have any complaints?"

"Oh, no, of course not." Moegi shook her head quickly and held her pencil close to the page of her notebook. "Please continue."

"Alright." Sakura nodded. "Well, first, about Naruto's Ninjutsu... the Sexy Jutsu, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and... Harem Jutsu... and then playing pranks like dropping an eraser on Kakashi-sensei's head... he's really just a hopeless guy." She sighed, shrugging as she shook her head again. "But anyway, the secret for excellent Ninjutsu is all in the balance between Hand Signs and Chakra Control, Moegi."

Sakura paused, then blushed and glanced over her shoulder at where Sasuke sat, before she started to speak again.

"Next is the number one rookie, Sasuke, who graduated as the top student at the Academy. The most popular in the class, he can also fight Kakashi-sensei as an equal. Sasuke is so awesome!"

"Say, Sakura..." Naruto moved closer, scratching his ear with his pinky finger before crossing his arms and making a face. "Your Sasuke introduction is taking too long."

"Naruto, you're so noisy." Sakura rolled her eyes and shot him a look. "Just stay quiet! It's my turn!" She cleared her throat and looked back at Moegi. "Although we've seen Sasuke using powerful Jutsu like the Fire Style Fire Ball Jutsu, the Demon Wind Shuriken, and Sharingan, the greatest of all is... the sharp look of his eyes! Any girl who has been stared at with those eyes will immediately fall in love with him!"

Sakura blushed and looked back at Sasuke, and Moegi turned to follow her gaze, almost blushing herself.

"Sasuke! Look this way!" Sakura waved at him, calling out.

"How annoying..." Sasuke looked up at them slightly, his brows furrowed and his eyes stern.

Sakura blinked, then slumped as he looked away with a pout. Moegi patted her back as Sakura sighed.

"Well, that cold behavior is also another attractive quality of Sasuke..."

Konohamaru blinked and shared a look with Udon, who only shrugged.

"I really don't understand girls." Konohamaru whispered to his friend.

"Me either." Udon sniffed, then shook his head.

"Hey, Sakura." Naruto looked at her, pointing. "You keep going on about how 'great' Sasuke is or whatever, but you forget that Natsumi beat him easily."

Sakura's eyes widened and she blushed faintly, and the kids' eyes widened.

"H-Huh?!" Moegi turned to him.

"Natsumi neechan?" Konohamaru leaned in closer to Naruto, with his wide as he grinned. "Did she really beat that guy in a fight?!"

"Idiot!" Sakura flicked Naruto hard on the forehead and then crossed her arms. "Don't forget that she beat you, too!"

The kids' gasped collectively and Konohamaru looked at Naruto as he rubbed his forehead.

"Boss, is that true?!"

"W-Well..." Naruto chuckled and scratched his cheek. "She's my sister, so, I had to let her win..."

"Liar!" Sakura smacked the top of his head and knocked him back. "She took you out without even breaking a sweat!"

"Amazing..." Their eyes nearly sparkled and they looked between each other.

"Hey, how about we find Neechan and interview her once we're done here?" Konohamaru suggested.

"Maybe we can get her to demonstrate her techniques!"

Naruto made a face, slouching slightly as he sighed. "But I thought I was the main focus of your article..."

"W-Well..." Konohamaru scratched his head. "Hearing that Neechan beat both of you is just really impressive..."

"Sakura-senpai, how was that fight with Natsumi neechan? Was it really good?" Moegi looked at the girl.

"U-Uh..." Sakura swallowed and look away for a moment, then laughed awkwardly under her breath. "S-She was really strong. She took on the three of us all at once. I was really surprised."

"Really? Really? All three of you?" Konohamaru stared. "So cool!"

"Natsumi neechan is so awesome." Moegi cooed.

"Ahem." Naruto cleared his throat and then grumbled. "Can we get back on topic? There's still a lot I wanna talk about."

"Right." Konohamaru nodded, and turned his attention to Sakura. Naruto made a face as he was passed over and Sakura started again.

"Next is out teacher, Kakashi Hatake, also known as Copy Ninja Kakashi." Sakura straightened as she continued. "He uses the Sharingan in his eye to assess the enemy's technique as is said to have copied over a thousand different Jutsu. But... he's always late to meet people, and whenever he has any time, he always reads this questionable book called Make-Out Paradise and he always looks like he doesn't really care about things... And the biggest mystery of all is his face hidden under that mask! I wonder what he really looks like..." Sakura paused, looking upward and touching her chin in thought. "On top of that, why does he have the Sharingan in his left eye, when it's only passed on through the Uchiha clan bloodline? It's just one mystery after another when it comes to Kakashi-sensei, and there are so many things that I don't understand... I wonder if he'd tell me if I asked."

"Ah." Sakura scratched her head, then looked back at the kids. "Next, I guess are the Ninjutsu of the other Ninja besides us. There's such a diverse collection of Ninjutsu that I have no time to explain it all..."

"Mhm..." Moegi nodded as they took notes, and then the trio looked over at the Uchiha sitting alone.

"Please, Sasuke, whom I feel is most like my future self, you take care of this next part about Ninja Rivals." Udon sniffed and adjusted his glasses.

"Sure. After all, I have been the one to do something about it." Sasuke looked over at the group, then nodded after a moment of quiet and he moved over to sit by them. "I knew that from the beginning."

"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms, making a face as he looked over at his teammate. "Don't try so hard to look cool. Sasuke, the snob."

"Don't interfere." Sasuke shot him a cold glare. "Stay out of this, loser."

"Damn, you're so annoying." Naruto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he glared back. "Shut up! I hate the fact that you stand out so much."

"Hmph." Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily and smirked slightly. "That's because nobody strong is interested in someone that's weak."

"What the...?!" Naruto clenched his fists tighter.

"That sand guy... that Hyuga... even that Bushy-Browed weirdo in the green tights... none of them were interested in you at all."

"Nobody thinks of you really at the strong type, Boss." Konohamaru crossed his arms and looked at Naruto.

"H-Huh?" Naruto recrossed his arms and made a face. "That's not true at all! They're just blind!"

"Hmph." Sasuke chuckled quietly under his breath. "As always, Naruto, you're all bark and no bite."

"That's not true!"

"Sasuke's right!" Sakura pointed at Naruto. "You just talk the talk but you're unable to walk the walk."

"Damn, now Sakura's picking on me..." Naruto grumbled and looked away, furrowing his brows.

"The students who gathered for this Chunin Exam are all skilled." Sasuke continued. "All of them are the cream of the crop. Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi, Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame... Naruto, you won't be able to even get close to winning with the way you've been fighting. You must understand that, right?"

"Heh! Of course!" Naruto rubbed his nose, pointing it upward to snub him. "You'd better be careful, too. Don't let your guard down so you won't be defeated by some lame guy!"

"Hmph. Of course." Sasuke smirked.

"That's right..." Sakura smiled slightly and she looked between her teammates, and then turned back to the Academy students. "We passed the first stage of the Chunin Exam and are now about to start the second stage... no matter what adversity lies ahead; we won't be afraid! And we'll definitely pass the Exam and all become Chunin! Because we... we have the greatest teamwork that was formed by a strong bond!"

"Yeah! That's right!" Naruto grinned and held up his fists, pumping them into the air. "I'm raring to go!"

* * *

"Thank you so much for cooperating with the interview!"

Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon bowed their heads at Team Seven and Konohamaru held up a thumbs-up and looked up at Naruto.

"Boss, do your best!"

"Yeah! Just leave it to me!" Naruto held up a thumbs-up and grinned, and the kids turned and waved as they left.

"Good luck!"

"See you later!"


	80. Chapter 78: The Prince of the Leaf Pt 1

"Welcome!" Teuchi said as he cleaned up the cooking area, his back turned as he heard a pair of footsteps approaching. After a moment he turned around and he smiled broadly at the redhead.

"Natsumi! Good to see you again. It's been a while."

"Hi, pops!" Natsumi grinned and waved at him. "Sorry for not visiting more. I've had a lot of missions lately."

"Who's this?" The man raised an eyebrow and looked at the dark-haired boy with her. "A hungry new customer, I hope."

Natsumi laughed quietly and gestured to the boy.

"This is Hasu. He's visiting the Leaf, so I'm showing him around."

"Visiting, huh?" Teuchi nodded slightly. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." Hasu bowed his head slightly. "I've been told that you make the best ramen."

Teuchi laughed loudly and put his hands on his hips.

"Well, anyone with such good taste is always welcome at my shop!" He motioned for them to sit down. "What would you like?" He smiled at Natsumi. "The usual?"

Natsumi nodded quickly as she sat and touched her stomach.

"Yes, please! I missed breakfast this morning, and that's the best."

"The usual?" Hasu repeated and looked at her.

Natsumi nodded and looked at the boy.

"A large Miso ramen with all the best toppings." She grinned. "There are other great flavors of ramen here, too, but that's my favorite."

"I'll have that, then." Hasu smiled and rested his arms on the counter. "After all, you're the expert."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly and she looked away. "I-I'm not an expert... I just eat here a lot."

Teuchi looked between the two, chuckling to himself at Natsumi's blush and he turned to begin cooking. "So, you're visiting the Leaf, huh?" Teuchi asked the boy over his shoulder. "How do you like it so far?"

"I've found that it has some lovely views." Hasu smiled, glancing at Natsumi from the corner of his eye. "And there's much that I want to learn about it."

"Oh?" Teuchi chuckled again, glancing at Natsumi as she had gotten lost in thought with her chin resting in her hand, unaware of the conversation. He looked back at the young man, then back at the noodles as they cooked. "That's quite a goal. Could take a while, though; There's certainly a lot to learn in that regard."

"I'm patient." Hasu smiled and leaned against the counter to crane his head to watch the man cook.

"Dad, I'm back from my deliveries!" Ayame stepped inside and moved the cloth aside as she smiled and recognized the girl. "Oh, Natsumi!"

Natsumi blinked and sat upright, blinking and then quickly recognizing the teenager. "O-Oh. Hi, Ayame!"

"It's been a while since you last stopped by. Have you been busy?" Ayame moved behind the counter, setting down the travel carrier and then washed her hands before helping her father.

"Very." Natsumi nodded, relaxing slightly as she leaned against the counter again. "This is my first break in a while, though. Lord Third's given me some time off so that I can watch Naruto in the Chunin Exams."

"Oh, really?" Teuchi asked as he got the bowls ready. "So, Naruto's taking the Chunin Exam already? It hasn't been very long since you graduated."

"You didn't hear?" Ayame looked over at her father. "Naruto and eight other recently graduated Ninja are taking the Chunin Exams this year. People are calling them the Rookie Nine."

"Is that so?" The man looked over at his daughter, then shook his head after a moment. "I suppose I'm the last one to find out."

"Oh, but, Natsumi, aren't you taking the Exam, too?" Ayame poured the soup into the bowls and started to arrange the toppings. "I'm sure you're more than ready, if Naruto is."

Natsumi shook her head. "I'm not taking them this time."

"Eh?" Ayame raised an eyebrow and put her hand on her hip once she was finished. "Why not?"

"That's surprising, considering how you two have always been joined at the hip." Teuchi commented and set her bowl in front of her.

"Yeah..." Natsumi lowered her eyes slightly. "That's... kind of why I felt that it was best for me to sit this one out. I rely on him too much, and if I was there, his teamwork with his squad-mates would be thrown off because he'd prioritizing helping me." She smiled and met his eyes. "I guess I just realized that I was trying to hold onto him too tightly, and now I understand that I have to have more faith in him and his teammates."

"Wow, you've matured so much, Natsumi. I'm so proud. It must be hard to have to sit back while Naruto undergoes such difficult trials." Ayame smiled at her as her father set the bowl in front of the boy.

"It's not easy, that's for sure." Natsumi sighed and then smiled faintly as she shrugged. "But I'll just have to get through this."

"He's lucky to have such a good sister watching over him." Ayame smiled. "Sometimes I wish that I had a sister." She paused and looked over at Hasu, then blinked and held her cheeks and squealed quietly. "Natsumi! You didn't tell me you had a _boyfriend!"_

Natsumi blushed deeply and jumped and quickly waved her hands.

"I-It's not like that! H-Hasu is just visiting, a-and he's a friend!"

Hasu blushed faintly and nodded, and he met Natsumi's eyes, then averted his eyes.

"O-Oh?" Ayame looked between them, and her father chuckled. "I see." She smiled and looked at Hasu. "Visiting, huh? Are you here to watch the Chunin Exams? Everyone's buzzing about the one-on-one matches of the third stage, even though the second hasn't even started yet."

"Something like that." Hasu scratched his head. "If they are such an anticipated event, then I suppose that I can't miss it."

"But first they've all got to survive the Forest of Death." Natsumi let out a deep sigh, then sat straighter and grabbed a pair of chopsticks and placed her palms together. "Thanks for the food!"

She snapped the chopsticks apart and started to eat, slurping noodles happily and swallowing them. She let out a happy breath. "So good..."

Hasu broke apart his own chopsticks, then sniffed the steam above the bowl and smiled slightly. "It smells good." He tried the noodles and his eyes widened slightly as he slurped them. "It's amazing!"

"Right?" Natsumi grinned and looked at him. He nodded and dug in, quickly slurping down another bite of noodles and she laughed. "It's as I said; this place is the best to go in all the Leaf if you're hungry." Natsumi smiled at herself and then stuck a thick piece of pork into her mouth to chew contentedly.

The phone rang and Teuchi moved to answer it and Ayame looked at Natsumi.

"So, how do you think Naruto and his team will do? I've heard that a large number passed the first phase. There must be some really impressive candidates this year."

Natsumi slurped a noodle and then sighed, wiping her face. "I don't know. I know he's been in tough spots before and has really proved himself, but this time seems serious." Natsumi met the older girl's eyes. "When I was around the foreign Ninja, I felt this horrible aura from them. I can just tell that some of them wouldn't hesitate to kill their competition on a whim." She looked downward. "And, that worries me."

"Why?" Hasu's expression softened and he looked at her. "Isn't your brother strong?"

Natsumi nodded. "But... he's not the type to take a life. He'd fight to defend himself and his teammates, but I don't think he really would be able to handle going against someone with a serious bloodlust. Even the most powerful enemies he'd faced so far, he was able to empathize with them, and he was lucky that they shared some of the same feelings."

"Oh." Hasu paused. "What you mean is that you do not believe that your brother could effectively eliminate a true threat."

She nodded. "He's got a good heart... he's pure. He'd rather befriend an enemy or rival instead of fighting them. I'm worried that if he encounters one of those bloodthirsty Ninja, that he'll... freeze."

"Well, that could happen, I suppose." Ayame sighed softly. "I saw a few of the candidates this past week while I was making deliveries. Some of their eyes were so cold that I felt chilled."

"With his teammates, though, will he not be alright?"

"Those two? No." Natsumi shook her head. "First off, I beat the three of them single-handedly in a match just a few days ago. Sakura may have brains, but she has zero practical skills. She's weak, and easily prone to becoming emotional. I'm honestly not even sure _why_ she was recommended for the Chunin Exams in the first place." She sighed again. "And then there's Sasuke... He's definitely skilled, and smart, too... but he's also got the major flaw of being aloof and distant to his own teammates. Oh, and there's his enormous pride and ego to consider..."

Her eyes furrowed and she clenched her fists as she mumbled. "If only I had been placed on his team... I feel like he's going to really get hurt..."

"Damn it!" Natsumi groaned loudly and slammed her hand on the counter.

Hasu's eyes widened and Teuchi raised a brow at her. She blushed again and covered her mouth, then slouched in her seat slightly.

"S-Sorry, pops." She lowered her eyes, then looked at Hasu briefly. "Sorry. I'm not really being a good host or anything right now. I lost my temper just now, and..."

"You don't have to apologize." Hasu smiled. "You're only concerned about your brother; it's understandable that you are worried. I don't hold you at fault for that."

Natsumi let out another sigh and lowered her head slightly. "...Thanks."

Teuchi hung up the order and crossed his arms as he looked at her. "I know you're worried about him, but you should believe more in his team..."

"I know..." Natsumi bit her lip. "I just hate to feel helpless. I'm his sister, after all..."

"You know what would make him happy?" Ayame looked at the girl. "You both should come here once he's cleared the second stage to celebrate." She held up a finger and winked. "Dad's planning on giving a discount to those who pass the second stage."

Natsumi laughed and then nodded. "Well, we can never refuse a good discount. I guess I can suppress my anxiety for a few days."

"Atta girl." Ayame smiled and crossed her arms. "Moping doesn't really suit a face like yours, anyway."

"A face like mine?" Natsumi repeated.

"Uh huh." Ayame nodded. "You're so cute, after all! A smile suits you much better." She looked at Hasu and held up her hand to her mouth. "Right?"

"I can't disagree with that." Hasu smiled faintly at Natsumi, who blushed and looked down at her ramen and quickly took a bite.

"...You guys are ridiculous."

Ayame laughed to herself, then Hasu continued to eat. After a while, he glanced back at Natsumi, his lips twitching in a faint smirk.

"W-What?" She noticed his gaze and blinked.

"You became agitated earlier when I complimented Sakura."

"I-It's not like I was jealous!" Natsumi blushed and turned her face away, then puffed her cheeks slightly as she muttered. "...I just don't think you needed to use flattery on someone like that, is all. She looks down on my brother constantly and bullies him, so..."

Hasu laughed and then turned back to his meal, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. "Is that so?"

"It is so!" Natsumi turned her face away again and grumbled as she chewed. "I mean... she's not even that pretty..."

"Ah, there was also something that I was curious about."

Natsumi's face continued to burn red and she glanced at him. "A-About what?"

"When we were visiting your brother, I noticed there was someone watching you very intently."

_That Grass Village guy?_

"I noticed him." Natsumi furrowed her brows slightly. "The creepy straw hat guy's whole demeanor screamed 'I'm a psychopath.'"

"Hm?" Hasu blinked. "I don't know who you mean."

"Huh?" Natsumi looked at him. "Then, who were you talking about?"

"I'm not familiar with the village symbols, but he was wearing what seemed to be a traditional Bunraku Puppeteer's costume." Hasu looked up for a moment as he remembered. "He had interesting purple face paint, too. He wouldn't take his eyes off of you, and I thought it was odd, since he appeared to be a foreigner."

Natsumi blushed deeper and Hasu blinked and turned back to her.

"Do you know why he might have seemed so interested in you?"

"N-No!" Natsumi scratched her head and laughed awkwardly. "N-No idea at all..." She quickly took a bite.

_I didn't even notice him at all, since I was so busy trying to be wary of threats._

"A foreign boy staring at our Natsumi?" Ayame thought for a moment, then smirked faintly and looked at the girl. "It seems you're so cute that you're drawing a lot of attention."

"W-What?!" Natsumi shook her head, then stuffed her mouth full again.

_This is so embarrassing! I can't let any of them guess how I know that guy!_

"Wait..." Ayame paused. "Didn't you have a mission to the Hidden Sand a few weeks ago?"

_Crap._

"Ha. Ha ha ha ha." Natsumi continued to awkwardly laugh. "M-Maybe he just saw me around the village then? Who can say?"

Natsumi finished quickly and tipped the bowl up to drink the broth, then set the bowl down again with an exhale.

Teuchi carefully packed the meals inside of the delivery containers and passed them to his daughter and she sighed.

"Already?" Ayame sighed slightly but smiled. "It's still early and I'm already being sent off every which way." She shrugged slightly and smiled. "Well, I guess it's better than not having any orders at all. We're getting a boom in business with all of the visitors for the Exams."

"I'm sure." Natsumi nodded slightly and watched as Ayame prepared to leave again. "Thanks for all your hard work. Without Ichiraku, the Leaf just wouldn't feel like home."

"Aww!" Ayame cooed and smiled at Natsumi, leaning in close. "You're so sweet! Can I keep you as my sister?"

"Naruto might demand free ramen for every meal if that happened." Natsumi smiled slightly and laughed. "That wouldn't be very good for your profits at all."

"That's very true." Ayame laughed, nodding as she stepped out from behind the counter. "I've never seen someone eat as much as him before in one sitting."

"But he's welcome any time, of course." Teuchi chuckled.

Hasu let out a content sigh and set his newly emptied bowl down. "I wish I had a bigger stomach. That was good." He smiled at Natsumi. "Thank you for suggesting this."

"You're welcome." She stood and stretched, then took out her cat-shaped pouch and handed two coupons to the man, and then took out some bills and held them out. "Here. For Naruto's tab."

"Oh?" Teuchi took the money as well with a nod. "This will make him happy for sure."

Natsumi smiled and waved at him. "Bye, pops! See you later."

"Maybe... tomorrow?" Hasu smiled wryly and loved over at her as they started to walk away.

"Tomorrow?" Natsumi looked up for a moment as if thinking before looking back at him. "Alright, you've convinced me." She giggled and put her hands into her pockets, leading him away.

After a while, Hasu looked at her. "Do you pay for your brother often?"

Natsumi shook her head. "No, but I knew he'd be upset that I came here without him, not to mention, he's risking his life in the Exams, so paying for his next meal and paying off his debt seems like a fair trade."

"You and your brother are very close, then." Hasu smiled faintly as they walked and he looked around at the people as they passed. "Do you always do things together?"

"We used to." Natsumi bit her lip softly as she paused. "Once I got serious about my training though, we spent less and less time together. I didn't mean for it to happen, but before I knew it, it was as if we were leading separate lives..." She bit her lip harder and glanced downward. "I don't know what I could do to fix it. Now that we _are_ having to live separate lives because of our roles as Shinobi, I feel like I kind of blew it."

"Forgive me if this isn't what you'd like to hear... but, is it not alright for you to lead separate lives?" Hasu met her eyes and she slowed her pace. "I can sympathize for wanting to close the gap between siblings and strengthen your bond, however... you are your own person, separate from your brother. It's only natural to have your own desires and hobbies. You shouldn't feel guilty for being independent."

Natsumi crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks slightly as she looked away. "I-I guess... But I'm not really sure how to do that because we've always been together."

"I'm sure that your brother understands. He enjoys being a Shinobi, doesn't he?"

Natsumi nodded. "It's his dream to become Hokage someday and gain the village's respect."

"Should I be rooting for him, then?" Hasu smiled and looked toward the faces of the monument. "Do you think he will achieve that dream?"

"I'll make it happen." Natsumi followed his eyes to look at the monument. "That's my dream; to see his face up there."

"What about your own dream?" Hasu glanced at her, and she turned back to him.

"That _is_ my dream. My dream is to support Naruto and see him become Hokage."

"Forgive me again, but that isn't your own dream. It's just the desire to unconditionally support your brother."

"T-That can't be a dream?"

"Well..." Hasu scratched his cheek, then shrugged slightly. "I do not think so, but others may disagree with me, of course." He paused. "Still, you should also have your own dream as well. You don't have to forego having your own ambitions in order to support his."

"My own ambition?" Natsumi murmured and looked away as she thought. "I can't think of anything."

"You don't have to feel pressured to think of one now." Hasu looked at her and smiled, his eyes crinkling shut. "After all, I currently do not have an ambition, either."

Natsumi let out a sigh and then mussed her hair. "It's too hard to think of anything I want to do. My motivation to become strong was just so that I could look out for Naruto. There wasn't any other reason."

"My mother would tell me that the natural ambitions of an individual followed their natural talents."

"Natural talents?" Natsumi mumbled and then look away.

_Jiro said something like that, too. "If you don't enjoy what you're best at, you'll lead a miserable life."_

She bit her lip, furrowing her brows at the thought.

_What am I best at? What is my ambition?_

Hasu placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her walking. She blinked and her eyes refocused, and he smiled faintly and pointed toward the building in front of him. "It seems we've arrived now."

"R-Right." She nodded, her cheeks warming and she walked up the stairs toward the entrance. "This is the Library."

Hasu's eyes widened as they stepped inside and he grinned as he walked further inside, turning slowly in a circle as he looked around. "It's incredible! It's even more grand than the library at the castle."

"Where do you want to start?" Natsumi walked up to stand beside him and met his eyes.

"Hm..." He crossed his arms and touched his chin in thought. "That's difficult to answer..." His eyes lit up and he turned to her. "Could we start at the very beginning of the Hidden Leaf's history?"

"The beginning?" Natsumi laughed under her breath and she rubbed her head. "That's a lot of history to cover. Wouldn't you rather narrow down the timeline?"

He shook his head. "On the contrary, I find it highly enjoyable to immerse myself in seemingly tedious exposition or historical records."

"If that's what you want." Natsumi smiled and pointed to a grouping of shelves. "I think you'll enjoy it over here."

She led him over to the first shelf and scanned the shelf, pulling out an enormous tome and holding it out to him.

"Here. _The Complete History of the Land of Fire and the Founding of the Five Great Ninja Villages."_ Natsumi held in a laugh as he took the book from her, wide-eyed. "Part one of five."

Hasu grinned and held the books in his arms. "This is great!" He looked around, quickly finding an open seat at a table, and sat down. He grinned as he turned to the first page and began to silently read and Natsumi stood nearby, looking around for a moment.

_Since he's planning on being here a while, I should find something to read, too._

She puffed her cheeks slightly and crossed her arms.

_Although the book that I really want to finally finish is at home, and all the scrolls of Jutsu that I want to study are at my secret place._

She sighed and then eyed the shelves around her.

_So, I guess... I find something here that interests me._

Keeping Hasu in her line of sight, she strolled over to a different section and started to browse the shelves.

_Let's see... what do I want to read?_

Her eyes scanned the rows and she brushed her fingertips along the spines as she went. After a while, she stopped and lowered her hand.

_Of course. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner._

Hasu looked up from his book to see Natsumi looked around, then walked over to the librarian. Natsumi asked her a question, and the woman responded by blinking and making a strange face. He laughed under his breath as Natsumi flushed faintly and stammered. After a moment, the woman pointed toward a shelf and Natsumi nodded her head, quickly shuffling away, and looked over the books.

Hasu's eyes returned to the page and, a few minutes later, Natsumi sat across from him with his own book, opening it up and coughing quietly at the dust that poofed into her face.

"Stupid dust." She murmured, and Hasu smiled faintly and his eyes rose over his book at her.

"Was there an issue with the librarian?"

"W-What?" Natsumi blushed slightly and shook her head, then averted her eyes. "N-No... it's just... my question surprised her a little."

"Surprised her?" He repeated, and his eyes rested on the cover of the book, widening. "You were looking for a book regarding ancient cults?"

Natsumi blushed deeper and waved her hands. "I-It's not what you think! I just..." She swallowed and averted her eyes. "I met someone once who was part of a cult and I just want to... try to understand them a little better." She looked back at him and waved her hand again. "I-It's not like I want to try to join or anything! I just thought it might help me to explain their... behavior."

"It sounds interesting." Hasu lowered his book to peer over to hers as she opened it. "Though, are you certain that a book of _ancient_ cults is the best place to look, if it's regarding someone you've met recently?"

Natsumi shook her head, scratching her cheek. "W-Well... the thing is... the cult's been extinct since before the Village was formed."

His eyes widened. "Then... the person you met...?"

"She's... well... you could say that she's immortal." Natsumi mumbled.

"Imm—" He blinked and lowered his voice. "_Immortal?"_

She nodded. "It's not a completely accurate description, but it's good enough."

"I suppose that means your choice of reading material_ is_ appropriate."

She nodded again, looking over the table of contents. "The only problem is, that cult was extremely secluded, and they've been gone for so long... I'm not sure if I'll find anything about it."

"How interesting." His lips twitched in a smirk. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance. I do enjoy research."

She bit her lip and met his eyes.

_It wouldn't really be a good idea to let him get mixed up in this... but, since he isn't a Ninja... would it be safe for him to just read about it?_

Natsumi leaned back her seat after a moment with a nod. "Okay. If you want to help, I'd be grateful."

_If I can keep Oto from finding out about our research, and especially to keep him away from her, then I won't have to worry about having her try to possibly corrupt him or manipulate me._

"Excellent." He moved to sit in the chair beside her and looked over the glossary. "Now... what is the name of their group?"

Natsumi froze, then blinked repeatedly. "Uh... their name?"

_Crap! I don't even know what they're called!_

Hasu laughed and touched her hand. "So, we'll be starting at the very beginning of the research, then?"

Natsumi sighed and nodded, glancing away briefly.

_I'm such an idiot! How did I seriously think that I could just look them up without even knowing what they're called?!_

"A-Ah!" Natsumi blinked. "I do have a few ideas of what might be close."

"Let's hear them, then."

Natsumi nodded. "I'm not sure if they'll be right, but... we should try for things like Snake Worshipers, Ryūchi, White Mother, or Hebihime."

"Hmm..." He furrowed his brows for a moment as he rubbed his chin. "Those seem vaguely familiar for some reason... though I can't recall why."

"Familiar?" Natsumi watched him for a moment as he thought.

"Yes. It's strange, though. I do not know why I would recognize references to a cult." He blinked and rubbed his head. "Perhaps I read about it in a book long ago? I can't be sure."

Hasu paused and skimmed the pages of names. "Could you tell me more about them? Perhaps that could allow us to narrow our search."

"Well, it's a matriarchal society of misandrists who worship snakes and perform human sacrifices..." Natsumi muttered, keeping her voice quiet so that it did not carry.

"They... what?" Hasu made a face. "Human sacrifices?"

"Usually to attain power." She nodded. "And they think being eaten by a snake is 'becoming one' with it, and they think it's an honor." She shuddered. "And they have no problems sending young children to do deadly trials, and then they don't even mourn them if they die because they were 'weak.'"

Hasu stayed quiet for a moment, keeping his eyes on her. "And... how is it that you know that person?"

_Crap. Questions._

"U-Um..." Natsumi averted her eyes and scratched her cheek. "I... might have been tricked by her into taking some of those trials... twice."

"Twice?" He raised an eyebrow. "I now understand why you are researching this. You want to understand their culture and thinking so as not to be used by that person again?"

Natsumi let out a sigh and nodded shortly. "Yes." She rested her elbow on her table and her chin into her hand. "I'm sure that she wants to try to groom and manipulate me into joining her cult, and I'd just like to avoid her as much as possible."

"Forgive me for prying, but how did you meet such a person anyway?"

Natsumi looked away and her expression fell slightly. "Almost three years ago, I decided that I wanted to take my training seriously and become a strong Kunoichi. _She_ found _me. _She told me what I wanted to hear and said that she could make me strong. But she said that I had to prove my devotion to my goal before she would oversee my training."

"And that is when you were made to take that trial?"

Natsumi nodded. "And, well... she did make me strong. I really looked up to her, despite how dangerous the tests were. She ended up crossing a line and left me to die, so my feelings about her have changed."

"I see." He nodded after a moment. "You feel conflicted because she ultimately fulfilled her end of the agreement but you are upset- and rightly so- about the methods used?"

"Exactly." She sighed heavily and laid her head onto her arms. "I don't appreciate being manipulated." She muttered. "But now I have some new abilities that I don't know how to control well..."

Hasu smiled slightly. "You're trying to learn how to use your power on your own instead of having to turn to her?"

_He's too smart for his own good._

"Has anyone ever told you that your ability to read people is extraordinary?"

He blinked and laughed softly, his cheeks warming. "Not until this point... I attribute it to all that time that I spent reading. It isn't difficult for me to determine what might have happened since I have read many plots." He cleared his throat and turned his eyes back to the book to hide the pink tint spreading through his face. "Let's see if we can find anything... shall we?"

They leafed through the pages, skimming the first few paragraphs of each section before moving on to the next. After a long time, Natsumi sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair and clutched at her head, ruffling her head.

"Ugh. We're not finding anything!"

"Shh." Hasu sat up straighter and smiled faintly at her. "It will just require more patience. We haven't been at this very long."

Natsumi glanced over to the large clock on the wall, then groaned and lay her head on her arms on the table. "We've been looking for almost an _hour_ now."

"Oh, really?" Hasu looked to the clock, then laughed. "Time seems to fly when reading."

"I can't believe we haven't found anything yet." Natsumi mumbled into her arms, the syllables muffled. "My eyes are going cross-eyed from all those tiny words."

"Rest your eyes for a moment, then." Hasu touched her head gently and Natsumi responded with a tired, muffled grunt. "I'll keep looking and alert you if I find anything interesting."

Natsumi grunted again and closed her eyes, and Hasu watched her for a moment and focused on the book again. He continued to leaf through and stopped. He reached over and gently touched Natsumi's shoulder to shake her.

"Hm?" Natsumi mumbled. "Wassit?"

"Did you fall asleep?" He leaned closer to look at her, and she blushed and blinked, shaking her head as she sat up.

"W-What? N-No! O-Of course I didn't fall asleep, ya know!" She looked away and blushed deeper, covering her mouth as she pressed her lips together. "I-I mean..."

"I may be only just realizing this, but do you... have a verbal tic?" The corners of his mouth twitched in a smile.

"N-no!" She covered her mouth again, her face growing hotter. "I-I mean... I've worked hard for the last few years to stop doing it, but... it slips out sometimes..."

"Stop it?" Hasu smiled. "Why? I find it cute."

Her ears burned and she turned in her seat with her back to him. "I-It's not... everyone used to tease me for it, the same way they made fun of me for my hair."

"For your hair as well?" He frowned slightly. "Your hair is as lovely as a sunset, though. I've never seen such a vibrant color before."

"I used to hate my hair, but then I started to like it." Natsumi turned slightly back around. "Since it's not something that I can change anyway, I figured that embracing it was the better choice."

"I agree." He reached out to move a piece of her hair behind her ear. "The color red is associated with strength, passion, self-sacrifice, and even happiness and good luck. It's the only color that suits you."

She blushed and looked away. "A-Anyway... did you find anything that you wanted to show me?"

"Ah." Hasu blinked and nodded, moving the book closer to her as he pointed to the title of the section.

"The Children of the Divine Bite." Her eyes widened as she read it aloud. "Is this it?"

"I believe so, though I did not read any further yet. I wanted to wake you first."

_Is this really it? I hope I find what I'm looking for..._

* * *

**_~~~There definitely will be more interaction with a certain face-painted puppeteer in the future :3 _**

**_Thanks to everyone commenting and supporting this story. It really means a lot. I hope you all are doing well. 3_**

**_While I work on the next chapter, you're more than welcome to check out my DeviantArt for some art of my OC's. I'm not that great of an artist, and I've never taken art classes, so please be forgiving when or if you do look at my works._**

_** syrens-kiss/gallery/71880401/mbaj**_


	81. Chapter 79: The Forest of Death

The Genin reassembled in front of the Forest of Death and watched as a bird landed on a massive branch of a large tree just beyond the fence. It chirped and flapped its wings, then was suddenly eaten by an enormous snake in a single bite before it eyed the Genin and slithered away.

Sakura gulped and shuddered, moving close to Sasuke as Naruto squinted as was frozen in place for a moment.

"T-This place is just too creepy..." Sakura mumbled.

Anko chuckled and smirked slightly as she looked at the Genin's nervous expressions.

"This place is called the Forest of Death, and you'll soon understand why for yourselves."

Naruto crossed his arms and made a face, exhaling hotly. Then, he put his hands on his hips mockingly, shaking his butt. "'Blah blah blah, Forest of Death, you'll understand why.'" Naruto laughed loudly and recrossed his arms. "That kind of threat won't work on me one bit!" He pointed at her. "So, ha! I'm not scared!"

"Oh?" Anko smirked and tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes as she smiled too sweetly. "You've got a lot of energy."

Her smirk grew and she flicked her wrist and a Kunai knife slipped from her sleeve and into her hand, then she quickly threw it at him. It cut his cheek and buried itself into the ground behind the Grass Genin. Anko flickered behind Naruto before he could blink

"A kid like you dies in the very beginning." Anko whispered darkly and chuckled as his eyes widened and he stood rooted in place, almost trembling. "Dripping with the red blood that I like so much..."

Naruto turned slightly to look at her from the corner of his eyes, unable to make a sound or move. Anko chuckled again, holding his face as she leaned in close to him and licking some of the blood from his cheek.

She scowled and narrowed her eyes, flicking her other wrist to draw out another Kunai and turning to see a Grass Genin behind her. His tongue extended unnaturally beyond his mouth, holding a Kunai out to Anko.

"I'm returning... your Kunai Knife..."

"A-Ah... thanks for taking the trouble..."

Shiore's expression darkened as he looked at Naruto's blood and Naruto shuddered slightly as a chill ran down his spine. Anko met his eyes with an equally intimidating stare.

"But... don't even dare stand behind me when you're so thirsty for blood. Unless you want a quick death..."

Anko took the Kunai from his and his tongue retracted back into his mouth as he smirked.

"Well, it's my nature to act up at the sight of blood of such a lovely red color." His smirk grew as he tone lowered. "And, a bit of my precious hair was cut, so I got excited..."

"Naruto..." Hinata looked at Naruto and frowned slightly, her brow creasing with worry.

"Sorry." Shiore turned to walked back to his teammates.

_"W-What's with that proctor?" _Sakura watched Anko and gulped. _"Frankly, she's psycho!" _Sakura stepped out of the way as the Grass Genin passed and narrowed her eyes slightly. _"This one. too..."_

Naruto put a hand on his cheek to cover the cut and watched as Shiore walked away, letting out a soft sigh of relief. _"That guy... why was his tongue so long? That was gross."_

"Evidently, we've got a lot of hot-headed kids this time around." Anko put her Kunai away, then put her hands on her hips and smirked as she looked around. "This will be fun."

Naruto made a face and squinted his eyes as he looked up at the proctor. _"You're the most hot-blooded, ya know!"_

"Well, before we start the second phase, I have to pass this out to you!" Anko walked to the front of the group to stand in front of the gates. She took out a stack of papers from inside her jacket for them to see. "This is a consent form. Before you can take part in this test, you have to sign it."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Why?"

Anko smirked and then laughed quietly. "From here on out, corpses are going to come out, and I have to get your consent for that. Or it'll be my responsibility."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly; his expression shared amongst most of the Genin there. Anko paused to look at them, then she continued.

"Well, I'm going to start the explanation for the second phase now. In short, the limits of your survival will be challenged."

She held out the stack of papers to Naruto, who hesitantly stepped forward to take them. He took one paper for himself and then passed the pile to Misumi.

_"Survival, huh? This test will be a total pain."_ Shikamaru looked at the form in his hands and sighed as he passed the pile to Ino next.

"First, I'll give you step-by-step instruction on the terrain of this training field." Anko held up a scroll with a map on it. "Training field Number Forty-Four is surrounded by forty-four locked entrance gates, and there are rivers and a forest, with a tower in the center. It's about ten kilometers from the tower to the gate..." She paused and thumbed behind her at the forest. "In this confined area, you will go through a certain survival program. The contents of which are..." She rolled up the scroll and returned it to the pocket inside of her jacket before meeting their eyes with a smirk. "...An anything-goes scroll battle!"

"Scroll battle...?" Kabuto put a hand on his hip and asked, eying the pair of scrolls in her hand.

"Yes." Anko held out the two scrolls for the group to see. "I want you to fight for two scrolls, the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll. Altogether, twenty-six teams got through the first phase. Half of those... thirteen teams get the Heaven scroll, and the other half gets the Earth scroll. I'll hand over one scroll to each team. To put it simply, that's what you're vying for."

"And the conditions to pass?" Sasuke asked, his hands in his pockets as he took a step forward.

"All three members of a team must bring both the Heaven and Earth scrolls to the tower in the center." Anko answered and put her hand on her hip.

"That means that of the thirteen teams, half of them will definitely fail..." Sakura thought out loud.

"Except that there's a time frame to keep in mind." Anko looked at Sakura and put the scrolls back into her jacket. "For the second phase, the time limit is 120 hours. You have exactly five days."

"Five days?!' Ino stepped closer and her eyes widened.

"W-What do we do about food?!" Choji held up his hands and paled slightly.

"Be self-sufficient!" Anko turned him. "It's a treasure trove in the wilderness. There's more than enough for food..."

"However..." Kabuto looked over his shoulder at them. "It's also teeming with fierce man-eating creatures, poisonous bugs, poisonous plants, and much more."

"N-No way..." Choji let out a heavy sighed and hung his head.

"Fool!" Ino crossed her arms. "That's why it's called survival!"

"Besides," Neji added. "It's improbably that thirty-nine people— thirteen teams— will pass."

"The interval for activity gets longer with each passing day..." Lee looked over at him with a smirk as he furrowed his brows. "While the time for recovery gets shorter. Seems pretty grueling!"

"On top of that, you're surrounded by nothing but enemies, so even falling asleep will be a problem..." Sasuke frowned slightly.

"Besides those injured during attempts to capture scrolls... there will definitely be people who are unable to endure the rigors of the course."

Shikamaru raised his hand. "Um... so, you can quit in the middle of it?"

"According to the rules, you are not able to give up in the middle of it! I want you to spend five days in the forest, pass or fail."

"Just as I thought..." Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head slightly as he crossed his arms. "This is going to be such a drag."

"Moving on; conditions of disqualification." Anko put her hands on her hips. "Number one. If all three of the team are unable to make it to the tower. With both the Heaven and Earth scrolls within the time limit." She held up two fingers. "Number two, if a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated. There's that, and this is a supplement. You absolutely may not look at the contents of the scrolls until you have reached the tower!"

Naruto blinked. "What happens if we look at it halfway through?"

Anko smiled too sweetly and then smirked with a dark expression. "When you look at it, you'll find out."

"Huh?" Naruto crossed his arms and scratched his cheek. "I don't get it..."

"There are times when a Chunin must deal with super-confidential documents. This is to test your reliability. That's all for the explanation." Anko announced and pointed over to a table where three Chunin sat. "I'll now exchange your three consent forms for the scrolls in that hut over there."

"After that, pick your entrance and all the gates will open at simultaneously when it's time." Anko sighed and looked through the crowd of Genin. "Finally, just a word of advice... Don't die!"

* * *

Sasuke sat with his back against a large rock by himself as he looked over the consent form. He turned to look at the Chunin as they drew a thick curtain across to block the view of the desk.

_"I see... so you won't know which scroll was given to which team... and you won't know which of the three people is carrying the scroll."_ He glanced back down at the form, reading it carefully. _"If what Ibiki said was right, there will be life or death struggles for information in this test." _He glanced around to look at the other teams as they each reviewed their own forms. _"Everyone is an enemy! The resolve of everyone here is strong. That means that it might come to killing each other."_

Anko's eyes rested on Sasuke and she smirked slightly, chuckling quietly under her breath as she watched him furrow his brows and look over the other Genin. _"It looks like at least a few of them are starting to understand the meaning of the consent form just a little bit..."_

Sasuke walked slowly as she read the paper line-by-line with her brow creased in worry. Ino walked toward her, smirking as she drew closer.

"Hey, look who's here! It's Billboard Brow." Ino put her hand on her hip. "I thought you'd gone home long ago. I never thought you'd still be here."

"Oh? Look who's here, the ugly Ino-Pig." Sakura returned her smirk and put her own hand on her hip. "Starting now, it's five days of the survival test with Sasuke. There's no reason to go home."

Ino gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes, then walked closer to Sakura as she glared. Sakura did the same and they growled slightly at each other as they locked eyes.

"Ugly wench!"

"Billboard brow!"

"Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!"

"Billboard! Billboard! Billboard!"

Shikamaru and Choji watched the girls yelling at each other, rooted in place as the color drained slowly from their faces at the intensity of the bickering. Finally, Ino clenched her fists and stomped her foot.

"Sakura! This is impossible for you! For your own sake, just hurry up and go home!"

"I could say the exact same thing to you!" Sakura balled her hands into fists and glared at the blonde. Then, they both scoffed and turned their noses up before turning to walk away from each other haughtily.

"H-Hey... why are those two on such bad terms?" Choji blinked and turned to Shikamaru, whispering.

"D-Do you think I care about something dumb like that?" Shikamaru crossed his arms and furrowed his brows.

* * *

"Man... all there is to do is write my name." Naruto furrowed his brows and walked slowly as he read the consent form. "Why does it take this much time?"

He looked up and saw Hinata leaning against a tree and she looked over her own form. He raised his hand and waved at her to get her attention.

"Hey! Hinata! What are you doing over there?"

Hinata jumped slightly at his voice and blushed as she looked at him. "N-Naruto... um... uh... well..."

Naruto squinted his eyes and watched as she averted her eyes and looked away. _"Just like I thought... this girl is strange."_

Hinata looked back at him and her eyes widened slightly as she saw his cheek. "A scratch..." She dug in her pouch and took out a small jar and held it out. "U-Um! T-This is—"

"Well, see you!" Naruto had waved again and started to walk off as she offered the ointment to him.

Hinata blinked and watched him leave, her expression falling as she sighed softly. "Naruto..."

* * *

"It's about time for the scroll exchange." One of the Chunin men pulled back the curtain slightly to look at Anko, then to the Genin, before drawing the curtain again and returning to his seat.

The Genin started to gather around the hut and the teams slowly went in one-by-one as Anko looked on.

_"Hmph. I wonder how many will survive..."_

Naruto handed over their signed forms with the grin and the Chunin took them with a nod and looked them over. After he set the forms aside, he passed Naruto a scroll. Anko kept an eye on her wristwatch as each team retrieved their scrolls.

"Alright! Teams who have taken the scroll, stay with your representative and move to your gate! We'll all start simultaneously in thirty minutes!"

* * *

Team Kurenai stood in front of Gate Sixteen, with Hinata fidgeting anxiously as they waited.

"Yeah!" Kiba pumped a fist into the air and cheered. "Survival is our specialty!" He looked over at Hinata. "Hinata, don't show your weaknesses."

"Y-Yeah, okay..." Hinata nodded and looked up at him briefly, then back down on the ground.

* * *

"Life or death..." Shikamaru sighed and looked at the sign for Gate Twenty-Seven, crossing his arms. "It's a pain but we just have to do this. Since it's come to this, Naruto will be our target."

Choji rifled through his pouch, nearly drooling as his stomach growled. "Let's see... for snacks, there's potato chips... oh, and some shortcake, too!"

"I can't believe you two." Ino shook her head and put her hand on her hip.

* * *

Team Seven followed the Genin to Gate Twelve and Naruto clenched his fists and grinned as he pretended to throw quick jabs into the air in front of him.

"Okaaay! I won't lose! I'll bring down whoever comes near me!"

Sakura nodded in agreement and furrowed her brows. _"Cha! I won't lose to that Ino-Pig!"_

"Hmph." Sasuke smirked slightly and crossed his arms.

* * *

"Heh..." Zaku chuckled and looked over at the other Sound Genin, furrowing his brows. "Finally, the opportunity is here... to fulfill our mission in earnest..."

* * *

Kabuto looked between his teammates and nodded to one another before he crossed his arms and kept his eyes focused on the gate ahead.

* * *

_"Sure, the enemy teams are scary, but..." _Kankuro watched Gaara from the corner of his eye, while Temari watched him with a worried expression. _"I'm way more scared of spending five days alone with this guy."_

* * *

"Target the Leaf Rookies first." The Grass Genin grinned darkly and narrowed his eyes.

"They said that from now on, it's okay to kill." Shiore licked his lips. "That makes it easier."

* * *

_"Guy-sensei, I'll do my best! I'll definitely succeed!" _Lee clenched his fist in anticipation and Neji and Tenten smirked.

* * *

The Chunin kept time on their watches and unlocked the gates, watching the time once again. As the second hand reached the twelve to mark exactly two-thirty, Anko looked up and furrowed her brows.

"We are now starting the second phase of the Chunin Exam!"

The gates burst open and each of the teams hurried inside in blurs.

"Look for the brats!" Shiore looked over at his teammate."

"You mean, _those_ three, right?"

* * *

"All right!" Naruto stepped inside the gate, followed by Sakura and Sasuke. "Let's go!"

* * *

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino stopped after a while and gathered beneath enormous trees. Kiba grinned and put his hands on his hips and turned to Hinata.

"Okay! First, we search for that thing. Can you do it, Hinata?"

"Yes." Hinata nodded shortly. She brought her hands together in a sign and drew in a breath. "Byakugan!"

* * *

"Slow down, Lee! We've only just started." Neji frowned slightly as Lee raced against three the branches and he and Tenten tried to keep up."

"I know. But..." Lee furrowed his brows and his expression intensified. "I just can't stay still! Who knows what kind of powerful foe is waiting for us."

"Hmph." Neji glanced at Tenten, who smiled. "That hot-blooded fool..."

* * *

"As you already understand, we only have one target!" Dosu led his team through the branches and narrowed his eyes. "Don't get side-tracked."

* * *

Ino and Shikamaru carefully peered out from behind trees and then started to walk once again. Ino stopped and blinked, turning to look at their third.

"W-What are you doing, Choji?!"

Choji sat cross-legged and opened a bag of chips, sniffing deeply and licking his lips before shoving a handful into his mouth. "Just a little break... I'm already tired and hungry..."

"What are you suddenly saying?!" Ino stepped toward him and put her hand on her hip.

"It hasn't even been five minutes since we started!" Shikamaru scratched his head and walked closer.

"I can't help it. I'm hungry." Choji turned his back to them and continued to eat.

"Why, you...!" Ino frowned. "If you were able to bring snacks, you should have been able to at least bring one Kunai knife!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened suddenly and he turned his head slightly to glance over his shoulder. "Ino! Hide!"

They dove to hide in a thick bush, making it just in time as the team of Waterfall Genin landed in the clearing where they had just been. Shikamaru watched as the team looked around, and his eyes widened as he spotted a stray potato chip left on the ground.

_"Uh oh!"_

The Genin turned to each other, then pointed ahead and nodded to each other. Then, they quickly left and Shikamaru let out a small sigh. Ino exhaled softly and lifted her head. Shikamaru looked as a bead of sweat rolled down his head.

Choji looked up and blinked in confusion. "What happened?"

* * *

Three Rain Genin stopped on a branch and looked down below at the three Leaf Genin.

"Anyway, the tower is the goal for everyone, right?" Kiba looked between Shino and Hinata. "So, it would be clever for us to make a trap in the vicinity of the tower."

Akamaru grunted and sniffed the air, then barked softly.

"Aw'right..." Kiba smirked and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Wasting no time, huh? Where are they, boy?"

"Heh... what stupid kids." The Rain Genin chuckled to himself. "It's like they're begging to be found, standing in a conspicuous place like that."

"They sensed our presence." Another chuckled. "But, evidently, they haven't grasped where we are."

The first boy suddenly froze in place, his skin losing its color and his lips turning blue.

"H-Hey!" His teammates blinked. "What happened? You're so pale."

He whimpered in pain, wobbling in place as a lump moved up through the back of his clothes and poked out of the collar of his shirt, revealing a giant leech.

"W-What the hell is that?!"

Dozens of leeches started to rain down from the canopy above and they screamed as the creatures covered their bodies and began to feed. The screaming echoed through the forest and they fell from the branch and crashed onto the ground. The leeches fought over their Genin, tearing into their flesh and feeding until the they lost enough blood that they could no longer scream.

Hinata pursed her lip, shuddering at the sound and Kiba and Shino turned in the direction of the trap.

"The Flying Leeches of the Leaf sense body temperature and perspiration, then, en masse, swoop down on their prey. If they continue to suck your blood for five minutes, you'll pass on to the next world..." Kiba crossed his arms with a smirk. "Using this knowledge, we set a trap on the path the enemies would use to escape."

"D-Damn it..." One of the Genin struggled to a stand, trying to pull the leech from his shoulder. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, and his eyes widened as his hand tugged on a wire.

They shouted as a net suddenly lifted them into the air and Kiba's smirk widened.

"That's one team down."

The leeches still attached continued to feed and they screamed again, the sound echoing through the forest. Anko smirked as her expression darkened.

"So, the fun's already started..."

* * *

Team Seven stopped walking and turned toward the faint, echoing sound.

"Wasn't that someone screaming just now?" Sakura shuddered slightly.

A large flock of birds took to the air at once from the other direction in a loud flurry of panicked flapping and squawking.

"I-I'm kind of getting nervous..." Sakura held her hand close to her chest and pressed her lips together.

"T-That was nothing, Sakura! Believe it!" Naruto chuckled and crossed his arms behind his head. He made a face, nearly twitching as he forced a smile and then suddenly turned and ran over to a nearby tree. "I-I have to pee..."

"Y-You idiot!" Sakura smacked his head as he started to fiddle with his zipper. "Why are you trying to do that in front of a lady?! Go over somewhere else!"

A few moments later, Naruto returned and let out a sigh as he scratched his head.

"Ah... that was a lot! I feel refreshed."

"Hey! Like I said, not in front of a lady!" Sakura shot him a glare and held up her fist in warning.

Sasuke eyes narrowed and he quickly moved in close to Naruto and landed a heavy punch on his face, knocking him back several meters until his back hit a tree. Sakura's eyes widened and Naruto cried out in pain and clenched his jaw as he took in a breath.

"Sasuke! No matter what... you didn't have to go that far!"

Naruto glared at him and rubbed his cheek. "W-What was that for...?"

Sasuke lunged at him again, kicking him back. Naruto rolled to dodge and Sasuke jumped off from the tree to strike at him. Naruto's eyes widened and he dodged again, jumping out of the way to kneel on a branch. Sasuke followed and knocked him down, and Naruto fell to the ground ahrd with a thud in a cloud of dirt.

Naruto scowled and slowly got up, glaring at the Uchiha.

"What are you doing... all of a sudden?!"

"What, you ask? That's my line, isn't it?"

Sakura covered her mouth as she watched and Sasuke glared at Naruto. Sasuke drew a Kunai knife and Sakura held out her hand.

"S-Sasuke! Stop!"

Naruto drew his own Kunai and gritted his teeth. "I-It can't be helped...!" Naruto ran at Sasuke, clashing with one another. Naruto dodged a strike and kick combo, flipping backward to put distance between them.

"Sasuke, please stop!" Sakura took a step forward and looked between the two.

"Sakura, look more closely at him!" Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"H-Huh?" Sakura blinked and looked at Naruto. "W-What are you saying?"

Naruto furrowed his brows and held up his Kunai in a defensive stance.

"Talk!" Sasuke frowned. "Where's the real Naruto!"

Sakura's eyes widened. "W-What?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Naruto held up his hands.

"What happened to that scratch on you face, then?" Sasuke pointed at him.

Naruto's eyes widened and Sakura gasped softly.

"I'm asking what happened to that scratch you got before from the Proctor!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "And your Shuriken holster is on your left leg. Naruto's right-handed!" Sasuke paused. "You're worse at transformation that Naruto, you phony!"

"Heh." Naruto smirked and a small cloud of smoke surrounded him. When it cleared, a masked Rain Genin stood before them. "How unlucky! You got me. In that case..." He narrowed his eyes. "Which one of you got the scroll?"

Sasuke and Sakura narrowed their eyes and held up Kunai.

"If you listen to me obediently, I'll spare your lives."

Sakura and Sasuke remained silent and only glared back at him.

"I see... Then, I'll resort to force!" He rushed at them and they held their own Kunai at the ready.


	82. Chapter 80: The Prince of the Leaf Pt 2

Natsumi looked further down the page and began to read the partially faded text out loud.

_The Children of the Divine Bite._

_This group has many names, the most prevalent of which being— the Ryūchi Guardians, the Ryūchi Assassins, the Serpent's Chosen, Lamia, Daughters of Echidna, Children of the Serpents, and the Snake Priestesses. The true number of members at their peak is unknown, though it is estimated to be around three-thousand. Varying descriptions of members and details of the cult's activities have been reported, though there are several consistencies amongst them._

_Each pure-blooded member has unnaturally pale skin and yellow eyes with slitted pupils. Occasionally, children are born in the group possessing unusually high amounts of Chakra and the greatest natural affinity for the serpents. This is made clear at the child's birth, as each rarity is born with a thin, translucent layer of scales that shed over the next four weeks, as well as unusual colored markings around their eyes. Converts retain their natural eye color and skin tone, however, they lose their emotional capabilities and many of their memories during the Conversion process. Since it is seen as dishonorable to reproduce with a Convert, they were rarely used as mates with the exception that there were no suitable pure-blooded mates available._

_The caste system within the Snake Children is perilously strict, with males on the absolute lowest tier, while the Matrons are on the topmost tier, directly below the legendary Ryūchi Serpents. During their coming-of-age ceremony, male members are given powerful sedatives and psychedelics, before undergoing hypnosis that causes them to lose their individuality and take on a hive-like mindset. After their change, they are left totally obedient and devoted to serving the females and the Serpents they worship._

_Every eight years, strong females chosen by the Matrons are granted permission to mate. The complex mating ritual lasts for eight days, and the female members choose their partners selectively. If a male fails to impregnate his partner, he is then deemed defective and is sacrificed to the Great Snakes._

_At eight years of age, the Matrons gather the children before the Great Serpents for Judging. The strong males are granted the highest position attainable for their sex and are assigned to guarding the children of the next generation. The average males are assigned as caretakers for the females, while the weakest males of the generation are used in varying sacrificial rituals._

_The strongest of the females are chosen to take the Beginners Trial; a mysterious rite of passage where each girl who succeeds is inducted as an Acolyte of the Hebihime— an elite group of assassins with powers of unknown limitations. Not much is known about this group, except that the most elite members have the ability to transform into serpents, develop the Sacred Markings around their eyes, and are rumored to be immortal. It is suspected that the Hebihime may also be able to change their appearance at will and are actively attempting to sneak into the courts of the Daimyō __in order for the cult to manipulate entire countries._

_Locating this group has proven impossible, as Ryūchi cave cannot be found intentionally, with the majority of people discovering it by accident after becoming lost. Once they leave, though, they are unable to locate it again. However, the Devotees of the Serpents have no such difficulties traveling to and from their reclusive home._

Natsumi stopped reading at the bottom of the page and looked at Hasu. "These are definitely the right people."

"They sound as interesting as they do very disturbing."

"I'd rather just call it disturbing." Natsumi murmured and looked back at the page. "I wonder what else it says about them..."

"Why don't we find out?" Hasu turned the page.

Natsumi's eyes widened at the paper stuck onto the page and quickly wrapped her arms around him, knocking him to the ground as the paper sparked and exploded with a small bang and filled the area with smoke.

Hasu coughed and stares wide-eyed at Natsumi over him, blushing for a moment before he realized what had happened.

"Are you okay?" Natsumi quickly moved off of him and looked him over. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head and looked back at the charred book. "What was that?"

_An assassination attempt?_

Natsumi's eyes scanned the area as a small crowd of people started to come over to investigate the disturbance.

Her eyes fell on the slip of paper on the floor and she picked it up and frowned. "It's not burnt up...?" She muttered and looked at the faded seal. "This isn't a normal paper bomb..."

Natsumi stood and looked at the book, her eyes widening again as she saw the damage.

_No way! It only burned the pages in this section only?!_

"_What _is going on here?!" The librarian stormed over and glared at the redhead as she rested her hands on her hips. Her eyes widened at the book on the table and its charred, missing pages and her eyes flashed furiously. "_What_ did you do?!"

Natsumi paled and waved her hands frantically. "I-It wasn't me! I swear! Someone stuck a strange paper bomb in the book and it went off when we—"

"Quiet!" The woman scowled and pointed her finger at her. "I should have known better than to let _you_ in here, Uzumaki girl. I _knew_ that one day you would cause us trouble!"

Natsumi froze for a moment, biting her lip hard as her head hung.

"She truly did nothing wrong!" Hasu stood in front of Natsumi and looked up at the woman. "The book was sabotaged for some unknown reason, and—"

"Quiet, I said!" She yelled at Hasu and furrowed her brows. "You're just some impertinent brat who has no right in defending someone like _that._ This is _my_ library and I won't tolerate that no-good girl destroying books!"

Hasu clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes slightly. "What happened _was not_ her doing. You have no right to accuse her without sufficient evidence, and you have _no right_ to treat her that way."

"Hah! You think you can talk to me like that?!" She sneered. "Get out of my library! Now!"

"You cannot order me to do any such thing. I am a—"

"...Stop." Natsumi clutched the back of his shirt as she whispered and kept her eyes on the floor. "...That's enough."

"Natsumi?" Her looked at her over his shoulder. "But you didn't—"

"...It's fine. Let's just go."

His expression softened and he turned to look at her. "But..."

"Please." She whispered again, keeping her head down. "Let's just go."

"...Alright." Hasu put his hand on her shoulder, shooting a look at the woman as they turned and walked out slowly. The crowd of confused bookworms parted as they passed and Natsumi kept her eyes down as they left.

Once outside, she hugged her arms close tightly and turned away from him. "I'm sorry that you can't read anymore because of me."

"Because of—" He frowned slightly. "None of that was your doing. Her behavior toward you was entirely uncalled for."

"It's okay... I'm used to it by now." She met his eyes briefly before looking away. "It hasn't happened to just me in a while, so I was just surprised."

His frown deepened. "This is the treatment that you're accustomed to?"

She nodded slightly "Usually it only happens if Naruto is with me... but it does happen when I'm by myself, too. It's fine."

"Fine?" He raised his brow.

"...Let's talk about something else, please."

_Even if I was allowed to tell him about the Nine-Tailed Fox, he might react the same one as everyone else..._

Natsumi turned to walk away from the library, pressing her nails into her arms.

"Pardon me." An old man cleared his throat and they turned to look at him. "Miss Uzumaki."

"Y-Yes?" She wrung her hands nervously. "Mr. Maeda, I'm really sorry about the book. I swear that it wasn't my fault."

"I believe you." His wrinkled face lifted in a smile.

"You do?" Her eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Of course." He nodded. "You've been such an avid reader and learner for many years, and it's been a pleasure to have a frequent visitor like you." He scratched his thinning, greyed hair. "Since I retired, my daughter runs things quite strictly. I apologize for her behavior and I take full responsibility of it, as her father. Please forgive me."

He bowed his head slightly and Natsumi blinked and waved her hands.

"O-Oh no! That's not necessary! It's okay."

The man turned to Hasu and took a large book from behind his back. "I believe you were reading this."

Hasu's lit and he took the book happily. "Yes, thank you!"

The man chuckled. "You'll have to return it once you've finished, of course, but I hope that you enjoy it. It isn't often that young people enjoy learning history anymore, so it's good that you show an interest in it."

He turned to Natsumi and his expression shifted slightly. "I heard you say that there was a paper bomb in the book?"

Natsumi nodded and took it out of her pocket and held it out to him. "It's not one I've ever seen before. It didn't burn up like they usually do, and the seal on it is wrong."

"This..." His eyes widened and he held it up close as he examined this. "I haven't seen anything like this in... a very long time."

"You know what it is?" Natsumi blinked.

The old man nodded. "I've never seen one in person, but I remember when I was very young, my father described something like this to me. Very rare, and difficult to make. The maker must have the natural affinity for Yin, and it is said to also require the blood of the user to create." He frowned slightly. "But these haven't been seen at all since... well, I think since the Founding of the Leaf."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and her jaw clenched slightly. "You don't say..."

"It's said that the Founding almost did not happen, because the copies of the treaty sent to both the Senju and Uchiha were rigged with these tags. It was never discovered who sabotaged it, though it seemed clear that they did not want peace." He shook his head. "That is why these were sometimes called the Warmonger tags, even though they were originally known as the Erasure tags."

"I wonder who could possibly benefit from war in such a way." Hasu thought aloud, and Natsumi narrowed her eyes slightly.

_Gee... I wonder who._

"Here." The man passed the tag back to Natsumi. "I would be wary, miss Uzumaki. I'm not sure who today would even be able to produce these, or what motive they would have, but it doesn't seem like a good sign."

"We'll be careful."

"Good." The man turned slightly and waved to them. "Don't worry about staying away... you're welcome in the library anytime. I will handle my daughter."

"Thank you, Mr. Maeda." Hasu bowed his head slightly, and then looked at Natsumi, who's eyes had darkened. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You know who did this?"

"This is _exactly_ like her." Natsumi crossed her arms and mumbled. "I bet she's trying to force me to see her again."

"I do not like the sound of this person."

Natsumi let out a heavy sigh and groaned quietly. "The best thing to do right now is to avoid her at all costs. Nothing good comes from associating with her."

"I agree." He nodded. "So, what shall we do to pass the time now?" He glanced down at the book. "Though, I would be just as happy to read."

"Whatever you'd like." Natsumi rubbed her head. "We could find a nice, quiet park to read in."

"That sounds delightful."

Natsumi led him away and, as they walked, she pointed out different shops and landmarks they passed.

After some time, Konohamaru saw her and ran up.

"Neechan! Neechan!"

Natsumi looked at him as he ran up, followed by his friends, and they caught their breaths.

"What are you guys doing here?" She smiled slightly, bending to meet their eyes.

"Naruto niichan told us that you beat him and the rest of Team Seven in a match." Moegi looked up at her with wide eyes. "We thought that was so cool!"

"E-Eh..." Natsumi laughed quietly and scratched her head. "He told you about that?"

"Yeah!" The trio nodded in unison.

"Neechan, we wanted to find you and see if you could show off some of your cool techniques!" Konohamaru posed with his fist raised as if fighting. "Show us how you beat them!"

"Really?" She blinked. "You want to watch me train, then?"

"Yes, please." Udon sniffed and nodded. "We think you're really cool."

"W-Well..." She shrugged and held up her hands. "That sounds like fun, guys, but I have to show Hasu around and he wanted to go read, so..."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, and his eyes were just as wide and bright in excitement as the kids. She blushed faintly and stood. "D-Do you really want to see my Ninjutsu so badly?"

Hasu nodded quickly. "I do enjoy reading, but that sounds exciting. If I did not hold this book in such high regard, I would comically throw it over my shoulder to show just how much I would like to see your techniques."

"F-Fine." She blushed and crossed her arms. "I guess if you really want to see..."

* * *

"Alright." Natsumi put her hands on her hips and looked over the small group. Her eyes rested on the trio of students. "What did you want me to show you? It's kind of hard for me to demonstrate a match when I'm by myself."

"Right..." Moegi looked down slightly as she thought.

"Don'tcha have some really cool Jutsu, though?" Konohamaru balled his fists excitedly. "Show us that!"

"Well..." Natsumi scratched her cheek. "It feels a little strange to just do my Jutsu by itself. Normally I train with my teammates."

"Couldn't you ask one of them to train now?" Udon looked up at her. "One of them might be free, right?"

"I'm not sure." She frowned slightly.

_Normally, I'd just ask Kiri or Aito, but they're both still on that mission... which leaves the three towering brothers, Yuuta, and..._

Natsumi blinked and then grinned. "Ahmya!"

"Who?" Konohamaru blinked.

"She's on my team, too, and she's not on a mission right now, as far as I know. I think I know just where to find her."

"Really?" Moegi smiled. "Do you think she'd come?"

"I've never actually trained with her before, or seen her in a fight, but I know that she's got to pretty strong." Natsumi smiled.

_They don't just let anyone into the ANBU, after all._

"But," Natsumi added. "She's a really good person, and she's helped me out with studying and other stuff before. She'd probably be happy to come."

"Yes!" Konohamaru grinned.

Natsumi formed a hand sign and a clone appeared. She turned to the clone.

"I'll go find Ahmya. You show Hasu how to thrown Kunai."

"Okay." The clone nodded.

Hasu's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

Natsumi nodded. "You keep saying that you're interested in learning more about Shinobi, and sometimes the best way to learn is firsthand experience."

"Is that a good idea, though?" Konohamaru scratched his head and looked over at Hasu. "He's not a Ninja..."

"I have just never had the opportunity to try these things out for myself." Hasu smiled down at him. "Perhaps I might be better at it that we think."

"I think it would be fun." Meogi smiled and looked at the boy. "Plus, it would give us extra practice, too."

"Hm?" Hasu's eyes widened slightly and he blinked. "You already know how to handle knives already, as well? You're so young."

"Kunai practice starts once we first start the Academy, Hasu." Natsumi smiled slightly and crossed her arms. "Four-to-six year olds can start at the Academy once they can pass the Entrance test."

"T-That young?" He stared down at the kids in amazement, then rubbed his head and chuckled. "I suppose that would make you three my Senpais, wouldn't it?"

Moegi blushed slightly and Konohamaru laughed and grinned as he rubbed his nose.

"Well, I guess we could be nice and teach you. We're pretty much experts by now."

Natsumi laughed quietly and nodded to her clone before flickering away.

* * *

Natsumi walked into the Hospital's Emergency and approached the desk. The receptionist looked up at her with a small smile.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"I'm just looking for Ahmya Nara. Is she working right now?"

"Ahmya?" The woman shook her head. "She was in here last night, but she should be home now. Are you injured, or just a friend?"

"Just a friend." Natsumi smiled. "Thanks for the help."

Natsumi waved and stepped back outside with a small sigh.

_Well, I'm grateful that I took the time before to place tags everywhere. It's not a good idea to be away from Hasu too long, even though my Clone is there._

Natsumi channeled her Chakra and teleported again. She looked around and put a hand on her hip.

_I've never been to the Nara Clan's estate before... I think it was down this way?_

She started down a road and looked around.

_At least I'm pretty sure it should be around here somewhere. I've never visited any of the Clan estates before. I should definitely leave a tag here, once I do find it. I don't know how I ever managed to get anywhere without them._

Natsumi bumped into a woman and blinked, stepping back and bowing her head. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"

"It's alright." The woman looked at her and smiled. "You're Natsumi Uzumaki, right?"

Natsumi nodded slowly, averting her eyes for a moment.

_I almost dread when people say my name out loud..._

"I've never seen you around here before. Are you lost?"

"W-Well..." Natsumi looked back up at her. "Maybe. I'm looking for the Nara estate."

The woman blinked and then laughed. "Oh, I see. In that case, would you mind helping me carry some of these groceries? I bought more than I anticipated."

"H-Huh?" Natsumi blinked. _Does that mean she's going to show me where it is if I help her?_

"Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself." She laughed again. "My name is Yoshino Nara. My husband is Shikaku Nara."

"Shik-" Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "The head of the Nara family?"

"Yes." Yoshino nodded. "I'm on my way home from some shopping, so if you'll help me carry these, I'd be more than happy to show you."

"Yes!" Natsumi nodded quickly. "I'd be happy to!"

"Here." Yoshino passed her two bags, and then exhaled softly in relief. "Thank you. Those were starting to get a bit heavy." She started walking again and kept an eye on the girl beside her. "So, what brings you to our estate?"

"I'm looking for my friend." Natsumi looked away briefly.

_This is so awkward. I can't tell if she's pretending to be friendly but secretly hates my guts or what._

"Oh?" The woman blinked. "Do you mean my son, Shikamaru?" She sighed. "If so, he's busy with the Chunin exams."

"No, not him." Natsumi turned back to her. "I'm looking for Ahmya Nara."

"Ahmya?" Yoshino smiled. "Ah, she's in the Dispensary now, I think. She did mention something about taking an inventory. I can show you where it is."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Natsumi followed her around another corner, and Yoshino chuckled and pointed toward the front gate.

"Here we are!"

"I-I was this close?" Natsumi's mouth gaped, then she sighed and shook her head as she muttered. "I really need to study a map better."

"Come on inside." Yoshino motioned for her to follow, and she nodded and obeyed.

Natsumi watched the people they passed, each of them wearing the Nara crest on their clothes.

_It really is weird but all these people... they're all part of the same family. It seems so strange for a family to be so large._ She bit her lip. _Especially when mine is so small..._

"I'm home!" Yoshino called out as she stepped inside the house.

Natsumi followed her, removing her shoes before setting the groceries down on the table. Yoshino quickly put everything away and then looked back at the girl with a smile. "Thanks again for your help."

"You're welcome."

Yoshino walked her back to the door, then slipped her shoes back on.

"I'll take you to Ahmya now. The Dispensary isn't hard to find."

"Thanks." Natsumi followed her to the building and Yoshino opened the door.

Inside, several other Nara clan members were working with different medicines and herbs, and they each looked up to greet the visitors.

"Hi, Yoshino! We weren't expecting you today."

"Hi, Mito." Yoshino looked around. "Is Ahmya still here?"

"Ahmya?" One of the women repeated, looking up as she thought. "Oh, that's right. She did say that she was going to do an inventory today. But she started hours ago and hasn't come out yet."

"Sometimes I wonder what goes through that girl's head." Another woman shook her head. "She gets so easily distracted sometimes."

_Really? Ahmya's never seemed like that to me before._

"I'll go check." Yoshino waves slightly at then and led Natsumi to the back. She knocked on the door, then opened it and stepped inside. "Ahmya, are you in here?"

A small giggle came from the other end of the storage room and they approached the sound.

"Ah-my-a!" Yoshino put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows.

Ahmya sat up from where she'd been laying on the floor and blinked as she saw Yoshino.

"O-Oh! Yoshino!" She cleared her throat and stood quickly with her hands behind her back. "I didn't know you were coming today."

"Ahmya..." Yoshino shook her head. "Have you even started the Inventory at all?"

"It's all done!" Ahmya held up a clipboard with a smile, then passed it to the woman. "I found a clerical error in there for our Activated Charcoal, Silver Oxide, and Chamomile, but I was able to figure it out."

"Clerical error?" Yoshino frowned and took the clipboard and looked over the papers there.

"Yes." Ahmya nodded. "It seems the last person to do Inventory mixed up some of the numbers when they wrote them down. And, in a few cases, I noticed that the amounts were off by one or two because the organization had gotten a little off."

"Is that so?" Yoshino scanned the pages again, then nodded and looked at her. "Well, if it's fixed now, then all's well. Good job."

"Thank you." Ahmya smiled and Yoshino stepped to the side and motioned to Natsumi.

"You've got a visitor."

"I do?" Ahyma looked at Natsumi, and then smiled brightly. "Ah! Natsumi! It's good to see you."

"Hi." Natsumi smiled and waved

"If you've been done with Inventory for a while, what _were_ you doing?" Yoshino raised a brow and crossed her arms.

"Well..." Ahmya laughed sheepishly and held out her hand to show them a small origami. "I found this cute little Origami frog when I was cleaning. If you press down on its back, it hops."

"You... were playing with an Origami frog?" Yoshino blinked, then shook her head. "That's all?"

"It's awfully cute." Ahyma held it closer to her face to admire it. "I'm not sure whose it is, but it's fun."

"Oh, Ahmya." Yoshino smiled faintly and sighed, then looked at Natsumi. "I'll be going now. Thanks again for your help."

"No, thank you." Natsumi waved as she left, and then Ahmya sighed. Natsumi frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not particularly." Ahmya ran her fingers through her hair. "I just don't have much of a good reputation in the Dispensary. I do everything that's asked of me, but somehow they think that I'm not very reliable."

"What?" Natsumi blinked. "But how? You're always so organized and collected. If anyone is reliable, it's you."

"Thank you." Ahmya patted her head. "Truthfully, it's mostly due to the fact that Medicine isn't my passion."

"It's not?" Natsumi tilted her head slightly. "But you're a Medical Ninja."

Ahmya nodded. "The Nara clan is traditionally very bound to medicine and conservation. Both of my parents were Medical Ninja as well, so it's always just been expected of me." Her smile faded faintly before returning. "I do enjoy helping people, but it's not my passion."

"What is your passion?"

"Music." Ahmya carefully tucked the Origami frog into her pocket. "Though, that's not something useful for a Ninja, so when I'm not on ANBU duty, I tend to get distracted if it isn't music related."

"Really?" Natsumi crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks in thought. "I've never seen you distracted like that before..."

"That's because you've only seen me when Hana or Sena were around." The corners of her lips twitched in a smile. "When I'm around them, something just clicks and I'm able to focus. But when I'm alone, I have a hard time focusing."

"Oh."

Ahmya laughed softly and waved her hand. "Anyway, you took the time to come and find me. What did you want to see me for?"

"Right." Natsumi met her eyes. "I was wondering if you wanted to do some sparring with me. Some Academy students asked to see my techniques, but it's difficult to do without an opponent."

"Is that it?" Ahmya laughed and put her hand on her hip. "A demonstration for some kids?" She paused. "Are they adorable kids?"

"Huh?" Natsumi blinked. "Um... yeah?"

"Then, okay!" Ahmya grinned and nodded quickly, clapping her hands together. "I just love kids. Their adorable squishy faces, their wonder-filled bright eyes, and how carefree they are." She giggled. "When I see them, I just want to hug and squeeze them."

_I've never seen her like this before. It's strange, but kind of funny. I always thought she was only the type of be serious and collected, but she's kind if like a kid herself in some ways._

Ahyma led her out of the room and then to the exit.

"Good work on the Inventory." One woman waved at Ahmya. "Are you leaving now?"

Ahmya nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow if you guys need me."

"We'll let you know." Another waved. "Enjoy your day off."

"Okay." Ahmya walked out with Natsumi and then smiled at the girl. "Shall we?"

"Yup." Natsumi nodded and they started off.

"is this your first time visiting the Nara estate?" Ahmya watched her and Natsumi nodded again. "In that case, if we had time, I'd be happy to show you around."

"Sure."

Ahmya pointed out a house as they passed. "This is where Hana and I live. My room is the one with the balcony and windchimes."

"Really?" Natsumi looked over the home. "It looks pretty old."

"It's one of the oldest houses in the Village. My grandparents put a lot of love and effort into restoring and maintaining it."

"Is being part of a Clan weird at all?" Natsumi looked at the Clan symbol on the various buildings. "Since you're all part of one big family?"

"I've never really thought about it before." Ahmya looked up slightly. "But I think it's nice. After I lost my parents, I had a lot of support from everyone, so I never really felt alone."

Natsumi looked downward as she walked and bit her lip.

_I wish it was like that for us._

"B-But!" Ahmya held her hands up and scratched her head. "I guess sometimes, being part of a big, established Clan can be stifling. The Nara's are either tacticians or Medics, so that's what we are all expected to be." She sighed and crossed her arms as she walked. "So, when I young and asked if I could pursue music, there was a lot of negative reception."

"I thought you said that you become a Medical Ninja because you liked to help people?"

"That's not completely untrue." Ahmya smiled. "I _do_ like to help people, and I _do_ enjoy Medicine, but that's also because I was brought up doing those things because my parents were both Medical Ninja. The truth is, though, that my Healing skills are only average for a Nara. I'm only as good as I am because I was a good disciple of my parents and grandparents. Even Sena, who's only been studying Medicine for three years, is far better at Medical Ninjutsu than I am. She doesn't just follow the textbooks, but she has the natural talent to create brand new medicines and antidotes on her own. She's regarded as one of the best in the village." Ahmya paused and laughed quietly. "Actually, it makes some of the other Nara jealous."

"So..." Natsumi lowered her voice and looked up at her. "Why did you join then? The ANBU, I mean?"

"You mean, why did someone without extraordinary skills join?" Ahmya winked and nudged her shoulder. "When I turned sixteen, I went up to Lord Hokage and asked. I knew the Black Ops was behind-the-scenes and could be argued as being the true protectors of the Leaf... and I wanted to make a difference so that no one else had to lose their family like I did."

Ahmya smiled and looked up. "My Medical skills are useful in the Ops, and my Ninjato skills are proficient of course, but I'm quite good with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, too. Taijutsu to me is as artistic and rhythmic as music, so I always enjoy it."

"I've never seen you training with the rest of us, though."

"That's because my special techniques require being outdoors."

"Special techniques?" Natsumi raised an eyebrow.

"You'll see soon enough." Ahmya winked.

"Alright, fine. Keep your secret, then." Natsumi let out a breath and crossed her arms. Then, she held onto her hand and channeled her Chakra, making them appear beside the Clone.

"Natsumi!" Ahmya sucked in a deep breath and leaned over. "Warn me next time you do that, please."

Natsumi laughed and then nodded. "Sorry, sorry."

"Natsumi neechan! You're back!" Meogi looked over and grinned, then ran over.

"Kyaaaa!" Ahmya's eyes widened and she knelt down and hugged Moegi. "You're so cuuuuuute!"

"Ah!" Moegi squeaked as she was suddenly hugged, and then giggled. "You're squeezing too hard."

"Oh. Sorry." Ahmya let her go and patted the girl's head. "You're just so, so cute!"

Natsumi's clone poofed away and Natsumi approached the three posts where Hasu, Udon, and Konohamaru were gathered around. "How's practice?"

The boys jumped and turned to see her, with a large grin spread over Hasu's face.

"Welcome back!"

"Neechan!" Konohamaru grinned and crossed his arms behind his head. "I dunno where you found this guy, but he's really good!"

"Huh?" Natsumi blinked and looked at Hasu, who scratched his head and chuckled. "You are?"

"I cannot accept such praise without acknowledging the fact that I've had an excellent teacher." Hasu smiled at Konohamaru. "For being so young, he is quite adept."

"Heh!" Konohamaru's grin grew and he rubbed his nose with his finger. "Well, I am gonna be the next Hokage, so of course I've got to good at the very basics."

Natsumi closed her eyes for a minute to recall the transferred memories from her Clone, then she looked at the Kunai lodged into the post, and then to Hasu.

"I thought you'd never thrown a Kunai before? How are you so good with it?"

"I may not have experience with throwing a knife, however, I had quite a bit of time to myself. I underwent a phase where I became fixated on teaching myself the art of throwing playing cards." Hasu scratched his head again. "I have not practiced in over a year, though it seems that the skills are somewhat transferrable."

"Amazing..." Natsumi murmured and Hasu's cheeks warmed. She blinked again, and then gestured to Ahmya as she looked at Konohamaru. "This is my friend, Ahmya. She agreed to spar with me for a little bit."

"Oh_!_" Ahmya bent slightly to look at the boy. "You're super cute, too! You're the Hokage's grandson, right?" Before he could answer, she wrapped him in a tight hug. He blushed as his face squished in her breasts and he sighed happily.

_"So soft..."_

Natsumi crossed her eyes and made a face as she watched Konohamaru's expression.

_Sure enough, he's really just a typical guy, even at that age._

"Ahem." Natsumi cleared her throat quietly and Ahmya released him.

"Sorry. I'm just a hugger."

"I-I don't mind..." Konohamaru chuckled and averted his eyes.

Ahmya looked at Udon, who waved at her shyly. She reached out and patted his head. "Glasses, huh? Girls love the intelligent type."

Udon blushed and Ahmya stood and turned to Hasu. "And, who's this?"

"This is Hasu. He's visiting the Leaf for a while and has taken an interest in all things Shinobi."

"Hasu, huh?" Ahmya stared at him for a long time, crossing her arms as she muttered. "Why does that name sound so familiar?" She paused and narrowed her eyes, continuing to mutter. "Hasu... Hasu... Hasu..." Finally, her eyes widened and she pointed at him. "W-Wait a minute! I knew your name sounded familiar! You're that Abe Prince!"

Natsumi and Hasu froze in place as the kids' eyes widened and they slowly turned to look at him.

"P-P-Prince?!"

"W-Well... I suppose the cat's really out of the bag, now." Hasu smiled sheepishly and met Natsumi's eyes.

"Oops." Ahmya covered her mouth and blushed. "W-Was that supposed to be a secret?"

"W-W-Wait! S-So, you're really royalty and all?!" Konohamaru gaped at the older boy.

"A-A real-live Prince...?" Moegi reddened and looked up at him.

Natsumi sighed and looked between the students. "Now that you know, you _have_ to promise not to tell anyone."

"Huh? Why?" Konohamaru made a face and crossed his arms. "Is that just 'cause he doesn't want anyone making a big fuss about him being here?"

Natsumi sighed again and shook her head.

_He's still just a kid... He's going to grumble and complain unless I give him a good reason to keep quiet... I think some honesty is the best bet._

"Konohamaru." Natsumi lowered her tone and knelt in front of him, meeting his eyes with a serous look. "Hasu is here because he's under our protection. It's very likely that he is being targeted by assassins; That's why I'm assigned to stay by his side like this."

The kids' eyes widened.

"A-Assassins?!" They blinked.

She nodded. "Now do you understand? Because of the influx of visitors for the Exams, we don't know if an enemy slipped in right under our noses. If one of them is an assassin, and they find out that Hasu is here, he'll be in danger." She paused. "This is a secret mission that your grandpa assigned to me, and now I'm assigning it you guys, too, Konohamaru."

The boy nodded and stood straight, saluting. "Y-Yes! I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

Natsumi looked between the kids. "Your mission is to work together to keep Hasu's identity a secret, alright?" She paused and met each of their eyes. "Also... I want you to keep an eye on things from your own perspective. A lot of people dismiss kids or don't notice them, so they might slip up and reveal something when you're in proximity. If you hear or see anything suspicious, you let me, Ahmya, Aito, or your Grandpa know straight away, got it?"

Konohamaru nodded again. "Yes, ma'am!"

Natsumi narrowed her eyes and poked his chest. "And absolutely, positively, do not try to be a hero and do anything stupid or dangerous, got it? No tailing anyone, no risky business. If you think something seems wrong, you get out of there and find someone you can trust right away."

"Alright." He relaxed slightly and frowned. "It's really that serious, huh?" He looked back at Hasu and grinned. "Don't worry! I swear to keep your secret. I never go back on my word. That's my Ninja Way!"

"Thank you. I'm grateful for it."

Natsumi held up her pinky to the boy. "I knew I could count on you."

"Hee." Konohamaru smiled and wrapped his pinky around her. "We won't let you down, Neechan."

"Good." Natsumi patted his head. "Do you want to watch my techniques now?"

The students nodded in unison.

"Yes!"


	83. Chapter 81: Eat or Be Eaten

"Heh." Naruto smirked and a small cloud of smoke surrounded him. When it cleared, a masked Rain Genin stood before them. "How unlucky! You got me. In that case..." He narrowed his eyes. "Which one of you got the scroll?"

Sasuke and Sakura narrowed their eyes and held up Kunai.

"If you listen to me obediently, I'll spare your lives."

Sakura and Sasuke remained silent and only glared back at him.

"I see... Then, I'll resort to force!" He rushed at them and they held their own Kunai at the ready.

Sasuke quickly leapt into the air and formed a series of hand seals, then made a circle in front of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, ending a volley of fireballs down on his opponent.

_"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"_

The Rain Genin dodged each fireball, then leapt up to strike at Sasuke with a Kunai, who raised his own in defense. Sasuke pushed back harder, and the Rain Genin split off and went back in the opposite direction.

Sasuke followed and found Naruto tied up, thrashing as he struggled to get free.

"Heeeey! Sasuke!"

_"You've got to be kidding me, you loser."_ Sasuke glanced at him and gritted his teeth, then threw his Kunai at Naruto's side. It sliced the ropes and Naruto grinned and wriggled free.

"Yes!"

"I caught you off guard! Lucky!" The Rain Genin chuckled and turned to throw several Kunai at Sasuke.

Sasuke dodged and ducked down, gripping the branch to swing downward to avoid the attack. His eyes widened as a tag attached to one Kunai began to ignite.

"Paper bomb...!"

It exploded before he could react and he twisted as he fell to land on his hands and feet with a grunt. He started to stand and his opponent appeared behind him with another Kunai drawn and aimed at the back of Sasuke's neck.

"This is lucky!" He chuckled and Sasuke remained in place and glanced at him over his shoulder with a scowl. "I'll kill you if you move! So just calmly hand over the scroll!"

Sakura stopped running to catch up to them and her eyes widened and took out her own Kunai. "Sasuke!"

Oboro turned his gaze to Sakura and narrowed his eyes. Sasuke shifted his stance slightly with a smirk and Oboro turned back to him. Naruto threw a Kunai at Oboro from a branch high above, and he dodged and retreated back as Naruto landed on his feet beside Sasuke.

"I won't let you get away!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and frowned slightly. _"You're always late, Naruto!" _Sasuke focused the Chakra to his feet. He held his foot over a Kunai. The Chakra gathered in his sole attached to the knife as if magnetic and Sasuke leaned forward, his fingertips brushing the ground as his foot drew back.

_"Absorption with my Chakra..."_

Sasuke blinked, his Sharingan activating as he shifted his body to kick in an arc and launch the Kunai at the retreating Genin. Oboro dodged the Kunai, his eyes following its path at it whizzed behind him, as Sasuke drew a second Kunai and jumped up at him as he was distracted. He drove the Kunhai deep into Oboro's chest, and he grunted as blood spurted from the wound.

Sakura's eyes widened. "S-Sasuke..."

"Don't just stand there, Sakura!" Sasuke snapped down at her. "There's no guarantee that this guy's alone! Got it?! If you let your guard down, you'll really get killed..." Sasuke kicked back from Oboro, pulling the Kunai out of his chest as more blood flowed from the wound.

_"How unlucky! I came on my own to conceal my presence, but that became my undoing..."_ Oboro covered the wound with his hand and retreated.

Sasuke landed on his feet and scowled as Oboro escaped. _"He got away, huh?"_

* * *

Sasuke sat with Naruto and Sakura some time later and looked between them. "If there's an instance that we become separated, don't trust him if he looks like your teammate. Just now there's a possibility that an enemy will transform and get close to us!"

Naruto and Sakura nodded.

"Yeah."

"So, what do we do?" Sakura leaned closer to look at Sasuke.

"We'll decide on a password." Sasuke sat straighter and Naruto blinked.

"Password?" Naruto asked.

"Listen, if the password is incorrect, no matter what he looks like..." Sasuke continued. "presume he is an enemy!" He paused. "I'll only say it once, so listen closely. You ask, Ninja Song, "Ninja Chance." And the answer is this: 'The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a Shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard.'" He paused. "That's it."

"Okay!" Sakura nodded.

"Eh..." Naruto squinted at him, sitting unmoving for a long time before blinking. "Could you say it again?"

"Huh?" Sakura crossed her arms and looked at the blond.

"I told you that I'd only say it once." Sasuke exhaled sharply and rested his arms on his knees.

"Could it be that you couldn't memorize it? You fool!" Sakura furrowed her brows. "I got it right away!"

"H-Huh?" Naruto made a face at her and crossed his arms. "I-I memorized it perfectly, ya know! I thought just in case, I'd listen one more time..."

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder from the corner of his eye and saw a small piece of bamboo disappear inside of a small hole behind them. He got up and reached out his hand to Naruto.

"I'll carry the scroll now."

"Hey, wait Sasuke!" Naruto stood and, before he could say anything else, something small and needle-like flew by his face, scratching his right cheek. "Ouch!"

They looked over to the edge of the clearing where the trees grew close together.

"What is it?" Naruto tilted his head slightly.

A large gust of wind shot through the area and they lifted their arms to shield their faces as they braced against the gale.

"A new enemy?!"

Several trees were blown down and a large cloud of dust blinded them. When it cleared, three Grass Genin stood in front of the cleared area with smirks.

"You guys go play around..." Shiore licked his lips. "I'll go alone."

Sasuke lay on his belly beneath a bush and narrowed his eyes as he watched. His eyes widened suddenly at a small sound behind him. He leapt to his feet to see Sakura staggering toward him slowly, covered in bruises and scratches.

"Sakura!"

"Sasuke!" She ran over to him with a smile and he held up his Kunai.

"Don't come closer! First, the password..." He furrowed his brows at her. "Ninja song, Ninja Chance."

"Ah!" Sakura stopped and nodded. "Right. The chance to sneak up where a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a Shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard."

"Good." Sasuke lowered his Kunai and straightened.

"Owwww!" Naruto approached them, groaning as he rubbed his head. "Hey, you guys, are you okay?"

"Wait, Naruto!" Sakura held up her hand and he skidded to a sudden stop on one foot. "The password."

"I-I know it...!" Naruto chuckled and scratched his head. "The chance to sneak up where a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a Shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard."

Sakura let out a sigh and Sasuke smirked and threw a Kunai at Naruto.

"Gah!" Naruto's eyes widened and he dodged, losing his balance as he fell to the ground. "W-What are you doing?!"

"This time it's someone who can dodge my attack, huh?"

"W-What are you saying, Sasuke?" Sakura looked at Naruto, and then to Sasuke. "Naruto just got the password correct."

"He was able to say the whole thing without making a mistake; that's the problem!"

Sakura blinked. "Huh?"

Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Do you honestly think that guy can remember a password that long?"

"Oh!" Sakura pursed her lips and looked back at Naruto.

"If we asked the normal Naruto what the password was, what do you think he'd say?"

"'Sorry. I can't remember it.'" Sakura frowned slightly and kept her eyes on Naruto.

"Besides..." Sasuke continued. "His movements when he avoided mt attack... they were clearly different from Naruto's!" Sasuke put a hand on his hip. "Show us who you really are, you fake!"

The false Naruto licked his lips and smirked. "So, that's how it is, huh..." There was a puff of smoke, and Shiore frowned at them slightly. "But if you knew he would forget it, why didn't you just use a sorter password?"

"I knew that you were underground eavesdropping on our conversation." Sasuke smirked. "And so I chose that password on purpose."

"I see." Shiore's expression darkened and he removed his straw hat. "So you're neither tired nor letting your guard down. This will be more fun than I thought." He stuck his tongue out to lick the edge of his hat and slowly retracted his tongue, keeping his eyes on Sasuke.

_"This person's so creepy...!" _Sakura shuddered slightly and narrowed her eyes. _"More importantly... where's the real Naruto?"_

* * *

Naruto groaned from where he had been thrown hard against a tree. His eyes blinked slowly open as he regained consciousness.

"Huh?" He mumbled and slowly got up. "Owww!" He blinked. "Where are Sakura and Sasuke?"

A large figure stood in front of him, overshadowing him and he looked up quickly and his eyes widened.

"H-H-Huge!"

An enormous snake stared down at him and flicked its tongue. Naruto gulped and stayed still as he gaped at the creature.

_"This is the first time I've ever seen a snake this huge!"_

The snake drew closer, keeping its eyes on Naruto, then it lunged in a strike. Naruto's eyes widened and he dodged its mouth as its head crashed into the ground where he had just been. Naruto looked over his shoulder and drew a Kunai.

_"Behind?!_"

The snake's tail lashed out to wrap Naruto into a tight coil as he struggled, and the serpent's head reared up with a hiss. It gulped Naruto down, who screamed and wriggled as he slid down its throat. The snake flicked its tongue again and slithered away, following the scent of more prey.

* * *

Shiore took out his scroll from a back pouch and held it up for Sasuke and Sakura to see. He chuckled as their eyes widened.

"You want our Earth Scroll, don't you? Because you have the Heaven Scroll." Shiore held up the scroll in front of his face and stuck out his tongue. It wrapped around the scroll and he opened his mouth wide and stuffed the scroll down and swallowed it.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened and Sakura shuddered. Shiore licked his lips and met their eyes with a smirk.

"Well then, let's begin..." Shiore chuckled. "the battle for the Scrolls. To the death!"

Shiore's Chakra swelled and his gaze intensified. Sakura and Sasuke gasped softly as their mind filled with visions of their own brutal deaths, with each new vision a different dark fate. The pressure in the air around them grew heavy and they stood fixed in place, trembling slightly as they stared blankly ahead, unable to move a single muscle. Their eyes fluttered shut for a moment and they staggered back, nearly losing unconsciousness.

Sasuke blinked and stared wide-eyed at Shiore as he caught his breath, lightheaded as he swallowed and clenched his fists. _"Genjutsu?!"_ Acid burned the back of his throat and he fell forward onto his hands and knees, vomiting violently as Sakura sat frozen and unblinking at Shiore.

He watched them with a disinterested expression and furrowed his brows. Sasuke struggled to stand and glanced over at Sakura. _"No, that's not it... this is just a thirst for blood. What's going on?! Just looking into his eyes makes me think of death. Just who is this person?!"_

"Sa... kura...? Sasuke looked over at her again, unable to speak in more than a whisper.

Sakura trembled uncontrollably with tears flowing from her eyes.

_"It's no good."_ Sasuke gritted his teeth. _"We have no choice but to flee here. Unless we do, the only thing waiting for us is..."_ He slowly turned his eyes back to Shiore as his hands shook. _"Death!"_

* * *

"Hey! Let me out!" Naruto wriggled and struggled from inside of the snake as it moved through the forest. He stabbed at the snake's intestines with a Kunai repeatedly, only to have it bounce back from the sticky flesh. "Spit! Me! Out! I'm not food, ya know!" He stabbed a few more times and gritted his teeth. "Darn! It's not working!"

He reached into his back pouch and felt around.

"There's gotta be... something else..." His eyes widened slightly and he took out a rice ball. "A-hah! It's my lunch!"

The snake shifted and Naruto dropped the rice ball and he watched as it slid down the snake's belly. It quickly disintegrated and Naruto made a face.

"I-It's dissolving!" He swallowed. "I'll be digested just like that rice ball eventually..."

The snake's intestines contracted and forced Naruto to slide further down as he shouted.

"N-No! Let me out! Let me out, ya know!"

* * *

Shiore laughed as she looked between the two as they trembled. "You can't move already?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and tried to move, but his body did not respond. _"He's going to kill me! Move... move... move...!"_ He looked down at his hands as it inched closer to the sheath on his thigh. He gripped the handle of a Kunai and drew it out. He slowly stood and glared at Shiore.

Sasuke stood and glared at him and held up his Kunai. _"Even if it's just a little... move!"_

Shiore chuckled and narrowed his eyes. "What do you intend to do with that?"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as Shiore's eyes darkened again and he swallowed. _"I can't move!"_

Shiore drew out two Kunai of his own and walked toward them with a smirk. "Don't worry... I'll end this in a second. You won't even have the time to feel pain." He chuckled again and held up the Kunai and took aim. "I wanted you to entertain me more. It's too bad." He threw the Kunai and Sasuke's eyes widened before it hit.

* * *

The snake napped and rested its head against a large tree root, resting as its body began to digest. Naruto squirmed from inside and a burning, prickling sensation filled his body.

_"Am I... going to die here?"_ His eyes started to close slowly and faces surfaced in his mind. _"Iruka-sensei... Old Man Hokage... Konohamaru... Kakashi-sensei... Sakura... Sasuke... a lot happened between him and me... even though we always fought, we cooperated and saved Kakashi-sensei in that encounter with Zabuza. And during our Chakra training in the forest, we competed with each other and trained hard..."_

His eyes opened. _"That's right! I haven't settled things with him yet!" _He gulped and furrowed his brows. _"And... there's Natsumi, too... I can't die here and leave her all alone. I promised her that I would win. There's no way I can give up just yet." _He clenched his fists and grinned faintly. "_If this thing doesn't want to spit me out... I'll just have to make it do so at any cost!"_

* * *

Shiore frowned slightly and looked down at the blood splattered on the ground, and then to his Kunai lodged into the root of the tree across the clearing. He smirked slightly and crossed his arms loosely.

"I see. They got away." His eyes narrowed slightly. "He wounded himself at the last moment... he wiped out his fear with pain. As expected, he's not average prey."

* * *

Sasuke huffed as he set Sakura down and he sat heavily down with a grunt. He gripped the handle of the Kunai lodged in his leg, gritting his teeth as he slowly tried to pull it out. He grunted in pain again, leaving the blade there as he winced.

Sakura blinked and her eyes focused, then widened as she looked him over. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke drew in a quick breath and pulled the Kunai free of his leg, his eyes closed tightly as he grunted. Sakura's eyes widened as blood splattered from the wound, and Sasuke dropped the Kunai beside him and leaned back.

"Sasuke..." Sakura leaned closer to him and looked down at his leg, then met his eyes. "A-Are you okay?!"

Sasuke clamped his hand over her mouth quickly, gritting his teeth as he peered around the tree's trunk as he started to tremble.

_"If we don't escape as soon as possible, we'll be discovered here, too. How should we flee? Where will we go?"_

Sakura furrowed her bows and pressed her lips together tightly. _"I've never seen Sasuke... so worked up like this before."_

* * *

Naruto squirmed inside of the snake and smirked slightly as he formed a hand seal.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Clones appeared by the dozen, rapidly expanding the snake's body until is burst open in a explosion of scales, flesh, tissue, fluids, and Clones.

The Clones coughed and wiped themselves off and Naruto shook the slime from him and looked around.

"I am... the Shinobi who will become Hokage! I won't let myself get turned into snake dung in this stupid place!"

* * *

A large shadow passed over them and Sakura eyes widened. She tried to shout to get his attention, but his hand muffled her. She pulled his hand off her mouth and tugged on his arm.

"Sasuke! A snake!"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he activated the Sharingan, turning to eye the creature as it opened its mouth widened and lashed out at them. They leapt out of the way as its mouth clamped down onto the tree they had been sitting on and Sasuke scowled.

_"Damn! I was too shaken up to notice the snake!"_ He watched it coil around a tree and lash out at him in the air. His eyes grew wider as the image of Shiore's face superimposed on the serpent's in his mind. He let out a scream and threw a volley of Shuriken at the snake. "Don't come near me!"

The Shuriken pierced the open mouth of the serpent and it hissed angrily and shook its head, then its body quivered and it crashed down onto a lower branch where it became lodged in its crook. Blood poured from its mouth and head Sasuke rested on a high branch of a different tree as he caught his breath and watched it.

The base of the snake's head cracked open and Sasuke's mouth gaped open as Shiore slowly rose out of the carcass.

"Don't lower your guard, not even for a moment..." Shiore chuckled as he looked at the boy and licked his lips. "Prey must always stay tense and try to flee desperately... when facing a predator."

He shot out of the snake with his lower body long and flexible as a serpent's and coiled around the tree quickly to where Sasuke stood. Sasuke screamed and took a step back, nearly stumbling and falling from the branch.

Suddenly, Kunai and Shuriken stuck into the tree and blocked Shiore path. He stopped and looked in the direction they had come.

"H-Huh?!" Sakura's eyes widened and she looked up to see Naruto.

"Sorry, Sasuke..." Naruto grinned and crossed his arms as he looked down at them.

"Naruto!" Sakura grinned.

"About the password..." Naruto looked at Sasuke. "I completely forgot it!"


	84. Chapter 82: Dance of the Water Nymph

Natsumi and Ahmya looked at each other from across the field as Hasu stood back with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon.

"Before we begin, do we want to establish limitations or match style?" Ahmya tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes as she flashed Natsumi a small smile. "First blood?"

The kids' eyes widened. "W-What? F-First b-blood?"

"First blood?" Natsumi laughed, then crossed her arms. "How about Prone?"

"Prone?" Ahmya giggled. "That's right; you train with Aito primarily, don't you?" She paused, then nodded. "Alright. But don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're showing off for some kids."

Natsumi stretched and then cracked her hands, subconsciously copying Aito's habits. "I never want training to be easy."

"I wouldn't get too full of yourself." Ahmya smiled again. "I am being promoted to Jonin next month, after all."

"I've beaten Chunin before." Natusmi made a face and muttered. "I'm not weak, ya know..."

"Does this not seem too intense already to be just a match for show?" Hasu leaned closer to Konohamaru, whispering. "Do they really intend to draw blood?"

"I dunno." Konohamaru scratched his head as he whispered back. "I've never seen Neechan in a fight before."

"If that's what you want." Ahmya nodded slightly. "Don't say that you weren't warned."

The Kunoichi both looked at the kids, and Konohamaru blinked quickly.

"H-Huh? Oh... okay." He grinned, understanding their expressions. "Go!"

Natsumi quickly ran at Ahmya with a Kunai drawn, who smirked faintly and grounded her stance and Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_She's not arming herself or trying to dodge?_

Ahmya turned slightly at the last second to avoid the Kunai, then, in the blink of an eye, gripped Natsumi's wrist and landed a solid kick to Natsumi's side with her shin.

_She's even faster than Kiri!_

The strike knocked the Kunai from her hand and Natsumi gasped slightly. Ahmya tugged on her arm, holding it tightly with her own to grab Natsumi's opposite shoulder, She twisted slightly and threw Natsumi to the ground, pinning her and grasping onto her arm.

"Woah!" The kid's eyes widened.

"W-What happened?" Konohamaru blinked

"That was so fast that I couldn't see anything." Moegi stared as Natsumi caught her breath.

"So this is the gap between us students and full-fledged Ninja..." Udon adjusted his glasses.

Natsumi gritted her teeth as Ahmya twisted her arm again, then she blinked and shifted to smoke. Ahmya's eyes widened at the markings that appeared around her eyes. Her hands passed through Natsumi's arm, and Natsumi rolled out of the way and resolidified.

_I didn't expect a Medical Ninja to be so fast. That grip strength of hers is incredible... I have to find ways to avoid her hands._

Natsumi rushed at her again, barely dodging a quick jab to deliver one if her own. She placed a tag as the strike landed before turning to smoke as Ahmya hit her again.

_I can only get a single hit in. How is she so fast?!_

Ahmya closed the distance between them and they exchanged several blows before Natsumi was knocked back again.

_It's hard to even see her movements before it's too late._

Natsumi narrowly missed another jab, leaning to prepare for a kick. Her eyes widened as Ahmya shifted to mimic a half-cartwheel and turned to knock away Natsumi's leg and hook her foot on the back of her neck. In. a single flourish of a spin, Natsumi hit the ground again and she was trapped in a firm grapple between Ahmya legs.

_What the?! Did she just... breakdance me into a grapple?!_

Natsumi shifted to smoke and narrowed her eyes once she was a safe distance away.

_Not only her speed, but her fluidity and flexibility, too... they all exceed mine._

Ahmya advanced, using a combination of spins and jumps to deliver strong kicks, one-after-the-other. Natsumi gritted her teeth and she was pushed backward, defending with her arms crossed in an x.

_She's not even giving me a single chance to make a move, and she's figuring out the timing of the smoke form. I can't keep relying on it anymore now that she's figured it out._

Natsumi sucked in a quick breath, then formed a series of hand signs.

_Earth Style: Underground Projection Fish Technique._

Natsumi disappeared belowground.

_Think, Natsumi. You're smart. How do we win against someone faster than us?_

Smiling slightly, she formed another hand sign and a dozen Shadow Clones leapt out of the ground at once, advancing on Ahmya.

Ahmya fluidly defeated them all with a flourish and Natsumi made a face underground.

_Even against greater numbers, her speed is too significant. I'll have to try a bigger, more direct attack._

Natsumi focused her Chakra to her sword and slipped aboveground as Ahmya defeated another pair of Clones. Natsumi curved her sword and swung in a wide arc to launch enormous gusts of wind at her. Ahmya's eyes widened at the size of the attack and she narrowly dodging with the blade of wind cutting off a piece of her hair.

"That was impressive!" Ahmya grinned. "I've never seen a Wind Blade that huge before. Unfortunately for you, it uses up a lot of Chakra, though."

Natsumi focused her Chakra again and raised her Ninjato.

_Unfortunately for you, I have a ton of Chakra._

Natsumi sliced through the air, sending gust after gust at Ahmya. She dodged and tried to advance but was kept back with each blast of wind.

_I can attack and defend like this, but my attacks aren't fast enough to actually knock her down._

Natsumi forced another gale at Ahmya and, as she dodged, Natsumi threw a handful of Kunai. Ahmya dodged them with a short laugh, then her eyes widened as she saw the papers attached to them spark.

Natsumi blinked as Ahmya suddenly jumped into the air to avoid the explosions and landed backwards gracefully on the surface of the water.

_What's she going to do now? She's a close-range fighter, though, isn't she? Why does she look so confident?_

Ahmya closed her eyes, exhaling as she formed a series of hand seals and Natsumi held her Ninjato up defensively.

"Water Style: Secret Technique- Water Nymph Transformation."

Natsumi's eyes widened and the water beneath Ahmya swelled and enveloped her body, swirling until it calmed a moment later and her appearance changed.

Ahmya's entire body seemed to be made of translucent water, and where her hair had been, a cascading waterfall poured from her head and into the river below. Her clothes had been replaced with a gown of algae and where her eyes had been, luminescent pearls sat fixed in her head.

"W-Woah..." Natsumi looked her over and lowered her sword. "You look amazing..."

"You shouldn't have allowed me to come into the water." Ahmya's voice echoed in a gargled way and she smiled. "You can't beat me this way."

_She does have the obvious advantage here. She knows my techniques and what my strengths and weaknesses are, and I had no idea about her skills or Jutsu at all... but that doesn't mean that I don't stand a chance of winning, either._

Ahmya brought her hands together again and formed another series of signs.

"Water Style: Secret Technique- Dance of the Water Nymph."

The river swelled again and rose to form a large tentacled creature. She floated in its core and an opalescent ribbon appeared in each of her hands. Natsumi's eyes widened and she quickly leapt out of the way as Ahmya twirled the ribbon in her direction and the tentacles converged on Natsumi.

_She controls it by dancing!_

Natsumi dodged and the water struck the ground, shaking it and tearing up grass as it left deep indents in the earth.

_Those are seriously strong! One good hit and I'd be unconscious._

Natsumi rolled to avoid another attack, the water only narrowly missing her face. Several droplets splashed her cheeks and she exhaled sharply.

_That was too close._

She dodged again and channeled her Chakra until it thinly cloaked her entire body.

_Wind Nature will increase my speed, but I can't keep this up for very long. I have to make every second count._

Natsumi jumped to evade a tentacle and looked at Ahmya as she danced in the core of the mass of water and swung her blade, sending a large Wind Blade at the form. A tentacle form to guard Ahmya and was blasted away by the gust. It quickly reformed and Natsumi touched down on the river and balanced on its surface.

_I expected that it could reform, but that's just too quick. For her Chakra to respond that quickly, she must have done extensive special training. Her talents are wasted on Medical Ninjutsu. She's a beast._

The tentacles went after her again and Natsumi gritted her teeth and ran on the surface of the water to evade them.

_I can't defeat this creature unless I attack her directly. But how do I get close enough to her to do that?_

A tentacle grasped her firmly around her waist and lifted her into the air. She grunted and twisted as she slashed at it with her sword. The severed section splashed and returned to the river and Natsumi leapt out of reach of another arm.

_I have one idea... but it'd really drain my Chakra and leave me completely vulnerable if it failed..._

She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened suddenly as her heart pounded. She staggered back several steps on the water and moved one hand to clutch her at her stomach. Heat spread from her core, sending am intense prickling over her entire body.

_W-What's this feeling? It's like I'm on fire!_

Natsumi growled low in her throat and her eyes stung. She glanced down at her shaking hands and her breath caught in her throat as her nails elongated to points.

_What's going on? This feeling... it's like I'm going to explode from the Chakra. Where did it come from?_

Another low growl escaped her lips and she gripped her Ninjato tightly. Her body moved on its own and dodged the tentacled strikes by leaping high into the air and seemed to almost hover there.

Ahmya's pearlescent eyes widened and she looked around, her dancing coming to a halt. _"Where did she go? I couldn't see her movements at all. How did she become so fast?"_ She turned around in the water, then looked up. _"Up there?!"_

Natsumi held her Ninjato above her head as she descended, letting out half shout-half growl as she focused her Chakra. It swelled all around her body in a faint violet glow and gathered on the blade of her weapon. The Chakra cloaked the sword, growing and collecting until it formed an enormous violet blade.

_"That Chakra!" _Ahmya watched the Chakra continue to gather and Natsumi's violet form blocked the sunlight. _"I've never seen so much of it! If she attacks me with that...!"_

Natsumi's reddened eyes narrowed and she exhaled. "I win."

She swung her blade down, launching the enormous, purple blast of wind down at her opponent with a loud clap like thunder.

Ahmya's mouth gaped at the size of the attack and she quickly tried to manipulate the tentacles to block. "_It's too fast! I don't think I'll be able to—!"_

The gale struck the water creature with the force of a hurricane, creating a large splash akin to explosion. The creature dispersed and water rained down as the river spilled over the bank and the nearby trees were cracked and swayed from the impact.

Natsumi fell into the river, her body heavy and Hasu and the children's eyes widened and they rushed over from their spots to the riverbank as they looked around.

"N-No way!" Konohamaru looked into the water and stepped closer to it. "W-Was that Neechan's real strength?!"

"W-Where did they go?!" Moegi held her hand close to her mouth and scanned the river.

Hasu turned to look at the trees, all of which were leaning slightly away from the point of impact, dripping wet as some of their branches had been snapped off and leaves scattered around. "That enormous power..." He muttered under his breath. "...I saw it with my own eyes, but I still don't believe it..."

"Look there!" Udon sniffed and pointed downriver to the opposite bank.

Ahmya clambered out of the river, her appearance returned to normal, and she coughed out small amounts of water and gasped for air.

Natsumi stepped out of the water, the violet glow gone but the red still in her eyes. She strode slowly over to where Ahmya lay on her belly as she caught her breath, then pointed the tip of her Ninjato to the back of her neck.

"Prone."

Ahmya glanced up and met her eyes, and they widened slightly. "Natsumi..."

Natsumi's eyes faded to their usual color and she wobbled slightly, her eyes fluttering closed before she fell to the ground.

"Natsumi!" Ahmya sat up quickly to catch her, then she moved the hair from the girl's face. "Natsumi!"

"Neechan!" The students called out in unison and Moegi hugged her arms close.

Natsumi's eyes opened again after a moment and Ahmya let out a sigh. "Are you alright?"

Natsumi blinked and she sat up slowly. "Ahmya? What happened?"

Ahmya frowned slightly and Natsumi looked down at her hands.

_It felt strange, almost like a dream, and yet... it really happened, didn't it? What exactly happened, though? That almost felt like..._

Her eyes widened and she looked at Ahmya quickly. "A-Are you alright?! Did I hurt you?"

Ahmya shook her head and smiled faintly as she pointed to herself. "I'm fine. I'm just wet, is all."

Natsumi's frown deepened and she looked back down at her hands.

_That was the same feeling I had when I was fighting that assassin with the whip sword... it wasn't as bad, but I at least can recognize it... Why does that happen to me? What is it? And why didn't I lose control like before?_

She touched her stomach where the power had first come from and furrowed her brows.

_Why do I have such an ominous feeling right now? Is Naruto in trouble again?_

"Well, you beat me fair and square." Ahmya stood and helped her up, then smoothed her hair. "I've never had anyone counter my secret technique like that before. It was impressive."

Natsumi bit her lip and hugged her arms close as she muttered. "I'm sorry... I don't know what that was... I didn't mean to..."

"Natsumi..." She touched her shoulder and bent slightly to meet her eyes. "I'm fine. And, everything's okay. You don't have to apologize."

"I could've hurt you." Natsumi averted her eyes again.

"You didn't." Ahmya patted her head. "Being able to wield that much Chakra, much less control it... that was incredible."

_It didn't really feel like I was in control... at least not completely._

"Now that we're completely soaked like this and we used up all our Chakra, what do you say we go get cleaned up?" Ahmya stretched with her arms above her head, then grinned at Natsumi. "How does that sound?"

Natsumi blinked and looked between her and Ahmya, then scratched her head and laughed quietly. "Y-Yeah. It's probably not a good idea to walk around soaking wet like this."

"Hey!" Ahmya turned waved toward Hasu on the other bank. "Do you want to grab something to eat?"

"Huh?" Hasu blinked, and Konohamaru cheered.

"Yeah! Food!"

"I am pretty hungry." Moegi giggled and patted her stomach.

"Not you three!" Ahmya crossed her arms. "You're going back to school!"

"Aw man..." They crossed their arms and groaned.


	85. Chapter 83: Naruto's Counter-Attack

"Sorry, Sasuke..." Naruto grinned and crossed his arms as he looked down at them.

"Naruto!" Sakura grinned.

"About the password..." Naruto looked at Sasuke. "I completely forgot it!"

"That's alright, Naruto!" Sakura called up to him. "You're doing great."

"Heh." Naruto grinned at her praise and Shiore glared up at the blond.

"Naruto!" Sasuke clenched his fists and yelled at him. "I know you're trying to be cool and rescue us, but... don't get involved! Just run! He's... he's on an entirely different level!"

"Hmph." Shiore rested his arm on the branch his lower body was still wrapped around and continued to glare at the blond. "Seems like you brought that giant snake down brilliantly, Naruto."

_"No matter how you look at it... that guy really looks like a snake..."_ Naruto gulped slightly and squinted as he looked at Shiore. _"I get it now... that snake before and all this trouble... it's all been the handiwork of this guy."_

_"Him showing up to help has never helped any situation..."_ Sasuke clenched his jaw and kept his eyes on Naruto, and he glanced over at Shiore from the corner of his eye. _"So, what should I do...?"_

"Hey, hey, hey!" Naruto pointed down at the Grass Genin "Apparently, you've been bullying the weakling! Now that Naruto Uzumaki is here, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. _"Damn! If things continue like this, all three of us are done for! What should I do?"_

Sakura bit her lip and watched as Sasuke stood rooted in place, trembling slightly as he balled his hands into tight fists until his knuckles whitened. _"Sasuke..."_

"Hmph!" Naruto recrossed his arms and grinned.

Shiore licked his lips and smirked and kept his gaze locked on Naruto, and Sasuke turned to watch the man with a scowl.

_"It's no good. This is the only way."_ Sasuke's Sharingan faded and his eyes returned to their original black. "Wait."

"Hm?" Shiore turned his attention to the dark-haired boy.

Sasuke reached into his back pouch and produced the scroll and held it up for Shiore to see. "If it's the scroll you want, I'll give it to you." He held it out. "I'm asking you... just take this and go."

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. "W-What?! Hey, Sasuke! What're you doing?! Why are you giving our scroll to the enemy?

Shiore smirked and his eyes narrowed at Sasuke.

"You, shut up!" Sasuke snapped at Naruto.

"What?" Naruto furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth.

"I see. You're sensible." Shiore lifted himself to sit up slightly with his lower body still wrapped around the tree. "The only thing that 'prey' can hope for from the 'predator' is presenting other food in hopes of being spared, isn't it?"

"Just take it." Sasuke tossed the scroll toward Shiore with a scowl and Naruto's eyes widened.

"H-Hey!" Naruto jumped off from the branch, catching the scroll as Shiore reached out to catch it. Naruto landed next to Sasuke and glared at him.

"You! Stop interfering!" Sasuke shoved Naruto's shoulder. "Don't you understand the situation?!"

Naruto balled his free hand into a fist and pivoted his body, knocking back Sasuke with a hard punch to the cheek. Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke jumped back to another branch, separating himself from Naruto.

"What're you doing?!" Sasuke glared.

Naruto kept his hands balled tightly and his head was down as he breathed heavily, each ragged breath shaking his body. He met Sasuke's eyes after a moment. "As for me, I don't remember the password... So, I've got no way to make sure. But you... you're not the real Sasuke, are you?!"

"Naruto!" Sakura stood and looked at the blond. "What are you trying to start?!"

"You loser!" Sasuke swiped his arm to the side and furrowed his brows. "I'm the real me!"

"Liar." Naruto's breathing remained heavy as he kept his eyes on the Uchiha. "This... this stupid coward... is absolutely... not the Sasuke that I know!"

Shiore chuckled under his breathand Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto continued.

"I don't know how strong this guy is, but how can you even be sure that he'll let us go if we hand the scroll over, huh?!" Naruto gritted his teeth. "You're the one who's choked and doesn't understand the situation!"

Shiore chuckled and his eyes darted between the two boys. "Naruto..." He licked his lips. "You're correct." He put a hand on his hip. "The scroll..." He slid his left sleeve up to reveal dark black markings. "I could easily just kill you and seize it."

Shiore bit his thumb and draw a line down the markings with the blood. Naruto's eyes widened and he ran at Shiore with his Kunai raised.

"Don't mess with me!"

"No, Naruto! Stop it!" Sasuke yelled.

_"Darn it!" _Naruto jumped into the air and kept his eyes on the Grass shinobi. _"I've lost confidence in you, Sasuke!"_

"Summoning Jutsu!" Shiore formed a series of hand seals before the boy could each him, and an enormous gust of wind knocked Naruto back. His eyes widened and Shiore now stood on the back of a large snake several times bigger than the one he had faced before.

* * *

Kotetsu, Izumo, and Mozuku stared down at a trio of corpses laying on the ground in front of a row of Buddha statues. Blood was splattered over the stones and Kotetsu frowned and knelt to examine the body.

"Three corpses." Kotetsu furrowed his brows.

"This is some kind of Jutsu, isn't it?" Izumo put his hand in his pocketed and grumbled.

"This is bad..." Kotetsu frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. "We had a problem, right from the start. I'll be damned."

Kotetsu glanced over his shoulder at Mozuku. "Inform Anko right away."

"Yes, sir." Mozuku nodded and flickered away. Kotetsu sighed and glanced over at Izumo.

"What a mess..."

* * *

Anko sat on top of the station outside of the gate to the Forest of Death, eating Dango happily and humming to herself as she chewed.

"If you're gonna have dumplings, you've got to have the red bean soup." She sighed after swallowing a bite, then took a long drink. She took another bite and thought aloud to herself, her words muffled as she ate. "Alright... once I eat this, I should speed through and go wait at the tower for those kids. With this program, the quick kids should clear it soon."

Anko threw the empty Dango stick at the trunk of the tree nearby, adding it to the others that formed Konoha's symbol.

"The Leaf Village's mark... Perfect!" Anko chuckled to herself.

Mozuku appeared in front of Anko, kneeling, and he looked up at her. "We have a major problem, Ms. Anko!"

"Huh?" Anko swung her legs and tapped her feet together. "What, so soon?"

"Corpses! Three of them!" Mozuku stood and adjusted his glasses.

"Hm?" Anko raised her brow and he continued.

"Additionally, they're strange. Anyway, please come see for yourself!"

"Strange?" Anko muttered to herself as she touched her chin.

* * *

Anko followed Mozuku with a frown and approached Kotetsu, who stood and looked at her.

"I checked their possessions and identification,"Kotetsu crossed his arms. "They're Ninja from the Hidden Grass Village registered in the Chunin Exams, but... as you can see..." His eyes narrowed.

"They have no faces." Anko's frown shifted to a scowl and she clenched her hands into tight fists.

"Yes." Kotetsu nodded. "They're smooth and flat, like they've melted away."

Anko gritted her teeth and reached up to touch the mark on the back of her neck. _"Without a doubt... This Jutsu is... that man's... but why is he here at the exam?"_ A bead of sweat rolled down her temple and she turned to Mozuku. "Show me the ID photos of the three Grass Village Shinobi. It was on their applications."

"Right!" Mozuku held up his clipboard and leafed through the papers, then passed her the three sheets.

Anko's eyes widened as she recognized the photo of Shiore. _"So, this one's face was stolen. So, back then, they were already..."_ She swallowed and remembered how Shiore had suddenly appeared behind her, full of bloodlust, with her Kunai held by his tongue.

"We're in big trouble!" Anko turned to the men and lowered her arm to her side.

"W-What?" Kotetsu blinked.

"You!" She pointed to Mozuku. "Let Lord Hokage know right away! Make a request to the ANBU Black Ops to dispatch two or more squads to the Forest of Death!" She turned. "Starting now, I'm going to follow these guys! Got it?!"

"Yes!" The three men stood at attention and nodded before disappearing. Anko's expression darkened and she touched her neck again.

_"That man... has come back to the Leaf!"_

* * *

Naruto got up slowly and caught his breath. He furrowed his brows as he looked up at the

"So cute." Shiore chuckled and crossed his arms as he looked down at Naruto. "You're such cute prey."

The snake's tail swung at Naruto, whose eyes widened and mouth gaped at the strike. It missed him, hitting the branch he stood, and he was thrown violently upwards.

"Naruto!" Sakura and Sasuke shouted out as Naruto fell, hitting the upper branches hard on his way up until he struck a branch. Blood spurted from his mouth and several bones cracked from the impact and his eyes fluttered shut as he lost consciousness.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the sound and he watched Naruto's limp body fall.

"Hm." Shiore chuckled and tapped the snake with his foot. "For the time being, eat him."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, averting his eyes from Naruto as he fell. As the snake started to open its mouth, Naruto's eyes opened suddenly, glowing a bright red with slitted pupils.

Naruto twisted mid-air and furrowed his brows. "Shove it!" Naruto growled and kicked the snake's nose.

Shiore's eyes widened as the kick knocked back the snake and he nearly lost his balance from atop its head. The snake's eyes narrowed and he flicked his tongue. Shiore smirked and looked at the boy's eyes and chuckled to himself. _"This brat! He can't be..."_

Naruto growled again, punching the snout of the snake hard again and again, knocking it back until it crashed into the huge tree behind it and cracked the trunk.

"Naruto's... lost control..." Sakura paled and stared wide-eyed at him. "B-But... how is he so strong?!"

The snake swatted at Naruto with his tail, only for Naruto to jump off from another tree and launch himself as the serpent for another attack. Shiore closed his eyes briefly as his smirk grew, then he opened his eyes again and held up his open palm. Naruto's eyes widened as Shiore exhaled and released an enormous ball of fire at him. He cried out and was knocked back, falling once more through the trees until he landed on another branch.

"Those eyes..." Shiore looked down at Naruto as he coughed blood as he landed. "There's no mistake."

"That's... Naruto?!" Sasuke stared at his teammate wide-eyed and unable to look away.

"Hmph." Shiore put a hand on his hip. _"This just got interesting."_ He chuckled and turned to look at Sasuke. "Next up is... Sasuke. So, what's your move?" The snake lunged at the boy, who stood frozen in place in fear.

"Sasuke!" Sakura covered her mouth and shouted at him.

Before the snake could strike Sasuke, Naruto leapt in front of him.

* * *

_"I have to hurry." _Anko furrowed her brows as she rushed through the trees, jumping from branch to branch as quickly as she could. _"I have a... really bad feeling about this."_

* * *

Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto stopped the snake's attack on his own, blocking the serpent with his body. His body shook and his breathing was ragged. After a moment, he spoke with his head still down.

"Hey... Are you hurt?" Naruto lifted his eyes to meet Sasuke's. "You scaredy cat?!"

Sasuke stared in silence at Naruto's eyes and recognized his own words. _"Naruto!"_

Shiore raised his brow and crossed his arms. _"He stopped the attack just like that."_

"This stupid coward is absolutely not the Sasuke I know!" Naruto gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, Shiore's tongue extended and wrapped around Naruto and lifted him into the air, bringing him closer to look at him.

"Darn it! Let me go!" Naruto struggled and tugged at the tongue to try to loosen its grip. "You stupid snake-creep!"

_"To think that the Nine-Tailed brat survived..."_ Shiore formed a hand sign and leaned in close to Naruto's face with a smirk. _"When you get excited, a bit of the Nine-Tails power trickles out..." _He focused his Chakra to his fingertips and small purple flames appeared on the tips. _"You've grown up in an interesting way." _His tongue extended down to lift up Naruto's shirt, revealing the seal on his stomach. _"Look... The Seal is appearing on your skin like a tattoo."_

Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but failed. Shiore chuckled and tilted his head to the side slightly before pulling his hand back and slamming it hard into Naruto's belly.

_"Five-pronged Sealing!"_

Naruto cried out in pain and the Seal steamed and sizzled. Once it faded, new symbols appeared around the Seal.

"Sasuke! Help Naruto!" Sakura held her hands to her mouth as she shouted at him. Sasuke continued to stare, frozen in place, unable to hear Sakura.

Naruto's body shuddered and his eyes returned to their normal blue. He went limp as he fell unconscious and Shiore chuckled as he looked him over.

_"Twelve years since the Seal... Naruto's Chakra and the Nine-Tail's Chakra are beginning to act in sync."_ Shiore reached into Naruto's back pouch and removed the scroll. _"But now... you're in the way." _He tossed Naruto aside and his tongue retracted into his mouth.

Naruto fell towards the ground and Sakura's eyes widened. _"He's gonna fall!"_ She quickly drew a Kunai and threw it toward him, pinning Naruto to a tree to stop his descent. "Naruto!"

She let out a sigh of relief as Naruto hung safely from the tree and then turned to look at Sasuke. "Sasuke, what happened?"

Sasuke stood wide-eyed and unblinking as he trembled. Sakura held a hand to her mouth and her eyes watered. _"Sasuke..."_

She swallowed and her brows furrowed. "Naruto's certainly different from you, Sasuke. He's a klutz and he gets in the at least he's not a coward! Not even a little bit! Right? Isn't that right?"

Sasuke finally blinked and his eyes refocused and he looked at Sakura. He averted his eyes and clenched his fists, then closed his eyes as a face appeared in his head. _"Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, resent me, hate me, and..."_ Sasuke gritted his teeth and balled his fists tighter. _"continue to live your ugly, pathetic life. Flee. Flee and cling to your life."_

Sasuke furrowed his brows and opened h is eyes, revealing his Sharingan _"No!"_

"Hmph." Shiore put a hand on his hip and smirked as Sasuke's eyes changed. _"As expected of the Uchiha clan... his blood has begun to stir. I should take my time and confirm his true power."_

"Sasuke!" Sakura smiled and her eyes widened slightly at his shift.

Shiore's smirk grew and he laughed loudly. The summoning snake vanished in a cloud of smoke, which blinded Sakura and Sasuke. When it dispersed, Shiore stood on a branch above Sasuke and he glared up at the man.


	86. Chapter 84: Attunement

"Sena, you're a saint." Ahmya licked her spoon clean and hummed happily as she leaned back in the chair. She scooped up another bite and closed her eyes briefly. "This vegetable curry is so good... and the eggplant is perfectly cooked."

"Thanks!" Sena smiled and tilted her head slightly, and then looked over at Natsumi and Hasu. "How do you guys like it?"

"I have never tasted something so exquisite before." Hasu smiled and looked down at his nearly empty plate. "The balance of seasonal vegetables and spices were perfect."

"So yummy." Natsumi licked her own spoon and set it down on her plate. "I wish I had a bigger stomach."

"I still can't believe Natsumi really defeated your secret technique." Sena rested her chin in her hand and looked at Ahmya. "I remember when I first saw it, I thought I was seeing a living incarnation of a water god." She laughed quietly. "I'd never seen a more terrifying or beautiful Jutsu."

"Well, she is one-of-a-kind." Ahmya smiled and nodded and glanced over at Natsumi, who swallowed her bite slowly and glanced down.

_How can she act like nothing wrong happened? I don't even know what happened, and things could have gone bad if I lost control..._

"Well, it definitely explained why you guys were soaking wet." Sena laughed again, then her eyes widened slightly at Natsumi. "Are you alright? Do you not feel well?"

Natsumi blinked and quickly shook her head. "N-No, I'm fine." She forced a small smile. "I'm just... a little worried about Naruto."

"Right, the Chunin Exams." Ahmya nodded and looked at her. "I remember when I took them." She shuddered. "My Team was Hana, Matou, and I. We ran into the territory of the Flying Leeches by accident." She made a face. "We would have died right there if Matou hadn't used his special Jutsu to shield us."

Natsumi bit her lip and furrowed her brows and she stared down at her plate and Ahmya let out a loud sigh.

"Sorry. That doesn't help." Ahmya took another bite and rested her own face in her hands. "But you shouldn't be too worried. If your brother is anything like you, he'll do just fine in there."

"That's the trouble." Natsumi sat back in her seat. "He's _not _like me. In terms of ability, he's far below me." She paused and bit her lip hard.

_But that's only because..._ Natsumi looked down at her hands. _I thought agreeing to those terms would be best, but what if...he's actually in trouble now because of it?_

"But if determination and guts were all that mattered in a fight, he's got me beat tenfold, easily." Natsumi sighed quietly and folded her hands in her lap.

"He'll be fine." Sena reached out to touch her hand and smiled. "No one with a fire in his eyes like that could ever succumb to something like the Forest of Death."

"I know. I just have this bad feeling, thought." Natsumi mumbled. "Like he's in trouble, or something."

_The more I think about it, the worse this feeling gets. It's almost like... a black, slimy void. It's almost... familiar._

"Perhaps you should try to take your mind off of your worries?" Hasu smiled faintly and gestured to the book beside him at the table. "It would be nice if we read together, after all."

"Maybe." Natsumi furrowed her brows and kept her eyes on her hands.

_No... there's no doubt about it. I've definitely felt this before... but I don't remember when. If only I could remember..._

"Natsumi." Ahmya tugged gently on the girl's arm with a smile. "While they read, let's do a puzzle."

"A puzzle?" Natsumi blinked and looked around to see Hasu sitting by himself as he read, while Sena sat beneath a read and read her own book. She looked back at Ahmya, who grinned and held up a box.

"Yep! Sena has a bunch just laying around, and it's been a while since I last did one... so let's do one together!"

"O-Okay. I haven't done one in a while, either." Natsumi nodded and Ahmya tugged on her arm again to lead her inside the house to pour out the pieces onto the table.

Ahmya held one piece up and touched her chin. "Now... I wonder where this one goes?"

Natsumi smiled slightly and crossed her arms. "That's a middle piece. Aren't you supposed to start with the border first?"

"Pfft." Ahmya waved her hand. "Where's the fun in that? It's more challenging and fun to do it the other way around. You'll see."

"Alright." Natsumi sat beside her and held up a piece, then furrowed her brow and compared it to the picture on the box. "Maybe this one will go with... this one...?"

* * *

Natsumi stopped in front of the door and Hasu looked at her.

"Is something the matter? Are you still concerned for your brother?"

"No— well, yes." Natsumi sighed and looked at him. "But this time, I'm worried about you. I don't really know how the Intelligence Division operates."

"I'm sure it will go smoothly." Hasu smiled slightly. "Though I'm not sure how much I will be able to tell them."

"Yeah..." Natsumi inhaled and then opened the door and stepped inside, her eyes widening at the group inside. There were several ANBU and Leaf Jonin, as well as the Hokage standing around and speaking as they waited.

_Wait... were this many people supposed to be here?_

"Right on time." The Hokage turned to nod at them as they walked inside. "Prince Hasu, thank you for coming."

"It is no trouble. I am happy to help in any way that I am able." Hasu nodded respectfully back at him.

Natsumi scanned the different faces until her eyes rested on one man. Her eyes widened and she quickly stood in front of Hasu with her hands out, then looked at the Hokage.

"W-What is he doing here? I thought this was supposed to be an... _amicable_ meeting."

Hiruzen glanced over to Ibiki, who crossed his arms and chuckled, raising his brow at the redhead.

"You're a suspicious one, aren't you?"

"Not suspicious." Natsumi narrowed her eyes at the scarred man. "I just know who you are."

"Calm down." The Hokage waved his hand at her. "Ibiki is one of the heads of this investigation, but he will not be conducting the interview."

Natsumi looked between the old man and Ibiki several times before she lowered her arms and relaxed slightly. "...Fine."

Ibiki chuckled again and Hiruzen gestured to the blond man beside him.

"Inoichi Yamanaka will be conducting this interview."

Natsumi pursed her lips and stepped aside and crossed her arms, muttering. "I still don't know if I trust him being here though..."

Ibiki looked at Hiruzen with a slight smirk. "She's got good instincts."

"Why are you concerned about that man's presence?" Hasu whispered to Natsumi, who narrowed her eyes.

"Because his literal job is to torture prisoners for information." She muttered back and Hasu blinked and scratched his head.

"A-Ah... I see."

Inoichi stepped forward and looked at Hasu. "You don't have to be nervous. First, we'll just sit down and have a conversation about all of the details that you recall. Then, I'll use my Jutsu to search your mind for any other related details or memories that have been suppressed. You won't be in any danger."

_As long as Ibiki Morino isn't going to be a part of this process, I'm not worried._

"That sounds straightforward." Hasu nodded. "I am prepared to begin whenever you are."

"Let's get right to it, then." Inoichi led Hasu over to the table and Ibiki and his men moved to stand on the side of the room with the Hokage.

"Thank you for escorting the Prince here." Hiruzen looked at the girl and held his pipe in his hand as he exhaled a small breath of smoke. "You may return home now."

"But...!" She blinked and looked at him, keeping her voice lower to prevent from interrupting Inoichi questions. "I'm supposed to be guarding him..."

"There is sufficient protection here." Hiruzen chuckled. "You may resume your duties tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay." Natsumi nodded slowly.

"Hey." Ibiki watched Natsumi turn to leave. "You're the Uzumaki girl?"

Natsumi stopped and looked at the man, nodding after a moment of hesitation. "Yes. Why?"

Ibiki chuckled. "No need to be on edge." He crossed his arms. "I was the proctor of the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Your brother was an interesting character."

_Interesting?_ Natsumi furrowed her brows slightly. "What's that mean?"

"He turned in his test without filling in a single answer."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and then she groaned quietly and facepalmed, mumbling under her breath. "Oh, Naruto..."

"That kid's got a lot of spunk, though."

"Y-Yeah..." Natsumi exhaled and shook her head slightly. "That's my brother."

_He didn't even answer a single question? Come on, Naruto! I had faith in you..._

"Well, I expect to see some interesting results for him for the second and third stages as well." Ibiki commented. "And perhaps, I'll see you the next time around."

"Yeah, maybe." Natsumi turned and waved slightly at the Hokage. "Goodbye, Lord Third."

_No offense to you, Mr. Torture and Interrogation, but I'd rather not have to run into you ever again._

* * *

Natsumi let out a heavy sigh and sat down on her bed. "What to do..." She flopped down and sunk into the sheets and sighed again. "I already did all the chores, so what do I do now?"

She frowned slightly and clutched at her stomach.

_That feeling has only gotten worse... I'm not just imagining it. I recognize it._

She stepped out onto the balcony and bit her lip.

_I need to see her._

She changed clothes and jumped from the balcony, moving from roof to roof until she reached a small building. She exhaled and closed her eyes briefly, and then walked up to the door.

_I hate relying on this woman._

She focused her Chakra to her hand, shifting its nature, and gripped the doorknob. It unlocked and the door swung open and she stepped inside with her hands in her pockets. Natsumi blinked and looked around the darkened room as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Oto!" She walked to the door on the back wall and unlocked it with her Chakra. She swung the door opened the dark stairwell appeared in front of her. She descended and looked inside the first room at the bottom. "I know you're here. Don't try to hide."

"Well, well..." Oto chuckled from where she sat in the center of the room, surrounded by incense and candles that burned with violet flames. She turned to look at the girl with a slight smirk and the candles went out and the original lighting returned to the room. "I thought you said that you wanted nothing more to do with me?"

"Don't patronize me." Natsumi crossed her arms and let out a hot breath. "This... feeling I have. I remember it from your pilgrimage. What is it?"

Oto stood waved her hand, snuffing out the incense as she laughed softly. "Oh? You can feel it already, can you?"

"Feel what?" Natsumi shifted in place and drummed her fingertips on her arms.

"There was an old saying that my people said often to the Snakelets..." Oto's lips curved in a slight smirk. "One snake recognizes another."

Natsumi shuddered and pressed her lips together. "...What does that mean?"

"Being in my presence now should feel different for you than with anyone else."

_You mean, besides the blatant distrust that I feel for you?_

"It's like... a constant chill down my spine." She paused, focusing on the sensation for a moment before continuing. "And... almost a... reverberation in my gut."

"So you can actually feel it." Oto picked up her pipe from the side table, lit it, and then sucked in a long puff. "As a Hebihime's power grows, and as you continue to become more immersed in the teachings, you gain the ability to sense when another is near. Think of it as a resonance, if you will. The more Hebihime you become, the more aware of my presence you will become. Moreover..." Oto chuckled. "The more you'll begin to think like me... like us. We call it Attuning."

Natsumi averted her eyes and mumbled. "I'd rather not think like you." She paused and then blinked, her eyes widening slightly. "Wait... you said... 'sense when another is near'?" She clenched her fists. "That means... if there is another Hebihime around... I'll just _know_?"

Oto blew a tendril of smoke and turned to look through a book that lay open with old photographs. "Precisely."

"And... this feeling that I have... am I sensing... you?"

Oto's mouth twitched in a smirk and she looked at Natsumi from the corner of her eyes. "No. You should be able to distinguish my aura from the other, if you concentrate."

Natsumi closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. After a moment, the different sensations separated, with Oto's softly humming almost inaudibly in her ears, and the other, faintly hissing in the distance.

"...I can feel it." Her eyes burst open. "Wait... so, there's another Hebihime? Here, in the Leaf?"

Oto chuckled. "The Hebihime's resonance is noticeably different from that of other Snakes."

"Other... snakes?" Natsumi repeated, furrowing her brows as she thought, before her eyes widened again and she paled. "A-Are you saying... that... h-he...?"

"I'm impressed." Oto turned the page and closed her eyes briefly. "Not only able to sense the auras already, but to differentiate and recognize them."

_No... it can't be true. But she's not denying it..._ She swallowed. _So... he's really... here?_

"Orochimaru... is here?" Natsumi balled her shaking hands. "W-Why? You knew?" She bit her lip and took a step back. "If that's true... we have to tell Lord Third right away!"

Oto's eyes narrowed and a pair of snakes extended from the sleeves of her dress and wrapped around Natsumi, holding her in place.

"What are you doing?" Natsumi wriggled against the snakes and they hissed in her face. "Let me go! The village is in danger—!"

"I've already told you." Oto's eyes darkened and she took a step closer. "You are not permitted to inform the Hokage _anything_ regarding my people, or have you forgotten? That would include your own budding abilities, and the Attuning."

"But..." Natsumi stared at the woman, unable to speak, and then swallowed before she whispered. "Don't you care what happens to this village? To all the people? If he's here, then something terrible will happen."

"As of right now, Oro-chan has yet to do anything so drastic. He's only having a bit of fun. I can feel the intent in his aura." Oto narrowed her eyes at the girl. "As for the village... I am not attached to it in the same way that you are. Being here and cooperating with the Hokage has provided me with ample opportunities and benefits... but my interest in this place would wane if our agreement no longer benefited me."

"Y-You... really are a horrible person." Natsumi bit her lip. "If people die, you won't even care?"

"I have my own personal interests." Oto hissed quietly. "Should Oro-chan begin to interfere with the things I have claimed or the events I have set into motion or altered... he would become my enemy, and I would defend the Leaf— as my territory. However..." She smirked. "I am curious to see what exactly he intends to do here. So, for now, I am allowing him to have his fun."

"You're a monster."

"It's just good business." Oto chuckled. "Now, the real question is... are you going to obey me? Or will you still insist on informing that withered, dithering fool Hiruzen of my former pupil's presence?"

Natsumi clenched her jaw and glared. "People are in danger. Of course I'm going to tell him."

"Pity." Oto frowned and her snakes wrapped tighter around Natsumi. "You leave me no choice." She formed a series of seals and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"W-What are you doing? Let me go!" Natsumi struggled and Oto brought her hands together for the final sign.

"Ensuring your cooperation." Smoke gathered around Oto's hand and she pointed two fingers toward Natsumi's mouth. The smoke shifted and formed a small, black serpent with a seal on its head, then it lashed out at Natsumi and latched onto her tongue. Natsumi let out a muffled scream as it clamped down, and after a moment, vanished into thin air.

The snakes retracted and released Natsumi, and she fell to the ground, writhing and screaming as a mark burned itself into her tongue. Once the seal was complete, the pain subsided and Natsumi sat up slowly, her body still trembling.

"W-What... did you do...?"

Oto laughed and took a puff from her pipe. "A useful Jutsu that I once taught a man named Danzo." Her lips curved in a smirk. "You're free to go now. You won't be able to breathe a word of this to the Hokage... or to anyone else, for that matter."

Natsumi stood and glared, balling her hands into fists until her knuckles whitened. "You... You won't get away with this."

Oto chuckled and exhaled, releasing smoke from her nostrils. "Oh, child. I already have." She waved her hand, manipulating the smoke to swirl around Natsumi. When it cleared, she was standing outside of the building. Natsumi gritted her teeth and slammed her fists against the door, pressing her nails into her palms.

"I hate you, Oto! Do you understand?! I hate you!"

She lowered her fists and turned to look in the direction of the forest of death, narrowing her eyes.

_Maybe I can't tell anyone that he's here... but that doesn't mean that I'm just going to let him do whatever he wants._

She glanced over her shoulder to the building and glared.

_And I'm definitely going to do whatever I can to get in her way._


	87. Chapter 85: The Sharingan Revived

"Sasuke!" Sakura swallowed and her brows furrowed. "Naruto's certainly different from you, Sasuke. He's a klutz and he gets in the way. But at least he's not a coward! Not even a little bit! Right? Isn't that right?"

Sasuke finally blinked and his eyes refocused and he looked at Sakura. He averted his eyes and clenched his fists, then closed his eyes as a face appeared in his head. _"Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, resent me, hate me, and…"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth and balled his fists tighter. _"continue to live your ugly, pathetic life. Flee. Flee and cling to your life."_

Sasuke furrowed his brows and opened his eyes, revealing his Sharingan _"No!"_

"Hmph." Shiore put a hand on his hip and smirked as Sasuke's eyes changed. _"As expected of the Uchiha clan… his blood has begun to stir. I should take my time and confirm his true power."_

"Sasuke!" Sakura smiled and her eyes widened slightly at his shift.

Shiore's smirk grew and he laughed loudly. The summoning snake vanished in a cloud of smoke, which blinded Sakura and Sasuke. When it dispersed, Shiore stood on a branch above Sasuke and he glared up at the man.

Sasuke drew a Kunai and bit the blade and held it between his teeth. _"I have to live so that I can kill my older brother… that's what I thought. But it's me who was being stupid" _He furrowed his brows. _"Naruto! Sakura! How can someone who can't put his life on the line at a time like this… ever beat that man?!"_

Sasuke ran at Shiore and jumped toward him. Shiore chuckled and held up a one-handed sign and then swiped both arms quickly to the side to create a large burst of wind in all directions. From above, Sasuke threw a volley of Shuriken and Kunai at the man, who dodged them all easily by shifting his body only slight. Sasuke landed on a branch and pushed off from it to get in close and throw a kick.

Shiore blocked each kick with his arms and Sasuke twisted in the air to maneuver behind Shiore to dodge a strike. Shiore rushed at the boy as Sasuke ran at them and they exchanged blows.

_"I can see."_ Sasuke dodged a kick and threw one of his own. Shiore leapt up to avoid it and landed behind the boy. With a smirk, he moved faster and vanished, then ran around Sasuke as if in a blur. His body shifted to a serpentine lower body and he moved around on the branches, slithering and zipping as he watched Sasuke intently. _"I can see!"_

Shiore lunged at Sasuke and he dodged, forcing Shiore to strike the branch instead. It cracked and shattered from the impact and Sasuke formed a series of hand signs as he fell, then landed on the ground and held up his hand to his lips. He sucked in a breath and exhaled. _"I can see you!"_

Fire burst from his lips at Shiore, and then he took in a larger breath and opened his mouth wide once more. Flames erupted out and swirled around the man in a large tornado. Shiore held up his arms as he smirked.

The fire dissipated and Shiore burst out of the ground in front of Sasuke and swiped at him. Sasuke jumped back to put distance between them, slowly exhaling as he caught his breath. He held out his out hand and pointed his fingertips at his opponent.

_"He's pretty good…"_ Shiore smirked. _"You foretell my movements and your aim is sure. You can see my moves, can't you?"_

* * *

Anko moved through the forest and stopped to scan the area. _"The sun is starting to set… I must find him quickly! Once it becomes completely dark, my disadvantage will increase. But why in the world right now… what's his goal?" _She narrowed her eyes. _"Well, that's fine… He came to this village. I'll settle this here and now."_

* * *

Sasuke ran at Shiore, who slammed his hands down onto the branch. A large gust of wind shot towards him and the branch snapped and split, creaking as it slowly fell. Sasuke dodged and landed on another branch, holding on with his Chakra concentrated to his feet. Then, he pushed off and grabbed Shiore, wrapping his arms around the man's torso into a fall.

"I got you!"

Shiore hit a branch far below with his head with a loud snap and the branch cracked from the impact. Shiore's scream stopped suddenly and his body went limp, and Sasuke released him and backed away, watching him carefully. His eyes widened slightly as Shiore's eyes blinked and he trembled. His mouth opened wide and his body shifted to mud and splattered.

"A substitution!" Sasuke quickly looked to the side and dodged a volley of Kunai and jumped down. He pulled a wire between his hands, hooking it onto a thick branch, and then swung with to maneuver around the enormous tree. He landed on another tree and looked around cautiously.

Shiore emerged from a shadow and ran at him and landed a heavy punch to Sasuke's face. Sasuke staggered back as Shiore continue to strike him, punching his gut and bringing his knee hard into his chest. He grabbed the boy's hair and punched him in the fake again, knocking him back several meters where he collapsed.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's eyes widened as she caught up and looked down at him from a higher branch.

Shiore slowly walked forward toward the boy and stopped in front of him. "Hmph! You are too easy. The Uchiha name is crying." His eyes narrowed. "That's alright. I'll just take my time and play with you before I kill you… like a worm."

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly and the three tiny bombs he'd stuck on Shiore's clothes sparked and went off, knocking Shiore off-balance and he fell to his knees. Sasuke quickly got up and leapt into the air and threw Shuriken at the man. Shiore's eyes widened at the wires attached to the Shuriken and Sasuke smirked and tugged on the wires to direct the Shuriken's path. They looped around the tree and Shiore turned to look at them.

_"This is the Sharingan Triple Windmill Attack!"_ The wires tensed and trapped Shiore against the trunk.

Sasuke formed a series of hand signs and furrowed his brows as he held a wire between his teeth. _"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"_ Flames erupted from his mouth at Shiore, burning through his body and the tree as his screams echoed through the forest.

"He did it!" Sakura smiled as she watched Sasuke's attack until the fire slowly died away. Sasuke slouched forward, his breathing ragged as he tried to catch his breath, and Sakura ran over to him. "Sasuke! You did it!"

His body trembled slightly as he gasped for air and Sakura frowned and reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Are you okay? Hang on."

Shiore stepped forward and snapped the wires, smirking as he looked up and hit his fist against his palm. Their bodies tensed and Sakura fell as Sasuke shot a glare at the man.

"Paralysis?" Sasuke muttered and struggled to move as he was frozen in place. _"This is a different technique than the one that Natsumi used before… and on a much different level."_

"I didn't expect that you'd be able to use the Sharingan this much at your age." Shiore chuckled and put his hands on his hips, with the flesh of his face partially melted off to reveal a pale white face beneath. "You truly are a member of the Uchiha clan. I do want you, after all."

Sasuke let out a scream as he tried to move and his fingers twitched slightly.

"You're definitely his brother." Shiore met his eyes and he chuckled again as Sasuke's eyes widened. "Your eyes hide more ability than Itachi."

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared at Shiore.

Shiore held up their scroll with a smirk. "My name is Orochimaru… If you think that you want to meet me again, desperately climb to the top of this test." The scroll burst into green flames. "Defeat the three Sound Village Ninja under my control."

"The scroll!" Sakura's eyes widened and she furrowed her brows. "You're not making sense at all! We don't want to see your face ever again, got it?!"

"Oh, that won't do." Shiore closed his eyes briefly as he laughed under his breath. He brought his hands together to form a hand sign and his neck extended and shot upward, moving through the air to open his mouth wide. His canines lengthened into sharp fangs and he bit down on the side of Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke grunted in pain, his body stiffening as his eyes widened and his vision blurred. His breath caught in his throat as a gurgling choke and a line of saliva ran from the sides of his lips as Orochimaru clamped down harder before releasing the boy and his neck returned to its normal length and his head fixed itself on his body.

"Sasuke!" Sakura trembled and paled at Sasuke's expression.

Sasuke's heart pounded and three dark tomoe appeared on his skin beside the bite. He screamed and reached up to cover the bite as it throbbed and the burning sensation coursed through his body. He fell to his knees, gurgling and groaning in pain, gasping for air.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's lip quivered and then she looked at the man and glared. "What did you do to Sasuke?"

Orochimaru smirked and held up a finger to his lips. "I gave him a parting gift. Sasuke absolutely would come looking for me… looking for power. I enjoyed seeing your various strengths and techniques." He slowly began to sink into the branch and vanish before their eyes as he spoke. "We will meet again soon, Sasuke."

"Sasuke!" Sakura moved to his side and reached out to touch his shoulder, then drew her hand back. "Hold on, Sasuke. C'mon! We need to get somewhere safer!" She tried to support his weight so that he could sit upright and he gritted his teeth as he followed her lead. "Sasuke…"

He screamed again, unable to move any more and she held onto his hand, and he squeezed it until her fingers whitened.

"Sasuke, come on…" Her voice cracked and her eyes watered. His screaming faded and his eyes closed as he fell unconscious and his head fell into her lap. "S-Sasuke…" Tears streaked down her face and she held him close as she yelled. "…Naruto! Sasuke… Sasuke's…! Naruto!"

A group of crows were disturbed by her shouts and loudly cawed and flew by. Sakura jumped and pulled Sasuke closer as she sniffed and looked upward at the sky.

"…What? What should I do?"

* * *

Orochimaru emerged from a tree and straightened and he glanced upward at the moon overhead before slipping back into the tree once again. Anko ran through the forest, gritting her teeth as she clenched her fists tightly.

_"I can feel it!_" She jumped down from a high branch and landed far below, continuing to race towards the dark sensation. _"He's close by."_

She stopped on a branch and narrowed her eyes at the man's face that remained on the exterior of the tree's trunk. His eye cracked open slightly as she approached and he smirked.

"It's been a while… Anko."

"You're ranked S class, an extremely dangerous person on the most wanted list. That's why I'll kill you here and now even if it costs me my life." She opened her hand and held Senbon between her fingers. "That is my duty as your former subordinate who learned everything from you. Isn't that right, Orochimaru?!"

"No, you can't."

As she drew her hand back to throw the Senbo, he opened his mouth wide and his tongue shot out, stretching strike where she stood. She leapt up out of the way and stood on the side of the tree and furrowed her brows. The tongue followed her and wrapped tightly around her wrist. She dropped the Senbon and tugged against it, only to be pulled down. She landed on her feet and channeled the Chakra to her arm.

"Striking Shadow Snake!"

Four snakes slithered from her sleeve and extended toward Orochimaru to strike the tree that concealed his body and latched onto his limbs.

"I won't let you escape!" She tugged back and pulled him out of the tree and threw him hard against another. The snakes retracted into her sleeve and she pinned him to the tree, sinking a Kunai knife into their hands and into the tree. She smirked faintly and met his eyes. "I've got you... Orochimaru, I'm gonna borrow your left hand."

She laced her right hand with his left and manipulated it to form a hand sign. His eyes widened slightly and looked down at their hands.

"This hand sign…"

"Right… You and I are going to die here." She laughed and narrowed her eyes, then drew in a breath, holding it in as she closed her eyes and channeled her Chakra. _"Ninja Art: Twin Snakes Sacrifice-"_

Orochimaru's laugh cut her off and echoed around them.

"You intend to commit suicide?"

Anko's eyes widened and she shuddered, his voice suddenly behind her. She looked over her shoulder at his wide smirk as he reached up to grab the melted face and tore it off to reveal his own.

"Substitution." He chuckled and the clouds shifted to uncover the moon and illuminate the area. Anko trembled and looked at the copy she had cornered. It reverted to mud and splattered and his laughing grew louder. "As you are a Special Jonin of the village, you can't be using that forbidden Jutsu I taught you."

He stepped toward her and she gritted her teeth and met his eyes, still pinned to the tree with her own Kunai. She reached up to pull the Kunai free and bit her as blood dripped from the wound and she threw the knife at him. He caught it between his fingers and narrowed his eyes.

"I told you it wouldn't work." He formed a one-hand seal and her body paralyzed. He tossed the Kunai aside and approached her as she glared at him.

"W-Why… have you come now?"

"It's our reunion after so long and you're awfully cold."

"Don't tell me… you came to assassinate Lord Hokage?"

"No, no…" He chucked and held up a hand. "I don't have enough subordinates for that yet… I've heard of the excellent ones of this village and thought I'd put dibs on them."

Anko grunted and bent forward as she trembled and her hand slowly rose to cover the mark on the back of her neck as pain radiated from it. She collapsed her knees in front of him and he watched her expression contort in pain.

"A little while ago, I gave that same Curse Mark as a present." Orochimaru knelt in front of Anko and she gritted her teeth and met his eyes. "There's a kid that I want."

"You're so selfish as always." Anko glared. "That kid will die."

"Certainly… the odds are one in ten that he'll die, but he may survive just as you did."

"That kid… you really like him, huh?" She narrowed her eyes and smirked slightly.

Orochimaru chuckled and reached out to stroke her cheek. "Are you jealous? Hey… Are you still holding a grudge that I used you and threw you away?"

Anko clenched her jaw and he smirked.

"Unlike you, that kid will excel. For one thing… he inherited the Uchiha's Sharingan. He has beautiful features and is a vessel that can become my heir. If that kid lives, it will make things interesting." He stood and licked his lips. "So, be sure not to cancel this test." He turned and began to walk away as he continued to speak. "Three people from my village are also under your care. Make me enjoy it. And if something happens to deprive me of my fun, consider it the end of the Leaf."

He disappeared in a burst of violet flame and Anko was left alone, wide-eyed as her body still trembled.

* * *

Tenten, Lee, and Neji rested at the base of a tree near a river. Tenten drank from her bamboo canister as Lee adjusted the bandages wrapped around his hands.

"We've secured food and water after spending half a day and now most teams have halted activity." Neji sat on a stone, holding a Kunai between two fingers as he swung it back and forth slowly. "As we planned, this is the time that we attack. We'll split up and go scouting. However, whether we find other teams or not, we'll return to this place. Got it?"

Neji stood and flipped the Kunai, then caught it before throwing it down into the ground beside his feet.

"Okay." Tenten nodded.

"Roger!" Rock Lee raised his hand in a salute and stood.

"Alright. Scatter." Neji raised his arm and the three jumped in separate directions.

* * *

Sasuke's face twisted in pain as he slept and a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Sakura frowned and touched his forehead for a moment and then rested her hand on her lap.

"His breathing is gradually becoming regular… but he still has a terrible fever." Her eyes rested on Naruto, who lay unconscious beside Sasuke. She sighed and clutched the bottom of her dress. _"I have to protect them both."_

* * *

Anko sat on a rock and wrapped a bandage around her hand and rested her hands on her knees once she had finished. Her eyes rested on the ground and she pressed her lips together to form a line.

_"I have to tell Lord Hokage about this right away."_

She stood and started to walk slowly across the field before stopping and narrowing her eyes at the bushes in front of her. A large tiger watched her from the shadows, narrowing its eyes and emitting a low growl from its throat. It approached her with its fangs beared and Anko gritted her teeth.

_"Damn. At a time like this!"_ She turned to see another tiger approaching from behind, and the pair slowly circled her as a third approached. She stepped back until she was pinned against a rock formation and the largest of the animals stood before her, blocking the moonlight with its oversized form.

Anko reached for a Kunai but stopped, wincing and grunting in pain as her mark throbbed. She covered it with her hand as the pain coursed through her. The tiger roared and reared his head back for a bite but was knocked down with a groan. The other tigers hissed and growled angrily as they were frozen in place.

"This is the Paralysis Jutsu."

"So you're here, Anko."

She turned to see two ANBU agents standing on top of a tree nearby. They jumped down, one crouching on the rock beside her, while the other stood nearby. She looked between them and furrowed her brows.

"You're pretty late for ANBU Black Ops."

"Well, don't say that." The bird-masked man shrugged slightly.

Anko grabbed at her mark again, doubling over as the pain surged once more and she fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Hey, are you alright?" The bird-masked man knelt in front of her and his eyes widened slightly as he looked to her neck. "Huh? T-This is…! The curse mark is appearing… Don't tell me…?!"

The taller man frowned and stepped closer. "Is it Orochimaru?"

"What, really?" The bird-masked man clenched his fists. "Now that it's come to this, we'll take you to Lord Hokage."

"No, take me to the tower." Anko grimaced and sat up, still trembling.

"What are you saying?" The cat-masked man looked down at her. "The moment Orochimaru comes to this village, a strict alert is issued. It's more urgent than continuing the Exam."

"I know…" She clenched her jaw and looked down for a moment. "I'll tell the whole story later, so please call for Lord Hokage."

The masked men looked between each other and the bird-masked agent turned back to her.

"Actually, there is something that Lord Hokage also wanted to speak to you about..."

* * *

Sakura sat upright at Sasuke's side, slouched over slightly as she slept. The three Sound Genin gazed down from atop a tree at the raised roots where Team Seven rested and Dosu laughed under his breath.

"I found you." He glanced toward Kin, who put her hand on her hip. "As Orochimaru ordered, we'll wait for daybreak to do it. Sasuke Uchiha is our target, not the others."

"If they get in our way, it's okay to kill the other two, right?" Zaku crossed his arms.

"Of course." Dosu replied and turned his attention back to Team Seven.

The birds began to chirp as the sun rose. Sakura's eyes fluttered opened slowly as the light shone through the roots above. She blinked and looked up at the light as it grew brighter and the morning mist dissipated, then she sighed lightly and looked over at Sasuke and Naruto, who were still asleep.

_"We made it through the night…"_


	88. Chapter 86: Trust and Tactics

A small sound awakened Hiruzen and his eyes opened and he turned to look at the open window, where an ANBU agent knelt.

"Pardon the intrusion, Lord Hokage. But there is something you must see right away. It's regarding the Abe incident."

The old man sat up and nodded, then stood to put on his Hokage cloak.

"By all means, lead the way."

* * *

The masked man led the Hokage to a small room in the ANBU compound and the old man blinked at the woman there.

"Kiri. You've returned."

"Lord Third." She bowed her head and stepped aside to reveal a young girl wrapped in a blanket.

"Who is this?" Hiruzen took a step toward the girl, who was trembling and wide-eyed.

"This is Kanna." Kiri answered softly. "She's a survivor."

"Survivor?" He repeated and closed his eyes briefly. "I take it that the situation was graver than we had thought."

"You could say that." Kiri bit her lip and knelt to touch the girl's shoulder. "It's alright. You're safe here, and Lord Hokage is a kind man. You don't have to worry."

Kanna nodded and Kiri looked back at the Hokage.

"Yuuri told me that you would recognize this right away." Kiri carefully moved the blanket from the girl to reveal her neck and the man's eyes widened.

"That mark..." His expression shifted and his brows furrowed as he met the girl's eyes. "How did you receive that mark?"

"I-I don't know." Her lip quivered. "The other kids and I... our heads were covered. I heard them scream and cry... and then something bit my neck." She bit her lip and her eyes watered. "It hurt so much... I thought I was dying."

"Did you hear any names spoken?" The old man pressed. "Did you see any faces?"

"N-No..." The girl shook her head. "After a long time, someone did come back in... he took off our hoods and looked at us." She swallowed. "But... I was only half awake, and my vision was blurry... so I didn't see what they looked like. He said that the others were dead, and that I was dying. Someone in the doorway called us failures, and they left. After that... I fell asleep but I thought that I really died..."

Kanna turned to Kiri and wrapped the blanket around herself more tightly. "Where's Koji? Can I see him now?"

"Koji?" He raised his brow and met Kiri's eyes.

"Her brother." Kiri answered. "Another survivor."

"Brother?" Hiruzen repeated. "Does he also possess a mark?"

Kiri shook her head. "He's only a baby."

"I see." The man frowned and stroked his beard. _"This is more serious than I had thought. If he is behind this... we must not be careless and allow any stone to go unturned."_

"You." Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder to the masked man, who dropped to his knee and bowed his head. "Have a room prepared in my estate for this girl and her brother to stay in. They are to be fed and examined right away, and select four from your team to guard them. Then, gather team Ro. They are to immediately go to the Abe estate. This incidence has been escalated to S rank."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." The man stood.

"Also... have Anko Mitarashi come to me as soon as you can." Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back. "We will need her expertise."

"Right away." The man disappeared and Hiruzen turned back to Kiri, who kept her arm around the girl.

"Lord Third..." Kiri eyes narrowed slightly and her tone turned serious. "What exactly does this mark mean?"

He frowned slightly and his eyes rested on the young girl's frightened eyes. "It means that the one behind the tragedy of the Abe estate was none other than... Orochimaru."

Kiri's eyes widened and she drew the girl closer. "No..."

"Who's that?" Kanna whispered and looked at Kiri.

"A very bad man." Kiri gritted her teeth and looked downward. _"This isn't good at all..." _She reached up to touch the girl's shoulder. "I'll go get your brother now. Thank you for being so patient. You're safe now."

Kiri stood and walked toward the door, pulling the Hokage aside as she lowered her voice.

"Do you think he's going to come looking for her?"

"If he believes that she truly died... then she will be safe." He glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye. "However... if there is even a small seed of doubt in his mind, then there is no telling what he will do. The best course of action will be to keep her well-guarded. The same applies to the Prince as well."

Kiri nodded slowly. "What could be possibly be planning? For all this to happen so close to home..."

"I'll have as many of the Jonin out on missions return at once that we can. We must be prepared for whatever could happen, but without raising the alarm and causing any panic. For now, there is little we can do but prepare and wait"

"This doesn't bode well..." Kiri crossed her arms. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I, but I am prepared to defend this village until my final breath."

* * *

The Hokage frowned deeply and remained quiet for a long time after Anko finished explaining the encounter with Orochimaru, and he stroked his beard.

_"This is worse than I could have imagined. First, the Abe incident, and now this. If we cancel the exams or interfere with them in any way, there is no doubt that he will make good on his threat. However, if we do nothing, there is no telling what else he might do next."_

Several ANBU agents stood around the room quietly and he turned to Anko, who held her hand over her mark and stood in silence as the Hokage thought.

"Anko." She blinked and looked at him, then he continued. "What is it that you recommend that we do?"

Anko furrowed her brows and gritted her teeth. "I'd like to say that we should stop the Exams and raise the alarm ... but... we don't know his numbers, or their abilities. It's clear that he's planned this for some time, and we'd be risking the safety of the entire village if we don't heed his warning." She balled her hand into a tight fist. "The only thing we can do now is to let the Exams continue as scheduled. We can try to add more surveillance, but even that might set him off."

"I agree." Hiruzen exhaled slowly and closed his eyes briefly. "We will allow things to proceed as usual, while gathering as much information as we can. With any luck, there may be clues at the Abe estate regarding Orochimaru's plans." He turned to Ibiki, who stood in the back of the group with his arms crossed. "Ibiki, have you discovered anything significant in the Prince's memories?"

"Nothing yet." Ibiki shook his head. "Inoichi is still searching, and every conversation and detail is being recorded. If there is any information of use, we haven't found it yet."

The old man sighed quietly and stroked his beard once again.

"What about those two?" Kiri stepped forward and crossed her arms, looking at the Hokage. "If there's anyone who might know more than we do... or at least be able to investigate without raising any alarms, it'd be one of those two."

"Hmph." Ibiki looked at Kiri and frowned slightly. "You mean that woman? Can we really put our trust in her?"

"She's been around far longer than any of us here." Kiri turned to look at him. "As questionable as her loyalty may be, there's no one else with as much experience." She narrowed her eyes. "And, I'd trust her over _Danzo_ any day."

Ibiki opened his mouth to reply and a man stepped into the room from the shadows and cleared his throat.

"Miss Ueno, is this really the time to voice your unfounded loathing of me?" Danzo's cane quietly tapped against the ground as he walked and Kiri gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

Kiri turned quickly to glare at him. "What the hell are _you—"_

"Kiri." Hiruzen cut her off sharply and she bit her lip. "If you cannot hold your tongue and remain civil, I would have you remove yourself from this room. Is that understood?"

She clenched her fists tighter until her knuckles whitened.

"Is that understood?"

"...Yes, Lord Third." Kiri muttered through gritted teeth and stepped as Danzo walked past her to approach the Hokage. Danzo's eyes moved from her to the Hokage and he rested both hands on his cane.

"I understand the situation." Danzo nodded at Hiruzen and paused. "I've dispatched a unit of my best to follow up with the investigation of the Abe estate, and I will have a group providing surveillance for the remainder of the Second Exam... in cooperation with your ANBU, of course."

_"Cooperation."_ Kiri narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. _"Say what you mean, you damn prick. You're just interested in getting in the way. You'd love if Hiruzen died. It's your ultimate wet dream, isn't it?"_

"Your organization's... cooperation would be appreciated." Hirzuen watched him carefully and chewed on the end of his pipe.

"To demonstrate my good intentions, I will have one of my best guard that girl miss Ueno has brought."

"No way in hell." Kiri muttered, and Hiruzen met her eyes and silenced her with a look.

"Girl?" Anko put her hand on her hip and turned to the Hokage. "What girl?"

"That is something I also wanted to discuss with you..." Hiruzen turned to her. "She is the recipient of a Curse Mark that Kiri recovered. She was the only child at the estate to survive it."

Anko's eyes widened and she turned to Kiri, then back to the Hokage. "She's here? In the village?"

"She is in a safe location, under adequate ANBU surveillance." Hiruzen nodded.

"If he's the opponent, it won't be adequate." Anko clenched her fist. "If she's here, he knows..." She reached up to touch her own mark. "He can always find us..." She met the old man's eyes. "She's not safe here at all..."

"Allow me to hide her deep within my compound." Danzo kept his eyes on the Hokage. "He will not be able to penetrate our defenses and my agents are more than capable—"

"She will remain under my care for as long that I believe she is sufficiently cared for and protected." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned to Anko once again. "We will follow your advice on the matter of the Second Exam for the time being. And then, once your time as a proctor has ended, you will henceforth be her primary mentor and guardian."

Anko froze in place and blinked. "G-Guardian? Why me? I don't even like little kids much..."

"There is no one else with the firsthand knowledge and experience of the burden of that Mark." He exhaled slowly. "It will be your responsibility to train her to resist it and suppress it. We may still place a Seal over, though it is vital that she learn to not succumb to it. Is this acceptable?"

"I..." Anko crossed her arms and sighed. "Well, it isn't as if I have much of a choice, anyway..."

"That settles it." He took a long puff of his pipe and exhaled a small cloud of smoke. "I shall introduce you to her in the morning." He paused and looked around the room. "Is there anything else that needs to be addressed at this time?"

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen nodded to himself.

"Very well. You are all dismissed for now. Should any of you discover new information, report it to me directly."

Kiri watched as they all filed out, scowling as Danzo met her eyes before he stepped out of the room. Once they were alone, she turned to the Hokage and furrowed her brows.

"You can't trust Danzo." Kiri crossed her arms and frowned slightly. "Especially not with that girl. That scheming bastard just wants her for himself."

"The matter is settled. The girl is to remain in my care. He is aware of that." Hiruzen held his pipe in his hand away from his mouth and met her eyes. "He would not dare to make such an open act of defiance and try to take that girl."

"The hell he wouldn't." Kiri taped her fingers on her arms. "He can't be trusted at all. For all you know, he could be in league with Orochimaru. That man only thinks of himself."

"His methods may not be palatable, but Danzo operates in the best interest of the Leaf."

"In the best interest of himself, you mean." Kiri pressed her nails into her arms. "He operates just within a fine line to make it seem like he really works for the Leaf, but I know damn well that he only cares about his goals. And you should know that, too."

"I understand him well enough, and I also am aware that he and I are different sides of the same coin." Hiruzen let out a short breath. "The leaves cannot bathe in the sunlight without the roots that grow in the dark."

"Yeah, well, the roots of this damn tree are rotted, Hiruzen." Kiri shook her head and muttered. "The more involved you allow him to be during this, the worse off we'll be."

"Allowing him to... cooperate with us on this matter and keeping him close ensures that we can keep a better eye on him."

"Trusting him will be the death of you, mark my words." Kiri let out a sigh and she shook her head again. "You stubborn old man..."

Hiruzen chuckled and returned his pipe to his lips. "I don't intend to ever die so easily. Have some faith in an old man."


	89. Chapter 87: Bushy Brow's Pledge!

Sakura reached up to grab a clean cloth from a small branch and poured water over it, wringing it out slightly before removing the cloth on Sasuke's forehead and replacing it with the fresh cloth. He winced in his sleep, and his body trembled as sweat accumulated on his face. Sakura placed her hand over the cloth on his head and frowned, then stood and hung the cloth on the branch to let it dry. She let out a small sigh and sat back down at his side, glancing between Sasuke and Naruto. After a while, her eyes slowly closed as she started to slouch until she fell asleep sitting upright. She jumped and her eyes burst open and she shook her head.

_"I can't fall asleep... I need to protect these two."_ Her eyes slowly closed against her will and her breathing slowed. After some time, Naruto blinked and slowly sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes. Sakura's eyes burst open and she looked up at him.

"I slept great!"

"Naruto!" Sakura smiled broadly and he turned to her. Sasuke sat up a moment later, removing the cloth from his forehead and looking around. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke blinked and met Sakura's eyes. "Did you take care of us?"

"Thank you, Sakura! We're totally all better because of you!" Naruto grinned and rubbed his head.

Sakura's eyes watered and she wiped her cheeks as she smiled. "That's great..."

A rustling in the brush behind them made her gasp and she turned to see Orochimaru standing there observing them with a smirk.

"Prey must always stay tense and flee desperately in front of the predator!"

His neck extended and rushed at her, shifting into the head of a serpent as Sasuke and Naruto spoke to each other without noticing. Sakura turned to warn them, but could not speak. She trembled and touched her throat as no sounds came out. _"My voice is gone!"_

The snake's large head drew closer and its mouth opened wide, swallowing Sasuke and Naruto in a single gulp as she screamed.

Sakura awoke with a jump and she shuddered and hugged her arms close, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She turned quickly around to look over Sasuke and Naruto, who still remained unconscious, and let out a small sigh.

_"It was just a dream..."_ She looked around them, then above at the branches far above where birds chirped and sung loudly as they darted around. _"Is it daybreak already?"_

The bush behind her trembled and she gasped. _"No! No way!"_ She reached for a Kunai and held it in her hands as she shook and slowly turned to look over her shoulder at the disturbance. A small squirrel hopped out from the bush and gnawed on an acorn in its paws, and Sakura's eye twitched as she let out a deep sigh.

_"A squirrel? Don't surprise me like that."_

The squirrel ran towards Sakura and she threw the Kunai in front of it, blocking its path. It screeched in fear and turned to run back into the undergrowth.

_"That was close."_

* * *

"Do you think she noticed?" Zaku glanced over at Dosu and Kin, then back to the scurrying rodent. "That Paper Bomb we put on the squirrel..."

"No, that's not it." Dosu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Huh?" Zaku blinked and turned to him again. "Then what? What was it?"

"We'll probably find out if we go closer." Dosu answered, his eyes remaining on the pink-haired girl through the bush. "So... we should get going now."

* * *

Rock Lee moved quickly through the trees, leaping from branch to branch before gripping one and swinging upward to land on another branch in a crouch. A soft wind blew and leaves floated down from the canopy and he clenched his fist and furrowed his eyes in determination.

_"If I can catch all twenty of these leaves before they hit the ground, Sakura will start to like me. If... If I can't catch even one of the leaves... it'll be an unrequited love forever. Or, rather... 'you're too bushy!' that's what she'll say!"_

Tears streaked his cheeks and he clenched his fists tighter as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the tears had stopped and his eyes burned with intensity. He cried out in determination and leapt off the branch and began to grab the leaves out of the air.

"One. Two. Three. Four..." He twisted his body to grab another cluster of leaves. "Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nine— Gah!" As he reached for another, he slammed into a low branch and grunted in pain. He blinked and looked down as a leaf drifted toward the ground. "One more!"

Lee sat up and slipped back down, falling toward the ground to reach for the final leaf and he turned to look in the direction of a startled squeak.

"That's...!"

A squirrel squeaked and whimpered as it thrashed around, a small fire spreading over its back. Lee changed direction and quickly picked up the animal and removed the tag from its back.

"Phew! Just in time." Lee smiled at the squirrel, who blinked at him and rubbed its face with its paws. He crushed the tag in his hand, putting out the fire and a small tendril of smoke rose from the paper. "This is called a Paper Bomb and it explodes after some time." He paused and furrowed his brows. "Who did such an awful thing to you?"

* * *

Neji stopped walking and looked around, his eyes resting on a cluster of bushes. "Stop hiding and come out."

Team Ten's eyes widened and Ino gulped.

"Shoot! We scrambled to hide, too!" Ino looked at Shikamaru from the corner of her eye.

"Man, he's a damn pain and now we've been discovered." Shikamaru furrowed his brows and then let out a sigh.

"Strategy One, 'hide and let it pass' was a failure." Ino hung her head slightly, then looked at Choji. "So now we carry out Strategy two!"

"Huh?" Choji gulped and turned to her as he whispered. "Are you serious?"

"What? Do you have a problem with it?" Ino furrowed her brows. "It's got no question of success."

"I guess it's all right, but..." Shikamaru scratched his cheek.

A moment later, the team emerged from the bushes and Ino held her cheek in her hand, speaking with a higher-pitched lilt to her voice.

"Wow! To meet last year's Number One rookie, Neji Hyuga, in a place like this!"

"C-Could I have your autograph?" Shikamaru's fists clenched as he mimicked her tone.

"So, it's just you three?" Neji put his hand on his hip and looked at them.

_"Take that!" _Ino smiled flirtatiously and adjusted her ponytail with a smile as she kept her eyes on Neji. _"Plan B, 'head over heels infatuation with my sex appeal!'"_ She pulled out her hair band, letting her hair cascade freely down and she winked at him. "I'd been wanting to meet you for some time, you know?"

"Get lost!" Neji frowned slightly and turned to walk away, and Ino's eye twitched.

_"W-Why?!"_ She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. _"Why doesn't my sexiness work?! That pisses me off! Darn it!"_

Neji stopped walking and kept his back to her. "Did you just raise your fists to me, and does that mean you want to fight?"

"What?" Ino paled and stood rigid in place, lowering her arms quickly to rub the back of her head and laugh sheepishly. "N-No! Of course not."

"Then get lost." Neji furrowed his brows and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Stealing a scroll from cowardly wimps like you would only make me the laughingstock of the village."

"Okay!" Ino laughed under her breath, then she ran into the bushes to hide again, followed quickly by Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hmph." Neji turned and closed his eyes briefly as he started to walk once more. "...Just like cockroaches."

Team Ten caught their breath, back in hiding and Shikamaru let out a short breath.

_"Just as I thought. A fellow like that wouldn't take a scroll from wimps like us unless we were to turn on him."_

"Alright!" Ino stood and smirked as she tied her hair back into a ponytail and laughed. "Let's go find some wimps!"

"Like I've been saying, there's no one wimpier than us..." Shikamaru sighed as she ignored him and continued to laugh.

* * *

Sakura struggled to stay awake and her eyes closed against her will as her body slouched forward.

"So, a no-sleep lookout?"

Sakura's eyes widened at the voice, followed by a chuckle and she turned to see the three Sound Genin standing in the clearing.

"But, it's not necessary anymore." Dosu chuckled again and narrowed his eyes slightly at the pink-haired girl. "Wake Sasuke up. We want to battle with him."

_"Y-You..."_ Sakura gritted her teeth and furrowed her brows, balling her hands into tight fists on her lap. She reached for the sheath on her thigh as she stood, her hands trembling. "What're you saying? What is it you're after? I know the one called Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows!"

Their eyes widened and Kin took a step back in surprise.

"W-What?!"

"What's with that strange bruise on the back of Sasuke's neck?" Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked between them. "You guys did this to Sasuke, so how can you say that you want to fight him?!"

"I wonder... what he has on his mind?" Dosu mused to himself, averting his eyes from her momentarily.

"Whatever it is, I can't stay quiet after hearing that." Zaku's lips twitched in a smirk. "I'll kill this girl, then I'll also kill this Sasuke guy." He stood from where he had been sitting on a large rock and put his hand on his hip.

"Wait, Zaku." Dosu glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"Huh? What is it?" Zaku turned to look at his teammate, who took several steps forward.

"It's a little cliché..." Dosu crouched down and placed his palm on the ground. "It's the color of dirt that's just been dug up. This grass, it doesn't grow in a place like this, does it?"

_"Darn!" _Sakura clenched her jaw as she watched Dosu lift up the patch up grass.

"You know, when it comes to traps... there's no point unless you make it so that it's not discovered."

"Heh. How ridiculous!" Zaku laughed shortly. "So, that Kunai knife was so the squirrel wouldn't be caught in the trap?"

Dosu tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "We kill her now!"

They leapt into the air and Sakura smirked faintly, holding her Kunai to a hidden wire and cut it. A thick log swung down at them from a high branch and their eyes widened.

"A log?!" Zaku's mouth gaped and Dosu looked at his teammates.

"A trap above, too? Watch out! ...Just kidding." He chuckled and pressed his palm to the log, holding up a one-handed seal as he channeled his Chakra. The log burst apart and they turned their attention back to Sakura.

"W-What?" She held up her Kunai.

"Clearly you have no talent." Dosu chuckled as they drew closer to the girl. "Someone like you needs to make more of an effort or else!"

Sakura's eyes watered as she trembled and she shut her eyes as they were about to strike.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee kicked the three Sound Ninja hard, sending them flying back across the area before he landed on his feet in front of Sakura with one closed hand behind his back and an open hand held out in front of him.

"What?" Sakura blinked and opened her eyes as she lowered her Kunai. "I-It's him..."

"Then you also should... make an effort!" Lee furrowed his brows as the three got to their feet.

"Who are you?" Dosu narrowed his eyes at Lee, looking him over.

"I'm the beautiful green beast of the Leaf Village, Rock Lee!"

"Why are you here?" Sakura pressed her lips together and rested her hands on her lap.

"I will always appear... whenever you're in trouble!" Lee smirked slightly and furrowed his brows at Dosu as he reached up to gently scratch the chin of the squirrel on his shoulder.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and Lee stooped down to set the squirrel onto the grass beside him.

"Or, should I say... It was really because of this guy." He smiled at the squirrel, who looked up at him. "Now, run along."

The squirrel squeaked at him before hopping away to hide in the cavity in the tree's roots with Sakura.

"But, right now... aren't I also your enemy?" Sakura looked back at Lee, who smiled faintly at her.

"I did say this once before, didn't I?" He paused and glanced at her from over his shoulder. "That... I'll protect you until I die."

"O-Oh..." Sakura blushed slightly and she averted her eyes. "T-Thanks."

_"Yes!"_ Lee smiled to himself, tears flowing down his face. _"Perfect! I did it! Guy Sensei, that was perfect!"_

Dosu held up his scroll to show his new opponent. "I guess it can't be helped..." He paused and looked over his shoulder and tossed the scroll to him. "Zaku, I'll give you Sasuke." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill the others.

Lee looked at Sakura from the corner of his eye. _"As far as I can tell, Sakura is in no condition to fight."_

"_That bushy-browed guy is pretty proficient with Taijutsu..."_ Dosu slid up his sleeves to reveal the bracers on his arms. _"Looks like I can have some fun!"_

Dosu ran at Lee and Sakura furrowed her brows and threw her Kunai at the ground near his feet. Lee stuck his right hand into the ground, ripping up a large root to block Dosu's strike, which cracked and shattered part of the root.

"There is a trick to your attack, isn't there?" Lee watched Dosu carefully. "I won't just simply avoid it." Dosu's eyes widened slightly and Lee continued. "You showed me your Jutsu before."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Lee from where she sat. _"This guy... he's so strong."_

_"Having said that, the odds aren't good since it's one versus three. I'm going to have to take a chance."_ Lee furrowed his brows and looked between the three Sound Ninja. _"One person at a time... I'll give it my all and take each of them down!"_

* * *

Choji sat on a branch taking large bites of peaches, chewing loudly before quickly finishing the fruit and starting on another as Ino groaned at Shikamaru down below.

"Aw man! There's no one at all that seems wimpy!" Ino adjusted her ponytail and Shikamaru crossed his arms, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, the only team that's weaker than us is the Naruto team."

"Idiot!" Ino balled her hand into a fist and glared at him. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"What?"

"There's no question that Naruto and Sakura are lame!" She held up a finger. "But that team has the super-cute, super-strong genius Sasuke!"

"Heh." Shikarmaru looked away. "I wonder..." He turned back to her. "In actual battle, that genius might easily be beaten."

"What?!" Ino clenched her fists tighter and her eye twitched.

Shikamaru sighed quietly and rolled his eyes. "All right, all right... I apologize for irritating you." He sighed quietly again. _"What a drag... I say one negative thing about Sasuke and I get the evil eye, every single time..."_

"There's no way Sasuke could be taken down!" Ino huffed and held out her hands, and then crossed her arms. "Hmph! But Sakura is a different matter, though!"

"I heard that someone actually did beat Sasuke, though." Shikamaru rubbed this inside of his ear with his little finger.

"H-Huh?!" Ino blinked and gritted her teeth again. "Impossible! That's just a dirty rumor that someone jealous of Sasuke probably was spreading around!"

"Well, I overheard Asuma-sensei talking about it with the other senseis." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Who was it, then? I'll go find them and beat them to a pulp for lying like that!"

"Apparently, it was that girl Natsumi." Shikamaru smirked faintly.

"Natsumi...?" Ino paled slightly and gulped. _"That redhead girl from before?! Who moved so fast that I couldn't even see her until she had already blocked me and Sakura's punches?"_ She bit her lip and looked down. _"N-No way... even being that fast or strong, there's no way that she could beat Sasuke. Not a chance."_

"Yeah." Shikamaru shrugged again. "Apparently, it was a three-on-one fight with Team Seven, and she beat them all in under twenty minutes."

Ino's mouth gaped and she shook her head and crossed her arms. "N-No way! Now I know you're just making stuff up!"

"Whatever." Shikamaru waved his hand. "Just ask Asuma-sensei about it once we get out of this forest."

Choji took another large bite of peach and swallowed, bringing the fruit to his mouth again for another bite when he stopped and narrowed his eyes to looked out "Huh?" His eyes widened slightly and he looked down at his teammates. "Sasuke is unconscious."

"W-What?!" Ino looked up at Choji and put her hands on her hips.

"...And Sakura is fighting."

"What did you say?!" Ino jumped to stand beside Choji on the branch, followed by Shikamaru. The lifted their hands to their eyes to block out the sunlight and squinted to get a better look. Her eyes widened and Her mouth gaped again. "H-Hey!"

* * *

"He's late." Tenten rested her hands on her hips and stood beside the Kuani in the ground with Neji. "That Lee..." She paused and looked around. "Something's not right. He's always precise about time. Perhaps he ran into the enemy..."

Neji closed his eyes briefly and Tenten let out a sigh.

"Could it be...?" She furrowed her brows.

"Hmph." Neji smirked faintly. "That wouldn't have happened." He opened his eyes and turned to her. "In any case, let's find Lee."

"Right!" Tenten nodded and they leapt up to a branch and started moved through the trees quickly.

* * *

_A large log split in half and Lee jumped up in excitement, crying as he grinned._

_"Yes! I've finally mastered it! Yes! I did it!"_

_"My friends! There's no reason to give up on your youth!" Guy grinned and held up a thumbs-up at his student._

_Neji and Tenten stood at the side, resting their hands on their knees as they caught their breath and Lee continued to cheer._

"This Jutsu... in the end, only Lee could make it his own."_ Guy crossed his arms and smiled as Lee jumped around. "Hey, Lee."_

_"Woohoo! I did it! I really did it!"_

_"Lee!"_

_"When I try, I really succeed!"_

_"Lee!"_

_Lee whooped again and spun in a circle and Guy pulled his fast back, then suddenly punched his pupil in the face and knocked him to the ground. "Hey, Lee!"_

_Lee lifted himself from the ground and rubbed his cheek. "Guy-Sensei..."_

_"Listen to this passionate message from your teacher!"_

_"Oh..." Lee sniffed and wiped his eyes, then turned to look up at him. __ "What is it?! Please tell me using hip words."_

_Tenten stared with her mouth gaped wide as Neji sighed and squinted his eyes, frowning._

_"Lee, this Jutsu, the "Lotus," it will be considered henceforth as a forbidden Jutsu."_

_"W-What?!" Lee's eyes widened and his tears dried. He stood and ran up to Guy, holding up his hands. "What do you mean?"_

_Guy put a hand on his hip. "This Jutsu poses a great burden on the cells of the muscles, thus making it a kind of Self-sacrificing technique. Humans normally utilize, at most, twenty percent of the power that their muscles have. Do you understand? Only twenty percent." He narrowed his eyes. "And if nearly one-hundred percent of that power is used, the muscles themselves will deteriorate. So, the brain usually controls the power output. However, this Jutsu forces the brain's limiter to go off by using Chakra, allowing for high-speed continuous Taijutsu. In other words, this is a dangerous Jutsu which relies on a secret technique that brings forth power to the limit of one's body. As such, the only time it is all right to use this Jutsu is when a certain condition is met..."_

_Lee raised a hand in salute and nodded. "So... What condition is that?"_

_"Are you ready? Take this to heart..." Guy paused and closed his eyes for a moment. "The condition is..."_

* * *

Neji gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow as he remembered. _"The condition is..."_

* * *

_"Guy-sensei..."_ Lee slowly began to unwrap his bandages with his head bowed slightly. _"I will utilize that Jutsu without reserve. Because this is the time that you said..."_

Dosu rushed at Lee, who met his eyes and held up a one-handed sign.

"When protecting someone precious to you!" Lee disappeared and Dosu's eyes widened and he stopped, looking around.

"He's gone?!"

Lee reappeared beneath Dosu, sending a hard kick straight up at his jaw that lifted him from the ground. Lee pushed off with his hand and launched himself into the air behind Dosu.

"This is just the beginning!" Lee's bandages wrapped around Dosu entirely, and Lee wrapped his arms around him, propelling him into a spin as they rapidly descended.

"Oh no!" Zaku's eyes widened as he watched his teammate. "There's no way he can break his fall!" He formed several hand signs and counted under his breath as he monitored their fall.

"Take this!" Lee spun him faster until the air channeled around them to form a small tornado. "Primary Lotus!"

Zaku finished the last hand sign and slammed his fists into the ground as Lee and Dosu slammed into the ground. Lee jumped to the side at the last minute, then looked back with his teeth clenched.

_"This feeling..."_

"Heh." Zaku smirked and looked at the earthen mound that Dosu had landed on. "Well, well... just in time."

Lee landed in a squat and watched Dosu slowly climb out from the small crater in the mound and shake his head. Lee's eyes widened as Dosu stood.

"T-That's impossible!"

"What a frightening Jutsu..." Dosu muttered under his breath and wobbled slightly. _"It did this much even though I fell on the spongey dirt..."_

Lee stood and caught his breath, and Dosu turned to look at him and slid his sleeve up once more to reveal the equipment on his arm.

"Now, it's my turn."

_"Oh no! With what I just did... my body still isn't..." _Lee's ragged breathing left him dizzy and he narrowed his eyes at Dosu as he rushed at him again. Lee stepped back to avoid a strike and froze in place as an inaudible pitch dizzied him, blurring his vision and warping the sounds he heard.

"Lee!" Sakura's eyes widened and she watched him stagger.

"Your Jutsu is indeed fast." Dosu chuckled under his breath. "But our Jutsu exceeds that and is the speed of sound!"

Lee staggered back and fell to his knees, gasping for air as the area around him spun.

Sakura balled her hands and pressed her lips together, keeping her eyes on Lee. Kin chuckled and narrowed her eyes at the girl, and Dosu chuckled again.

"I'll show you there are walls which effort alone can never break through."


	90. Chapter 88: The Lone Twin

Natsumi sat on her floor with her scrolls and books around her as she searched each one, growing more irritable as she set them aside and mumbled to herself.

"No... No... Not here." She furrowed her brows and looked into her pocket mirror again, sticking out her tongue as she leafed through a thick book. "No... No..." She slammed the book shut and pushed it away from her with her foot. "Damn it!"

_It's not in any of these! What kind of seal is this, anyway?_

She gritted her teeth and let out a hot breath as she looked around at the scrolls.

_Damn it! I didn't spend all that time copying those scrolls just to come up short when I really needed something._

She sat straighter and grabbed another scroll and scanned it quickly.

_Come on... all these Fuinjutsu scrolls, and not a single one has a seal that's anything like this?!_

Natsumi rolled the scroll back up and tossed it onto her bed, narrowing her eyes.

_No, that's not it... Oto must have been holding back this whole time. Of course she wouldn't let me have access to learning about this seal. She's not stupid..._ She clenched her fists and scowled. _She knows me too well. She knew that one day I would go against her, especially after the Pilgrimage. She must have been planning on doing this for a while now._

"Ugh!" She slammed her fists onto the floor and dug her nails into her palms. "There's got to be _something_ I can do!"

_Besides cutting off my own tongue, anyway._

She let out a hot breath and closed her eyes, leaning back until she hit the floor.

_Everything I've done up to this point, all the scrolls I've read, every trial I've done, all the strength I've gotten... it's all worthless, isn't it? I'm bound to Oto, who is clearly not a friend of the Leaf or to me. I can't warn the Hokage about Orochimaru or Oto, and I'm not strong enough to take on either of them to deal with the problem myself. And I've got all this knowledge that I've illegally copied and none of it is useful in this situation._

She opened her eyes slowly and turned her head to look at Naruto's empty bed and let out a sigh.

_Naruto, what would you do?_ She scoffed softly and rested her arm over her eyes. _Who am I kidding? Naruto would have never gotten himself into this situation to begin with because he would have never trusted Oto in the first place. She would have offered him power, and he would have told her to shove it. That would have been the end of that._

She groaned and shut her eyes. _Geez. Why do I have to be so stupid? What's wrong with me?_

Natsumi sat up and began to return the books and scrollsto the box on her bed. Once they were all in place, she covered it with the lid and placed her hand over the seal. "Let's put you back before I forget..." She let out a breath and focused her Chakra. The seal glowed, then the box disappeared. She sighed again and sat on her bed, leaning until she flopped down into the covers heavily.

_Naruto, I feel bad for you. You're stuck with me as a sister, after all._

She grabbed the blankets and rolled until she was wrapped inside of them and bit her lip.

_Still... what would you do? What should I do?_ She bit her lip harder. _What can I do, anyway? I can't remove this seal, I can't fight them... I said I was going to do something, but I can't. I'm just... useless._

She closed her eyes and slipped into a restless sleep, waking up again after only an hour. An icy sensation flooded her body and she shuddered violently and rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

"Ow..." Natsumi threw the blankets off and rubbed her head, then bit her lip as she put her hand over her chest.

_I feel it... it's stronger now._

She stood and walked over to the door to open it and step onto the balcony.

_Is he close? Is it Oto?_

She closed her eyes to focus, and amongst the darkness of her thoughts, small, different colored clouds appeared, some closer and some farther. She furrowed her brows and the pale-red cloud remained in place and a low hiss, almost like a hum, filled her head.

_That's Oto. I'm sure of it. And then..._

She focused on a purple cloud far off and its appearance almost bubbled. Its hum was softer and Natsumi clenched her fists.

_That must be Orochimaru's. He doesn't seem to be doing anything right now... Oto said that she could feel his intent, and his aura seems... calm. Despite radiating a nasty, toxic feeling. Is he sleeping or something?_

She bit her lip and turned her attention to two other, smaller clouds that resonated with the same faint yellow light, despite being spaced far apart.

_But then... what about these two? They don't feel threatening, but there is... tension. Are they with Oto? Or are they with Orochimaru?_

She gripped the railing of the balcony and pressed her lips together.

_Who are they? And why can I sense them?_

Natsumi sighed heavily and hugged her arms close.

_I have so many questions and no way to get any answers. I feel completely helpless._

She turned and slowly went back inside, closing the door behind her before she stared at Naruto's bed.

_What's going on in that forest? Are you safe? He hasn't tried to get near you, has he?_

She lay back down on her bed and closed her eyes. After a moment, she quickly slid out of bed and climbed onto her brother's bed, hugging his pillow close and holding his sleeping cap in her hands, and drifted to sleep almost instantly.

_Naruto, please be safe. It's too empty here without you._


	91. Chapter 89: Sister Marks

Hiruzen stepped outside and took in a long breath of the morning air. A small gurgling coo echoed in the courtyard and he turned to walk toward it. A Sarutobi clanswoman was playing with the baby in the grass, and he was making noises as he crawled around, trying to follow a butterfly. The woman saw Hiruzen from the corner of her eyes and turned to him and bowed. He raised a hand and smiled at her and approached.

"Good morning, Lord Third."

"Morning, Ena." He watched the baby for a moment as he grasped the grass in his hands and giggled as he ripped it up. "I see that he's improved much just from last night."

Ena nodded and smiled faintly as the boy. "It didn't take him long for him to become comfortable with me. He had a difficult time sleeping last night, but he's had a healthy appetite and his mood is good." She reached out to stop the boy as he tried to stuff the handfuls of grass in his mouth, who frowned and fussed at her interference. "And, as you can see, he has quite a bit of energy now."

"That's good to see." Hiruzen turned to look at the girl, who sat in the corner of the courtyard with a faraway look and her legs drawn in close to her. "And, the girl?"

Ena glanced over to Kanna, and then let out a small breath. "She is as well as you could expect. She hasn't been speaking much, though she has been very attentive of her brother and will hardly let him out of her sight. She doesn't yet completely trust me, but she did take a step back and allowed me to care for the baby last night so that she could rest. She is a sweet and very devoted girl. It's terrible that she's had to experience something so awful as losing her family... but I do think that she will make a recovery."

He nodded and looked around, spotting the four ANBU guards' invisible silhouettes around the area, and then back to the girl. He walked slowly toward her and she blinked and glanced up at him with a blank expression.

"Good morning, Kanna. Did you sleep well?"

Kanna pressed her lips together and drew her legs closer and turned away. "I-I had a lot of nightmares... It was hurting really badly..." She reached up to the back of her neck to cover the mark. "And when I woke up... I forgot that my mom and dad were gone, almost..." She looked down and sniffed, wiping her face with her arm. "...I miss them... I wish..." She shook her head and tears streaked her cheeks as she wiped her face again. "It's not fair..."

Hiruzen frowned slightly and exhaled. "I am sorry there was nothing that we could do for your parents. I will do everything in my power to keep you and your brother safe and well-cared for." He glanced toward Ena as she picked up the boy and wiped the grass and dirt from his hands. "What do you think of Ena?"

Kanna sniffed again and wiped her eyes, then slowly looked over at the woman to watch her play with the baby. "Koji likes her, so... I guess she's okay." She looked down and she swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to hold back another wave of tears. "He hasn't asked for mom at all today... what if... he forgets her? Or our dad?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but another clansman approached him and bowed his head.

"Lord Third, Anko Mitarashi is here to see you."

Hiruzen looked at him and nodded his head. "Bring her here, then."

The man nodded and walked away, and Hiruzen turned to Kanna again.

"There is someone that I would like you to meet. I think it will be beneficial for you both."

"W-Who?" Kanna bit her lip and the man returned a moment later, followed by Anko.

"Lord Hokage." Anko looked at the old man, and then she looked at the girl sitting in the grass. "Is this her?"

Kanna pulled her legs closer, and Hiruzen held out his hand to her. "It's alright; you don't have to be wary of her." He lowered his tone slightly. "She has a mark, just as you do."

Kanna's eyes widened and she hesitantly took his hand and stood and looked up at Anko. "...Y-You have one, too?"

Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder at Ena. "Perhaps we should take this inside."

"Right." Anko nodded and he motioned for them to follow.

Kanna turned to look at the baby and clutched the hem of her shirt. "But..."

"Your brother will be in good hands with Ena. We'll only be gone for a few minutes."

"O-Okay..." Kanna followed him reluctantly inside and the three sat on cushions around a low table. There was a long pause, and then Hiruzen looked at the girl.

"Kanna, this is Anko Mitarashi. As I said before, she has a mark the same as you do."

Kanna craned her head slightly to the woman's neck, and Anko turned and shifted the collar of her jacket enough for her to see. Her eyes widened and she stared at the woman.

"Y-You... yours is different... but you have one, too." Kanna looked at the old man. "...How?"

"It was placed on her by the same man that gave you yours, when she was young." Hiruzen answered.

Kanna pressed her lips together and touched her neck, moving her shirt so that Anko could see. Anko narrowed her eyes slightly at the mark, leaning forward to examine it.

"I... don't recognize the design." Anko turned to Hiruzen. "It must be a new one he's been working on."

"Hm..." He touched his chin. "That's not unexpected, though we can't be sure of how powerful of a mark it is, in that case."

"W-What is it?" Kanna looked between them. "What does it mean? What does it do?"

"It's called a Curse Mark, or a Cursed Seal." Anko crossed her arms. "They were created to make the bearer more powerful. The survival rate after receiving the mark is very low. You were lucky."

"Lucky?" Kanna repeated quietly under her breath. "...I... don't feel very lucky."

"Well, don't make the mistake of thinking that it's a gift; that mark is nothing but trouble." Anko let out a sigh and shrugged. "If you get too riled up, you could lose control and hurt yourself or other people."

Kanna's eyes widened. "H-Hurt people?" She bit her lip and looked behind her, in the direction of the courtyard, then back down at her hands in her lap as her eyes watered and almost spilled over. "Then... Will I... hurt Koji?"

"The mark and its powers can be suppressed." Hiruzen met the girl's eyes. "Which is why I want you to train under Anko. She has successfully suppressed her own mark in the past, so she will train you to do the same."

Kanna looked at Anko, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "...So, if you teach me... I won't hurt anyone?"

Anko nodded shortly. "Yep." She paused and studied the girl's expression, and clenched her fist in her lap under the table. _"It wouldn't do any good to tell her that they can become reactivated... that'll have to be a lesson for another time._" She glanced at the Hokage. _"He really expects me to be her guardian, though? She's emotionally fragile and probably pathetically weak. I'm not the right one to look after her at all."_

"As of right now, Anko is busy with her duties as an exam proctor." Hiruzen looked at Anko, and then to the girl. "However, once the second phase is complete, you will be officially under her care. She will be your teacher and your guardian."

"Guardian?" Kanna stared down at her hands again and Anko rubbed her head.

"Uh... well, it'll be a few days before you really have to worry about that, kid."

"Do you have any questions about this arrangement?" Hirzuen kept his eyes on Kanna, who shook her head after a moment, but spoke anyway.

"Will she be taking care of Koji, too?"

"E-Eh?" Anko held up her hands. "I-I'm not great with kids as-is. I definitely should not be handed a baby."

"Your brother would stay here in Ena's care, though you are more than welcome to come see him any time you like."

"...Oh." Kanna's lip quivered and she bit it. "W-We've always been together... I don't want to be away from him."

"I understand." Hiruzen nodded slightly. "However, your brother will be safest at the Sarutobi estate with Ena, especially during your training period. It's vital that you learn to suppress the mark as quickly as possible, so that your brother or yourself are not endangered."

"I..." Her eyes watered. "But..."

"You have my word that you will be able to visit him as often as you like." He paused. "If you were older, you would be able to live on your own and maintain custody of your brother. But seeing as you are still so young yourself..."

"I-If I learn how to control it, then..." Kanna looked up at him. "Could... I live here with Koji again?"

He pressed his lips together for a moment and let out a short sigh. "I suppose we can consider that option, once your mark has been suppressed. However, you must diligently focus on your training with Anko in the meantime."

"...O-Okay." Kanna nodded slowly and turned to Anko. "I... I promise that I'll work really hard."

"I also would like for you to enroll at the Academy, once you have settled in here at the Leaf." The Hokage spoke again and Kanna looked at him.

"The Academy?" She blinked and her eyes widened. "I... I get to go to school, too?"

"Once Anko feels that you have learned enough to pass the entrance exam." Hiruzen nodded and looked briefly over at the Kunoichi. "Since you have not been raised as a Shinobi, there will be much for you to learn."

"I..." Kanna swallowed. "I'll... do my best."

Anko blinked and crossed her arms, looking over at the Hokage from the corner of her eyes as she made a face. _"Lord Hokage really wants me to play house with this kid for real, huh?"_ She closed her eyes briefly, then turned her attention back to Kanna. _"Although, there's no one else who's familiar with Orochimaru or the Curse Marks the way I am..."_ She let out a quiet sigh. "_It'll be a pain, but this is something that I couldn't entrust to anyone else. I'll have to see this through and make sure it's done properly."_

"Um..." Kanna met Anko's eyes. "I-I'll be a good student. I promise I won't make any trouble for you."

"Don't worry about that." Anko rubbed her head. "It's not a problem." She lowered her hand again to rest it on her leg. _"I say that, but I don't really know the first thing of how to take care of a kid or where I should even start her training."_

"You two will have more time to become better acquainted." Hiruzen nodded to himself. "For now, I believe Anko has to return to the exam."

"Ah... right." She chuckled and scratched her head. "I should get to the tower right away. I'm sure the first teams are already there now."

The Hokage nodded again and turned to Kanna.

"You may return to your brother now. That covers all that we needed to discuss-"

Before he could finish, Kanna excitedly stood and rushed out of the room. The man chuckled and looked to Anko.

"What do you think of her?"

"Eh..." Anko crossed her arms and sighed. "Starting from square one of her training is going to be a pain in the ass, but if she's determined to really focus, then it won't be much of an issue. I'm just not sure about her emotional state right now."

"The loss of her parents and the life she knew is fresh. In time, she will recover from it, but it will not be an easy process for her." He stroked his beard, and then looked back at her. "For now, we must try to learn as much as we can about Orochimaru's plans and put a stop to them, or else there might not be much of a future for that girl to begin with."


	92. Chapter 90- Sakura Blossoms

"Your Jutsu is indeed fast." Dosu chuckled under his breath. "But our Jutsu exceeds that and is the speed of sound!"

Lee staggered back and fell to his knees, gasping for air as the area around him spun.

Sakura balled her hands and pressed her lips together, keeping her eyes on Lee. Kin chuckled and narrowed her eyes at the girl, and Dosu chuckled again.

"I'll show you there are walls which effort alone can never break through."

"W-What?" Lee's vision distorted again as his ears rang and Dosu smirked. Lee slumped forward, retching violently as he trembled.

"Lee!" Sakura's eyes widened as Lee's body froze and blood slowly poured from his ear.

Lee sat up slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and then covered his left ear. _"My ear..."_

"There's a little trick I have." Dosu raised his right arm and slid down his sleeve to show them his gauntlet. "Evading doesn't work... for my attacks."

_"What's he going to do?!"_ Sakura gritted her teeth and furrowed her brows at Dosu, who laughed low.

"That's because... my attacks are sound." He paused and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sound?" Lee furrowed his brows and blinked.

"Even though you evaded my fist, you were assaulted by sound." Dosu lowered his arm and clenched his fist. "Do you know what sound is all about in the first place?"

"Vibrations...?" Sakura answered under her breath, turning her attention from Lee to Dosu.

"Correct." Dosu narrowed his eyes and touched his ear. "In other words, hearing sounds means that the eardrum is catching vibrating air. And the human eardrum breaks with sounds over one-hundred-and-fifty Megahertz. Also, by assaulting the semicircular canal which is located even deeper, I can make you completely lose balance."

He chuckled again and Lee winced as his ear throbbed, still bleeding, and his head pounded.

"You won't be able to move your body freely for some time." Dosu rested his arm at his side and Zaku smirked.

"Something as old and tired like Taijutsu won't work on us." Zaku laughed as Lee glared at him. "Well, you were doing well up to a certain point, until I brought out my Jutsu. It just won't work anymore." He pulled his hands from the dirt and crossed his hands in front of him. "I can freely manipulate ultrasonic waves and air pressure, and have the power to obliterate even boulders! I can send air into the ground to change the dirt into a cushion as I please. It's completely different from your silly Jutsu." He opened his hands, revealing holes in his palms that shot out blast of sound and laughed.

_"Darn it!"_ Lee clenched his jaw and moved his hand from hear ear. _"Darn it!"_

"Alright, then." Dosu raised his arm, drawing it back to prepare a strike as he ran at Sakura. "Next is... you!"

"Darn it!" Lee's eyes widened and he turned to look at her. "Sakura!"

_"He's coming!"_ Sakura gritted her teeth and grabbed a Kunai, holding it up defensively.

Lee forced him to stand and block his path, and Dosu's eyes widened.

"No way!"

_"Lee!" _Sakura gasped quietly and lowered her Kunai slightly in surprise.

"Leaf... Hurricane!" Lee aimed a kick at Dosu, only to stagger slightly. Dosu chuckled and swatted his foot away.

"It looks like you're still under the effects of my last attack! I'm somewhat surprised... but there's not even a trace of that flash of a combo Taijutsu you showed!" His eyes narrowed and her threw a punch at Lee's face, who raised his arm to block. Inaudible sound erupted from the gauntlet and Lee winced, his ears ringing again.

"This arm amplifies sounds from within to its maximum. It's a sort of speaker! And, the assaulting sound isn't limited by the direction of my arm..." Dosu manipulated the sound in an arc to directly strike Lee's ear. "It always converges on my target by my Chakra!"

"Lee!" Sakura covered her mouth with a shaking hand as Lee collapsed to the ground again, screaming in pain until he fell unconscious.

"Now, then..." Dosu raised his arm once again and narrowed his eyes at Lee. "The final blow."

"I won't let you!" Sakura threw a volley of Kunai at him, and he knocked them away with his gauntlet.

Dosu let out a small sigh and turned his eyes on her. "Oh, well."

* * *

"Hey, let's get out of here!" Choji gulped and whispered to Ino as they hid behind a bush and watched Sakura's failed attack. "Those guys are super dangerous!"

"It looks like Naruto and Sasuke are only unconscious, but... even that guy Lee's been messed up pretty badly and Sakura's alone." Shikamaru furrowed his brows and Ino paled as Sakura faced off against Dosu. He turned to Ino and crossed his arms. "What're you going to do, Ino?"

"W-What...do you mean?"

"Well, Sakura's in big trouble! Are you all right with that?"

"Huh?" Ino blinked and looked at him.

"You two used to be best friends, weren't you?"

Ino's eyes widened and she looked back at Sakura.

* * *

_Ino and Sakura sat on a bench together and watched the flowers of the meadow dance in the breeze._

_"By the way..." Sakura mumbled, and then clutched her hand in her lap and looked down._

_"What, Sakura? Don't be so stiff!" Ino smiled and tilted her head to look at her face._

_"Well..." Sakura sighed softly. "Ino, I heard that you also..."_

_"What?" Ino laughed and Sakura blushed slightly as she met her eyes. "What is it?"_

_"You like Sasuke, too."_

_Ino blushed lightly and blinked._

_"Then, from now on..." Sakura stood and bit her lip as she walked away. "You and I are rivals."_

* * *

_"Why am I remembering stuff from that long ago?"_ She bit her lip and furrowed her brows.

"Hey, Ino!"

She blinked and looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"What're you going to do?!"

"I know!" She clenched her fist. "But there's nothing I can do! I can't just carelessly rush out there, can I?!"

Shikamaru frowned slightly and Ino looked back at Sakura, her legs shaking. _"Even if I went out now... I'd be taken down without a doubt."_

* * *

_"I also...!"_ Sakura threw several Shuriken at Dosu. Zaku appeared in front of him, holding out his palms to blast them back toward her.

_"Air pressure! They got bounced back!" _She held her arms up to block the wind, the Shurikens grazing her arms as they went by. She took a step back, only for Kin to grab her by the hair and shove her, forcing her to the ground with a grunt.

"Your hair's shinier than mine is." Kin smirked down at her. "Hey... if you have time to worry about your hair, you should train!" She gripped her hair tighter and knocked Sakura's head around. "Getting yourself all dolled up like a woman..." She chuckled and looked at her teammates. "Why don't you kill that Sasuke guy right in front of this adorable _bug_, Zaku?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Zaku cracked his knuckles.

"Hey, hey..." Dosu looked at Zaku from the corner of his eye.

_"I won't let you do any such thing!"_ Sakura glared at them and tried to pull away from Kin's grip.

"Don't move!" Kin snapped and tugged on her hair again.

Lee's eyes cracked open and he turned to look at Sakura. "Sa...kura..."

Sakura gritted her teeth and dug her fingers into the ground. _"My body... has no strength."_ Her lip quivered and tears streamed down her face. _"I... once again, I'm just dragging everyone down. I'm always being protected. It's so frustrating! This time for sure... I thought! This time for sure... I must protect the people precious to me... so I thought."_

"So..." Zaku smirked and walked toward where Sasuke lay, still unconscious.

Faint purple chakra leaked from Sasuke's mark, and Ino and Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"H-Hey! Sasuke and Naruto are going to get it, too!" Shikamaru clenched his jaw.

_"What should I do?!"_ Ino paled and her hear pounded in her ears.

Sakura shut her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth as she retrieved a Kunai and tugged away from Kin, only to be pulled back.

"I told you, it's pointless!" Kin scowled at her. "That won't work on me!"

Sakura smirked and held up her Kunai, meeting Kin's eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Huh?" Kin blinked. "What?!"

Sakura's smirk widened and she lifted the Kunai to cut her hair and free herself from Kin's grasp. Her hair was blown away in a light breeze and her headband slipped off to land in the dirt.

_"I always... act like I'm a full-fledged Ninja. I always say that I like Sasuke. I always act like I know everything and lecture Naruto. I always just... watch them from behind. And yet... those two always covered my back and fought for me."_ She stood and balled her hands into fists and looked at Lee. _"Lee, you always say that you like me... with me at your back. You risked your life and fought for me. I have a feeling that you taught me... I want to be like all of you! This time... __I want all of you... to watch me... from behind!"_

Ino's eyes widened and she stared at Sakura. _"Sakura...?"_

Zaku gritted his teeth and focused his attention to Sakura. "Kin! Kill her now!"

Kin drew Senbon with both hands as Sakura quickly formed a series of hand signs.

_"Heh. That last sign..."_ Zaku formed a hand sign and smirked as he watched Sakura. Kin plunged the Senbon into Sakura's back. Her eyes widened as Sakura vanished in a puff of smoke and only a small section of log remained in her place.

_"A substitution!"_ Kin looked around and Zaku held out his palms as he scanned the area.

_"On the right, huh? You think I'm a fool? With such a simple and basic Ninjutsu... you think you can get the better of me?!" _He narrowed his eyes as Sakura ran at him with Kunai draw and prepared for a strike. "Kin! Get out of the way!"

Kin leapt up and Sakura threw a volley of Kunai at Zaku, who aimed his palms toward her.

"Useless!" Zaku narrowed his eyes and channeled his Chakra. _"Air pressure one-hundred percent, ultrasonic waves zero-percent output... is that all you can do?" _He smirked "Slicing Sound Wave!"

Sakura stopped running and formed more signs as her Kunai drew closer to him when a large blast of air knocked the Kunai from the air, turning them to impale Sakura. He smirked wider until her body vanished in another cloud of smoke, leaving behind a log riddled with Kunai. He lowered his arms and frowned slightly. "You're easy to spot... You're above!"

Sakura formed another series of seals and Zaku chuckled.

"I've already said it two or three times! It won't work!" He reached into his back pouch to grab a handful of Kunai. "This is enough... for you!"

Sakura raised her arms to protect her head as the Kunai struck her. Zaku smirked and looked around. "Alright, where next?"

Blood dripped onto his face and his eyes widened and he looked up as Sakura pulled a Kunai from her wounds and plunged the knife into him.

_"W-What?! This time... it's not a substitution!"_ He raised his arm in time to block the attack and the knife stuck deep within the flesh, and his blood poured from the wound. She bit down on his other arm and he grunted in pain as she forced the Kunai deeper into his arm.

"Get off me!" Zaku swung his arm, dislodging the Kunai, and then punched her head repeatedly as she bit down harder onto his arm. "Hey! Let go!"

Team Ten's eyes widened and Ino stared as Zaku continued to strike Sakura.

_"Sakura..."_

* * *

_Sakura cried loudly and hugged her legs close, burying her face in them as she sobbed. Ino walked closer and sat in front of her with a small smile._

_"You're always being called 'Billboard Bro' and being teased."_

_Sakura sniffed and lifted her eyes slightly to look at Ino, and wiped her face with her forearm. "Who're you?"_

_"My name is Ino Yamanaka. What about you?"_

_"I'm... Sakura."_

_"Huh?" Ino blinked and held a hand up to her ear. "I can't hear you. Say it louder."_

_"S-Sakura Haruno!"_

_Ino reached out to poke her forehead. "Huh. Okay."_

_Sakura sniffed and Ino leaned forward._

_"You do have a wide forehead. So, Billboard Brow, huh?'_

_Sakura's eyes watered and Ino put her hand on the girl's forehead._

_"That's why you hide your forehead with your bangs. Like a ghost..." She smiled again. "Sakura, was it?"_

_"Mhm..." Sakura nodded slowly._

_"Come back here tomorrow." Ino straightened and waved as she started to walk away. "I'll give you something nice."_

_"Huh?" Sakura wiped her face again and looked at her._

* * *

__"See! You look cuter like this, Sakura!" Ino grinned and put her hands on her hips as Sakura blinked. "I'll let you keep that ribbon."__

_"T-Thanks." Sakura smiled faintly and reached up to touch the small bow on top of her head. "But..."_

_"But what?" Ino furrowed her brows and Sakura looked down._

_"My forehead..."_

_"You hide it, so people make more fun of you, you know!" Ino let out a breath. "You have a cute face, Sakura, so you should be more confident! You got that? More confident!"_

_Sakura's eyes widened. "Ino..."_

_"Come on." Ino tugged at Sakura's hand and pulled her along to the playground._

_"Hey, who's that?" One girl looked at Sakura, who hide slightly behind Ino._

_"Who's she?" Another girl put her hand on her hip and looked at Ino._

_"Her name's Sakura." Ino smiled and stepped aside so that Sakura was visible and turned to her. "Hey, say hello."_

__Sakura hid behind Ino again and lifted her hand to wave slightly. "H-Hello..."__

* * *

_"Listen, everyone! Listen!" Sakura ran up to Ino and the other girls and lifted her hands into the air. "There's someone that I like! Do you know who it is?"_

_"Hurry up and tell us!" One girl laughed and another one frowned and put her hands on her hips._

_"Don't say it's Sasuke."_

_"Huh?" Sakura blinked. "How did you know?"_

_"What're you talking about" A girl laughed. "Sasuke's the most popular boy!"_

_"Oh, really?" Sakura blushed slightly. "Oh no! I have a lot of rivals then, right? What should I do?!"_

_Ino frowned slightly and the girl beside her nudged her._

_"Hey, Ino. Sakura's been really upbeat lately!"_

_"Hmph." Ino turned away and crossed her arms. "She's just acting brave and romping around."_

* * *

__"Ino!" Sakura ran up and smiled at her friend. "I just heard that Sasuke likes girls with long hair."__

* * *

___"I've heard you like Sasuke, too, Ino. From now on... we're rivals."___

* * *

_"Your hair." Ino looked at Sakura and narrowed her eyes. "It's grown quite a bit."_

_"Ino..."_

_"Why?" Ino turned and glared at Sakura. "Why are you on the same team as Sasuke?!"_

_"I won't lose anymore to you, Ino!"_

_"Me, too! I won't lose to you, Sakura! No matter what!"_

* * *

"Damn! Let go already!" Zaku hit Sakura again and again as he scowled and her bite remained clamped down on his arm. He hit her again and a cut opened on her forehead and blood slowly dripped down her face.

Ino trembled and watched Sakura bleed, then she swallowed at the lump in her throat. _"Sakura..."_

_"I will... I will..." _Sakura coughed blood and Zaku hit her harder and threw her to the ground, where she coughed and her blood mixed into the dirt.

"Give up already!" Zaku stood and covered the wound in his arm with his hand.

Sakura slowly got up and wiped her face with the back of her shaking hand. _"I have to... protect everyone!"_

"This is bad..." Choji gulped.

"Hey, Ino!" Shikamaru furrowed his brows.

"You brat!" Zaku glared at her and pointed his palms at her again. Sakura gritted her teeth and wobbled as she tried to stand, and stayed on her hands and knees as her head throbbed and she caught her breath.

_"I can't... give up yet."_

Ino suddenly appeared in front of Sakura, with Choji and Shikarmu on either side of her, and Zaku and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked and looked up at Ino.

"Heh." Zaku chuckled. "More strange ones."

"Ino...?"

"Sakura... I promised I wouldn't lose to you..." Ino furrowed her brows and kept her eyes on Zaku. "Didn't I?"


	93. Chapter 91: Formation Ino-Shika-Cho!

_Sasuke opened his eyes and looked around the area where he was surrounded by a strange amber light._

"Where... is this place?"

_He blinked and saw the figure of a boy with dark hair appear in front of him and he furrowed his brows._

"Who is that?" _He narrowed his eyes at the boy, who kept his head down._ "Is that... me? From a long time ago?"

_"Mother and father didn't need to die!" The younger Sasuke trembled as he clenched his jaw and tears streamed down his face._

_Sasuke's eyes widened as the area changed to show his parents' bloodied corpses lying in the middle of the floor._

__"Everyone was killed." The younger Sasuke continued to speak to himself, unable to see his older counterpart. "I was powerless, so... the entire clan disappeared."__

* * *

Sasuke's face twisted in pain as he slept and violet Chakra leaked from his body as sweat dripped from his brow.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at Ino as Team Ten stood protectively in front of her. "Ino... Why?"

"Sakura... I promised I wouldn't lose to you..." Ino furrowed her brows and kept her eyes on Zaku. "...Didn't I? I can't let you upstage me in front of Sasuke!"

"Squirming again..." Dosu furrowed his brows and shot a glare at Choji. "The Leaf village worms have wandered in."

Choji's eyes widened and he shuddered as he sat on the ground and Shikamaru held onto his scard. "W-What are the two of you thinking?! Those guys are seriously bad news!"

"It's a drag, but it can't be helped!" Shikamaru tugged on his scarf and furrowed his brow. "Ino steps out to help, but we men should run?"

Ino laughed quietly and looked between the two boys. "Sorry to get you involved! But anyway, we're a three-man-squad, after all. We're all in this together, aren't we?"

"Well, we'll see." Shikamaru turned his attention to the Sound Genin.

"No! I don't wanna die yet!" Choji shook his head and tried to crawl away, but was held in place by Shikamaru's grasp on his scarf. "Let go of my scarf!"

"You're being annoying! Quit wiggling and man up!" Shikamaru snapped and tugged on his scarf.

Zaku chuckled and smirked as he looked between them. "Oh, it's alright if the fatso drops out."

Choji froze and his eye twitched as his expression shifted. "What... did that guy just say? I didn't quite catch that."

"Huh?" Zaku blinked.

Shikamaru's eye twitched and he glanced at his teammate from the corner of his eye. _"Uh oh. That word is taboo around Choji. Just try saying it again..."_

"I said, if you're going to be a coward, then just drop out," Zaku furrowed his brows and then laughed. "...Fatty."

Choji snorted and turned around, glaring and clenching his jaw. "I'm not fat, I'm just big-boned, damn you!" He balled his hands into fists and punched the air, grunting angrily. "Hurray for big-boned guys!"

Sakura blinked at Choji, speechless as her mouth gaped. _"W-Wow..."_

"All right!" Choji pointed to Ino, still inhaling sharply with a growl. "You understand this, right?! This is a battle between the Leaf and Sound! Prepare yourself!"

"Hmph." Ino smirked faintly and put her hand on her hip. _"We got lucky! He's totally fired up!"_

"This looks like it's going to be such a drag." Shikamaru scratched his head and sighed softly.

"That's my line." Zaku glared. _"Tch. I was told to take out Sasuke by the end of the test..."_

_"Sasuke..."_ Sakura frowned slightly and turned too look at him.

"Sakura." Ino looked over her shoulder at her, and Sakura met her eyes. "Those two behind you... take care of them."

Sakura nodded and smirked slightly. "Right."

"Well then, team Ino, let's go full-throttle!" Ino held up her fists and the boys nodded.

"Right!"

"Formation Ino!"

"Shika!"

"Cho!"

"I'm counting on you, Choji!" Ino grinned and he stepped forward.

"Okay!" Choji brought his hands together to form a sign and furrowed his brows. "Expansion Jutsu!" His body expanded and he swelled to an enormous ball, and retracted his head, arms, and legs inside of his clothes. "Next, Leaf style Taijutsu! Human boulder!" He spun rapidly and rolled toward Zaku. "Here I go!"

"What's with that Jutsu?" Zaku laughed. "Isn't it just a fat guy rolling around?" He faced his palms toward Choji. "Slicing Sound Wave!"

Air blasted at Choji as he drew closer, holding him back as he continued to and Ino's eyes widened as Choji was slowly pushed backward. Zaku gritted his teeth as Choji continued to slowly advance.

"You...!"He increased the air output to push back against Choji. Grass and dirt flung around the area from his rolling and Zaku's eyes went wide as Choji suddenly leaped into the air and spun high above him. "He jumped?!"

Zaku stopped his attack and watched Choji as he slowly descended, and he clenched his jaw. _"The pressure of Slicing Sound Wave was less than effective against that rotation. Even if I do the Super Sound Wave, if I'm touched by something like that... the bones in my arms will be crushed!"_

Dosu's eyes widened and he furrowed his brows and ran toward his teammate.

"_You think I'll let you?!"_ Shikamaru smirked faintly and held up a hand sign. _"You're the most annoying one, so... Ninja Art! Shadow Possession Jutsu!"_ His shadow darkened and extended, shooting across the ground to Dosu, stopping him in his tracks.

_"My body!" _Dosu twitched and turned his head slightly to glance down. _"What?!"_

"Heh." Shikamaru chuckled and met Dosu's eyes. "Shadow Possession complete." He lifted his arms above his head, forcing Dosu's body into the same position.

"Dosu!" Kin's eyes widened and she furrowed her brows. "What are you doing at a time like this?!"

Shikamaru smirked as Kin looked at him. "Hmph."

Zaku dodged at the last moment before Choji slammed down into the ground where he had been, creating a deep crater. He gulped and looked over his shoulder Choji, still rolling in place furiously, and he exhaled quietly. _"That was too close."_

_"A Shadow Paralysis Jutsu?" _Dosu narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru.

"Ino, now it's just the ladies." Shikamaru turned his hands out, forcing Dosu's hands to imitate bunny ears.

"Okay, Shikamaru." Ino nodded and narrowed her eyes at Kin. "Look after my body."

"Gotcha."

_"Huh? What's blondie going to do?"_

Ino formed a hand sign and Kin blinked at her as their eyes met. _"Ninja Art! Mind Transfer Jutsu!"_

Kin's eyes widened suddenly, and then closed as her body slouched. Shikamaru caught Ino's body as it collapsed, unconscious, and Dosu's body copied his movements.

Choji turned and rolled at Zaku again, who quickly dodged to the side.

"Damn!" Zaku dodged again and looked over at Kin, who stood motionless. "Kin!"

"What happened?" Dosu twitched as he resisted Shikamaru's control and tried to look over his shoulder.

Kin's eyes opened and she smirked and held up a Kunai. "This... is the end of it."

Dosu and Zaku's eyes widened as Kin brought the knife near her throat.

"If you make one move, this girl named Kin is dead meat! If you don't want this to end right here, leave your scroll and walk away! Once you've gone far enough that I can't feel your Chakras, I'll release this girl!"

Dosu and Zaku chuckled under their breaths.

_"These guys... what are they grinning about?"_ Ino furrowed her brows as Kin and watched the two Sound Genin carefully, then quickly looked over. "Choji!"

"Yeah!" Choji turned and aimed at Kin

"This isn't good!" Sakura gasped and yelled out to them. "They won't—!"

Zaku lifted his hand at Kin, shooting a blast of air that knocked Choji out of the way and threw Kin's body against a tree. She cried out in pain and blood dripped from Ino's mouth as Shikamaru held her.

"Ino!" Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Ugh... I'm dizzy." Choji covered his mouth with his hand, wobbling as he got to his feet and burped.

Ino slowly lifted Kin's head to look at Zaku. "W-What kind of person... attacks their own comrades?"

"Heh." Zaku smirked. "Careless."

"Our goal isn't the scrolls or to pass this test playing by the rules." Dosu met her eyes.

Team Ten's eyes widened and Ino gasped as Kin. "What?!"

"Our goal is... Sasuke." Dosu's expression darkened and he glanced over to where Sasuke lay. "Hm?" He looked down and Shikamaru's shadow returned to him.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth and beads of sweat rolled down his face. _"My Jutsu..."_

"So, your precious Shadow Paralysis Jutsu is limited to five minutes?" Dosu chuckled and flexed his hand.

"It's not Shadow Paralysis! It's the Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikamaru scowled.

"Additionally," Dosu's eyes rested on Ino. "it seems that girl's Jutsu... seems to be a technique that allows her to take control over another's body. And, from the looks of the blood she's spitting up, if I kill Kin, that girl dies as well."

Shikamaru clenched his jaw. "You would kill your own teammate?"

Zaku smirked and pointed his palm at Kin once more. "Gladly, if it came to that."

Shikamaru's jaw clenched tighter and Kin's eyes narrowed as her hands began to tremble slightly. He sighed and then groaned. "This is no good."

"Shoot!" Choji balled his hands into fists shut his eyes.

Zaku stood to stand beside Dosu with his hand still aimed at Kin. "That's too bad... you're just a step away."

"You're too easy going." Dosu narrowed his eyes.

"Hmph. I don't like this at all."

Their eyes widened and they looked up to see Neji watching from a branch above.

"You lowlife Sound Ninja..." Neji furrowed his brows and scowled down at them. "Bullying the second-rate guys and putting on airs like a winner."

"What?!" Dosu narrowed his eyes.

All eyes turned to Neji and Tenten, and Sakura blinked. "Those are Lee's teammates..."

"Lee!" Tenten's eyes widened as she saw him lying unconscious.

"You messed up." Neji crossed his arms.

"Hah! Coming out of nowhere just like cockroaches..." Zaku smirked.

"That kid with the bowl cut lying there is on our team, but... but you messed with him, didn't you?!" Neji glared and veins bulged around his eyes as he activated his Byakugan.

Dosu's eyes widened and he stood rooted in place as he looked at the boy. _"What's with his eyes? It's like they can see through everything..."_

"If you're going to continue... I will fight with full strength!" Neji warned, and Tenten reached for a Kuani.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Neji?" Tenten looked at him as he froze.

_"That Chakra..."_

"If you don't like me, don't play cool, just come down here already." Dosu chuckled low.

"Hmph." Neji closed his eyes and smirked. "Evidently, there's no need for that."

"Hm?" Dosu frowned, then froze once more and his body trembled. He turned slowly toward where Sasuke lay, as bright purple chakra visibly poured from him to form a column above his body. All eyes turned to Sasuke as his face twitched and his brows furrowed in his sleep.

* * *

_Sasuke looked down at his younger self as the boy clutched his head and cried._

_"After all... without power... I can't do anything! Because I had no power... Everyone was killed! Everyone was taken from me!"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened as the boy's face twisted into a menacing smirk, covering one tearful eye, and met his older self's eyes. _

_"No... you let them be killed. You only watched it happen. If I only had power..." The young boy tore off part of his face, revealing Orochimaru's pale flesh and his bright, glowing yellow eye. "If I only had power..."_

* * *

Sasuke slowly stood, enveloped entirely with purple chakra the resembled flames and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sasuke! You're awake—!" She froze at the sight of him and her body began to shake.

Shikamaru and Choji sat rooted in place, their bodies trembling uncontrollably at the overwhelming power.

"Is that really... Sasuke?" Ino's eyes widened as Kin and her mouth gaped.

Bright orange markings spread over the left side of his body and the menacing Chakra swirled around him. Sakura trembled and her eyes watered as he turned to look at her.

"Sakura... Who did that to you?" His Sharingan glowered as he stared at the Sound Ninja. "Who was it?"

Dosu stared at Sasuke, unable to move and a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. _"The Curse Marks run around his entire body?!"_

"Sasuke... your body...?" Sakura's lip quivered.

Sasuke glanced down at the markings that covered his left hand and arm, then lowered his arm and looked back out at Dosu. "Don't worry. On the contrary, strength is rapidly flowing in..." He smirked and clenched his fists. "Right now... I feel good. That guy gave this to me."

"Huh?" Sakura blinked slowly.

"At last I understand... I'm an Avenger..." Sasuke furrowed his brows. "On my road, I must amass power even if it means abandoning my self to the devil."

Zaku gritted his teeth at Sasuke appearance and Chakra and Dosu continued to stare.

_"So... I see... the mark on his neck that the girl called Sakura spoke of before... it was the Curse Mark. But... I didn't think he would be able to stand up..."_

"Sakura, tell me... Who hurt you?" Sasuke growled and glanced at her, and she only stared at him in reply.

"Heh." Zaku smirked and chuckled. "That was me!"

Sasuke's Sharingan rested on Zaku from the corner of his eye and he scowled, then turned to face him.

"Ino!" Shikamaru called to her from the bushes where he lay her body down gently. "If you stay over there like that, you're gonna get involved! Comeback to your own body already! Choji, you too! Come hide over here!"

"Y-Yeah!" Choji hurried quickly over to him and Kin formed a sign quickly.

_"Release!"_ Kin's body fell to the ground unconscious and Ino's eyes slowly opened.

"Alright, she's back!" Shikamaru smiled and put a hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Shikamaru!" Choji crouched beside him and frowned. "W-What's going to happen now?!"

"How should I know?"

Sasuke glared at the Sound Ninja and clenched his teeth, the Chakra continuing to swirl around him as the marks glowed orange again and spread further over his body.

"W-What?!" Dosu stepped back slightly _"W-What's this?! No matter... how you look at it... his Chakra is... too great!"_

"Dosu, this half-dead bastard is nothing to be scared of!" Zaku pressed his palms together and glared.

"Stop, Zaku! Don't you understand?!" Dosu turned to his teammate, reaching out a shaking hand.

"I'll take care of all of them... in one fell swoop!" Zaku faced his hands toward Sasuke and curled his fingers slightly as claws. "Super Sonic Slicing Wave!" An enormous explosion of wind and light erupted from his palms, blasting the trees and undergrowth in the clearing and knocking Dosu back.

Once the light had faded, Zaku took in deep gasps of air, breathing heavily as he smirked slightly. _"That finished them for sure..." _He chuckled "He must have been blown to pieces."

"Who did?"

"Huh?!" Zaku's eyes widened and Sasuke hit him hard with the back of his hand, sending him flying across the clearing.

"Zaku!" Dosu watched him roll to a stop and cough. _"He's fast! Moreover, he took those two and in the blink of an eye..."_

Sasuke turned to look at them and they froze, then he formed a series of signs and sucked in a deep breath of air. _"Fire style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"_

Flames erupted from his mouth at Zaku, who quickly got to his feet and held up his hands to shoot out a blast of air.

"I'll blow them out!" His eyes widened. "W-What?!" The fire dissipated and revealed several Shuriken heading directly for him. "There were Shurikens in the fire?!" He raised his arms to guard his face and he cried out as they struck his body.

"Zaku! Below you!"

Sasuke appeared in front of Zaku in a crouch, then behind him to grab his forearms with a foot firmly on his back. He smirked wide and chuckled darkly, gripping Zaku's arms tighter.

Ino trembled and watched, unable to look away. _"The quality of the Chakra is completely different... is that really Sasuke? What happened to him? What in the world...?"_

"It seems like you're really proud of your arms..." Sasuke slowly pulled Zaku's arms back while pressing firmly on his back with his foot. "You..."

"S-Stop it!" Zaku glanced over his shoulder at Sasuke, his eyes wide as he pleaded.

Sasuke chuckled and a loud snap echoed and Sakura's eyes widened further as she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. Zaku screamed and fell to the ground as Sasuke kicked him away. Dosu trembled violently as he watched, and Sasuke turned to Dosu, his smirk growing wider. "You're the only one left."

He turned to slowly walk toward him. "You... had better make it a little more fun for me."

Dosu remained fixed in place and Sakura's eyes watered.

_"This isn't... this isn't... this is not like... Sasuke!"_ Tears spilled down her face and she stood to run toward him. "Stop it!" She threw her arms around Sasuke tightly in an embrace and cried. "Stop it!"

Sasuke glared at her over his shoulder at her and she shuddered and cried.

"Please... stop. Sasuke... please."

The marks glowed orange and retracted, returning to the mark on his neck and fading.

Dosu gulped and stared unblinkingly at Sasuke. _"The Curse Mark is withdrawing... we're saved for now."_

Sasuke's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, with Sakura touching his back gently.

"Sasuke!"

He gasped for breath and his body trembled weakly.

"You're strong." They turned to Dosu, who held out his scroll. "We can't defeat you the way that you are now." He set the scroll down onto the ground. "This is our fee for settling this... Please allow us to withdraw from here."

Sasuke and Sakura looked down at the scroll and Dosu stepped back to lift up Zaku and Kin. "It seems selfish, but we now have something we need to confirm, too. That being said, let's make a promise. If there's another opportunity to battle with you in this test, we won't run or hide."

Sakura watched as Dosu walked away and looked at Sasuke, then back to Dosu. "Wait!"

Dosu stopped and turned slightly to look at her.

"Just who exactly is Orochimaru?! What did he do to Sasuke?! Why Sasuke?!"

"...I don't know..." Dosu answered slowly. "We were just given orders to make the hit on Sasuke."

Sakura frowned and Dosu continued to walk away.

_"Though you ordered us to assassinate Sasuke, you got to him first. Moreover, you didn't kill him, and left that Curse Mark instead. I don't know what you're thinking..."_

"Hey! Are you okay?!" Choji called out to Sakura, and Shikamaru to Ino as they ran out of hiding to help.

"It's a drag, but Ino, I'll leave Lee to you."

"Got it!"

_"That Chakra... It's abnormal."_ Neji frowned and crossed his arms as he watched Sasuke. _"The Uchiha clan... is this good, huh?"_

"Hmm... Sakura's in danger..." Naruto blushed and mumbled in his sleep. "It's okay... I'll protect you, Sakura."

Shikamaru and Choji looked at Naruto, then blinked at each other, and Shikamaru sighed and scratched his head.

"Well, what should we do with this guy? Kick him awake?"

"Can I do it?" Choji took a step toward Naruto and Shikamaru shrugged.

Sasuke held his wrist and stared at his hand as it trembled. "W-What... am I...?"

_"Sasuke..."_ Sakura frowned and bit her lip as she watched him.


	94. Chapter 92: The Prince of the Leaf Pt 3

Faint light streamed through the window and lit Natsumi's face, causing her to stretch and slowly yawn. Her eyes opened and she stretched again, blinking as her eyes adjusted.

"Huh?" She sat up and looked at the cap she held in her hand. "Why am I here?"

_That's right... I fell asleep here, didn't I?_

She yawned again and set the cap down on the pillow and rubbed her face.

_I haven't slept so badly in a long time. Between the stupid Attunement making me sense... them uncontrollably and waking me up, __and then having the same nightmares..._

She blinked hard and stood, then walked to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She stared at herself in the mirror as the water droplets fell down into the sink below.

_Why won't those faces go away? I only did what I had to do..._

She bit her lip and splashed her face again, her eyes widening as she blinked and the water appeared a deep red. She gasped and took a step back, her hands trembling as red dripped down, then slowly looked up at the sink, her eyes widening further as the red covered the counter and mirror entirely.

_No... this can't be real._

Natsumi bit her lip, shaking her head hard as she shut her eyes tightly. She stepped back until she touched the wall and clutched her head, biting her lip.

_I don't want to see this!_

She opened her eyes slowly and the crimson was gone, leaving her shaking.

_It's gone... _

She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned off the water and quickly wiped up the countertop, controlling her breathing as her hands shook.

_Get a hold of yourself, Natsumi. You're a Shinobi. You know you did what needed to be done, so stop feeling so guilty about it._

Natsumi swallowed again and exhaled, meeting the eyes of her reflection.

_If only it was that easy._

She left the bathroom to make eat a bowl of cereal quickly before she brushed her teeth and stood in front of the mirror to tie her headband on.

_Alright, now to go meet up with Hasu._

* * *

"Good morning!" Hasu smiled broadly as Natsumi hopped onto the balcony.

"Morning." Natsumi covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, and he laughed quietly.

"Did you not sleep well?"

"Not really." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I... had a lot on my mind." She managed a small smile. "What about you?"

"Admittedly, I stayed up much later than I had intended, but I was too engrossed in my book and lost track of time." He motioned to the enormous book on the side table, then picked it up, tilting it so that she could see where his bookmark was. "It's quite fascinating. I'm currently learning about the Second Hokage's reign." He opened the book to leaf through it. "He was the one who created the Leaf Police, and also the Ninja Academy, apparently." He smiled and pointed to the page. "He is also the one who created the ANBU Black Ops, and even the Chunin Exams."

Natsumi nodded. "Tobirama Senju... he's also the one that created the Space-Time Ninjutsu that I use to teleport, that Lord Fourth mastered."

Hasu's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, really? For you to utilize the technique that he created, it indicates how remarkable you are."

"I wouldn't say that..." Her cheeks warmed and she averted her eyes. "I don't use it even half as well as they did."

"Perhaps one day, you will be just as powerful as they were." Hasu shut the book with a smile. "I am confident that you could achieve it. And then, maybe become Hokage yourself."

"Me? As Hokage?" She laughed and waved her hand. "No way. I don't think that would suit me at all." She put her hands into her pockets. "Besides, that's Naruto's dream. I think he'd make a better Hokage than I would."

"Hm... perhaps. But, perhaps not." Hasu smiled. "If anything, Hokage Rock would look quite lovely if it bore your face."

"D-Don't be silly..." Natsumi blushed faintly and looked away. "A-Anyway, we should get going. I'm sure there's plenty that you want to see in the village."

"Oh, of course!" Hasu nodded and set the book down. "Please, lead the way, my lady."

"M-My lady?" Natsumi blinked and her ears reddened.

Hasu looked at her. "Should I make an effort to not speak so formally?"

"It's not that!" Natsumi looked away to mumble. "It's just a little embarrassing when you say stuff like that..."

"I see." His lips twitched in a smile. "I suppose I could work on shifting my speech, if it displeases you."

"It's fine..."

He scratched at the back of his neck, frowning slightly and she blinked.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing." Hasu shook his head slowly and smiled. "I have just had the strangest feeling since last night, as if I am being watched."

"Watched?" Natsumi pressed her lips together.

_Can he maybe sense the ANBU guard, then?_

"It's nothing to be concerned over." He lowered his hand. "The most bothersome thing about it, is that I occasionally feel a strange sensation on the back of my neck. It is almost as if something brushes against the skin, though there isn't anything there."

Natsumi frowned. "That sounds... strange."

"It must be an unusual consequence of my lack of a proper night's sleep." He touched his chin in thought. "Although, I read once about a now-extinct species of parasite that would nest in the back of a man's neck and slowly fuse with his nervous system, so that it could freely control the body. Those infested with it became violent and craved flesh..." He paled slightly and shuddered. "I should be thankful that such a thing does not exist in this era."

"Would it make you feel better if I checked anyway?"

He smiled sheepishly and met her eyes. "...Would you?"

Natsumi laughed quietly and nodded. "Alright, alright. Sit down so that I can see; You're too tall."

"As you wish." Hasu sat on the armchair and Natsumi shifted his long hair out of the way and draped it over his shoulder, freezing suddenly with her fingertips trembling over his skin as her eyes widened.

_W-What is this?!_

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the dark mark of a small serpent on the back of his neck. It moved and slithered in a circle before its head emerged from the skin, nearly invisible. It watched her and flicked its tongue, with red markings around its eyes as they narrowed.

_That coloration... it's the same as Oto's markings. But what is this?! Why is there a marking here? Was there always one here?_

"Well?" Hasu glanced over his shoulder to look at her from the corner of his eye with a small smile. "I don't happen to be infested by a parasite, do I?"

The snake watched Natsumi carefully.

"N-No... there's—"

The serpent's jaw opened wide and its fangs hovered above the exposed skin of his neck, keeping its eyes on her.

_It's going to kill him!_

Natsumi swallowed and forced a small smile. "T-There's nothing there."

"I shouldn't feel so relieved over such a ridiculous idea, but I do all the same." Hasu smiled and sighed. "Thank you for entertaining my trivial request."

"N-No problem." Natsumi forced a small laugh under her breath and the snake slowly closed it mouth and settled back into his skin, returning to its original form that resembled a small tattoo. Natsumi recovered the marking with his hair and balled her hand into a fist.

_So, putting a seal on my tongue wasn't enough for her? She has to threaten to kill Hasu, too?! He doesn't have anything to do with her!_

She tightened her fist until her knuckles whitened.

_Damn that vile snake witch._

Hasu stood and smiled at her, and she loosened her fist and smiled faintly back. "Shall we go now?"

"Yeah..." Natsumi nodded slowly and walked behind him, narrowing her eyes.

_This is the last straw. Oto needs to be dealt with._

* * *

"Today I was hoping to try out some of the unique foods in the Leaf." Hasu held a small paper in his hands and he looked it over as they walked. "The 'Hottest Curry in the Five Great Nations' is too tempting to miss out on. And the Baumkuchen, the 'world's most decadent cake' as well."

"You like spicy food that much?" Natsumi made a face and looked at him.

"Have you tried that curry before? It is truly that diabolically spicy?"

"I've never tried it, no." She shook her head. "But I once passed the restaurant and got a big whiff of it..." She crossed her arms. "My face turned red and my nose started to run just from walking through a cloud of it."

"Truly?" He laughed. "That sounds excellent. I must try it."

Natsumi cringed slightly. "Seriously? You like eating things that toxic?"

"Not particularly." Hasu chuckled. "I suppose it would be easier understood if I were to explain that two of my brothers— the fourth and fifth sons— always competed with each other to tolerate the hottest foods."

Natsumi's pace slowed slightly and she bit her lip. "Your brothers?"

He nodded. "When I was young, and before they were given their responsibilities by our father, they would often play together with me. Of course, they were both older than I by five and four years, respectively, so I often had difficulties keeping up with their conversations or games." He paused. "I would frequently try to force myself to participate anyway, and that included their contest of consuming spicy foods."

Hasu looked ahead as he walked, staying quiet for a few moments. "I have always had a weak tolerance for spice, so it only took a single lick of a pepper for me to cry and sweat as a child." He smiled faintly and laughed to himself. "I remember our mother being so frightened that I was seriously ill when she saw me, until my brothers explained. She was cross with them for allowing me to eat such foods at that age."

Natsumi looked away and bit her lip.

_He smiles, but his eyes are just... sad._

"It may seem juvenile, but I forced myself to build up my tolerance for spices with the sole intention that I would have something in common with my brothers. One mention of a spice-eating contest would be enough for them to make room in their schedules. It was the only time that I was able to spend with them once father gave them their positions."

She watched his expression and he met her eyes and smiled.

"They may not be able to compete with me this time, but I would still like to try it, if that is alright."

She nodded slowly and looked away. "Y-Yeah... of course. If that's what you want to do, then that's what we'll do." She paused and then looked back at him. "And, what about that cake?"

"Ah... the cake." Hasu laughed and rubbed his head. "You see, my greatest weakness is my fondness for sweets. My mother was the same, and we would often sneak into the kitchen and steal bites of dessert before dinner."

"I'm not surprised at all that you like sweets." Natsumi smiled slightly. "That's why I was so surprised when you said you wanted that curry."

"It does seem out of place, I admit." He nodded to himself. "Though, my love for sweets can also be quite troublesome. I've eaten myself sick before of truffles."

"I bet you love cotton candy, then."

His eyes widened slightly. "What is... cotton candy?"

She blinked. "What? Really? You've never heard of it before?"

"Is it sweet?" His eyes lit up and she nodded quickly.

"It's puffy, fluffy, flavored sugar."

He blinked and stared at her, silent and wide-eyed. "W-Where might I find some?"

She laughed and waved her hand. "We'll pass by a shop that sells it soon."

"I should be ashamed by how eager I am to taste it, but I am not." Hasu smiled broadly and quickened his pace. "There are many things that I have not been able to have before and things that I was not permitted to do. I do not want to waste this opportunity."

"Neechan!"

Natsumi and Hasu turned and Moegi grinned and waved.

"Hi, Neechan!" Konohamaru waved and ran up to her, followed by Moegi and Udon. He stopped in front of her, then looked to Hasu and crossed his arms. "And this guy again."

"Hello." Hasu smiled and lifted his hand in a short wave. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hi." Moegi smiled at him, and Udon waved slightly.

"You guys aren't trying to skip school, are you?" Natsumi put her hands on her hips and looked between them, bending slightly with a wry smile.

"Of course not!" Konohamaru shook his head and turned away, sticking his nose up. "I'm gonna be the Hokage someday! I have to take my education seriously."

"Right." Natsumi ruffled his hair and grinned. "You're so grown up now, huh?"

"Well, duh. You just noticed?" Konohamaru sniffed and rubbed his nose, then laughed and put his hands on his hips. After a moment, he looked back at Hasu, then leaned closer to Natsumi, holding his hand up as he whispered. "Why are you with this guy again? I know he's visiting, but you don't have to hang out with him the whole time."

"H-Huh?" Hasu blinked and looked at the boy, then watched as Natsumi laughed sheepishly and rubbed her head.

"Well..."

"He's not your boyfriend, is he?" Konohamaru glanced at Hasu, and Natsumi blushed.

"N-No! It's not like that!" Natsumi waved her hands and bent to meet the boy's eyes. "Naruto is busy with the Chunin exams, so it's nice to spend time with Hasu as a distraction. He's really a very nice guy."

"Are you going to practice Kunai training again?" Moegi smiled at Hasu. "You were pretty good yesterday. I bet you'll be even better today if you keep trying!"

"Is that so?" Hasu smiled faintly at her, kneeling to her level. "In that case, I promise that I will keep your lessons in mind and continue practicing. You were a good teacher, after all. I would be a terrible student if I did not heed your words."

Moegi blushed at the praise and smiled bashfully. "Well, I am the best Kunoichi in our class."

"I believe it." Hasu smiled at her, and Natsumi gently nudged the kids.

"Alright, go on. You guys are going to be late, and I don't want to be accused of being an accomplice to your tardiness."

"Alright, _fine."_ Konohamaru let out a sigh, then he turned and waved. "See you later!"

"See you!" Natsumi waved back and watched the three students as they hurried off, then sighed.

Hasu frowned slightly and his gaze turned from the trio of students as they walked away to Natsumi, who averted her eyes.

"Why did they not seem to remember who I truly am or why you are accompanying me? Was that part of their secret-keeping?"

Natsumi bit her lip gently and shook her head slowly. "That's because... they genuinely don't remember that you're actually a prince or that I'm guarding you. I asked a comrade of mine from another team to alter their memories of that conversation as they slept."

Hasu's eyes widened slightly. "Their memories have been erased?"

Natsumi hugged her arms closer and looked away. "...As much as I didn't want to do it... it had to be done."

"I do not understand." He kept his voice soft and turned to look back at them. "I thought that you had said they were trustworthy?"

"They are..." She paused. "I _do_ trust them... but the fact is, they're still children. No matter how much I trust them, that knowledge puts them in danger. Even if it makes me feel scummy that I had to lie to them like that, what matters most is to keep them safe."

"I understand." He nodded slowly. "I am certain they would appreciate how much you care for them."

"Maybe." She mumbled. "I just really hate having to deceive the people I care about most. And what I hate even more, is that I'm _good_ at it. All the time... it's easier and easier for a lie to slip out naturally. It's so... frustrating."

_But it's all because of that conditioning Oto made me do. _She bit her lip and glanced at Hasu's neck. _And, speaking of Oto..._

"I do not know what I could say to ease your guilt, but I do have some ideas of how I may lift your spirits or at least provide a distraction from your emotional burdens."

She managed a small smile and raised her brow. "I'm listening."

"I think we should get this cotton candy first, and then perhaps I could practice throwing Kunai once more?" His lips curved in a faint smile. "It was very entertaining. And, after that, I would very much like to have that curry. We can return to practicing, if that is acceptable to you."

"All of that sounds fine, but..." Natsumi scratched her head. "I'm pretty sure if you eat that curry, you'll have to be hospitalized, and then you won't be able to do any training at all."

Hasu laughed. "I have built up a remarkable tolerance to the heat. It will be fine."

"Well, if you're sure..." Natsumi sighed and then waved her hand. "Come on, then. Let's get you that sugar high already."

* * *

Natsumi watched as Hasu went around the shop wide-eyed. He stared at hot dogs cooking and pointed at it, then looked at her.

"Do you see this? This incredible machine is cooking on its own. How interesting." He turned and moved over to the jukebox in the corner of the shop. "Oh! What's this?"

Natsumi stifled a laugh, ignoring the shopkeeper's odd expression as he watched the boy, and she stood beside Hasu.

"This is a jukebox. It's an old machine that plays music."

"Music?" He looked at it again. "This can play music?"

"Just watch." Natsumi took out her cat-shaped coin purse and took out a few coins, then inserted them into the slot. "First, you put in the money, and then you choose a song." Her eyes scanned the song titles before she smiled. "Oh! I love this one." She pressed the button and then stepped back as the music started to play.

"Amazing!" Hasu grinned and looked at the Jukebox from all sides. "How does this work? I've never heard of music that sounded like this before. It's so lively."

"It's an older song by Meiko Nakahara." Natsumi smiled and nodded her head slightly in time with the music. "I like to listen to her music when I'm doing chores."

"I feel that I've been completely deprived, in comparison to you."

"You didn't have music at your home?" Natsumi asked as she started to put a few items into her basket.

"We did." Hasu turned and followed her, watching as he hummed quietly along with the song. "However, it was all traditional. My mother could masterfully play the twenty-five stringed Koto, and she often did so in the evenings after dinner."

"Isn't that supposed to be one of the hardest instruments to learn?"

Hasu smiled softly and nodded. "She was extraordinary and first learned to play at a young age. My brothers tried to learn from her, though none of them had the aptitude. I loved to sit and listen to her play before I went to bed. Music was her first love; she often would say." He closed his eyes briefly and opened them again and met her eyes. "Of course, she said that her second love was sweets."

Natsumi laughed quietly. "I thought you were going to say your dad."

Hasu laughed. "No, she would make jokes that my father was only her third love, but her strongest. Though she was a proper lady, she also had a delightful sense of humor. Her presence was as lovely as the spring, and as calming as ripples on a pond."

"She sounds wonderful."

"She was." He nodded slowly. "I wonder what she would think of that jukebox. I wonder if she would have wanted one."

She frowned slightly and looked away, and then smiled slightly to hold something up for him to see. "Look what I found."

His eyes widened and he took the package from her. "What's this? It's... fluffy and pink."

"That, Hasu, is cotton candy."

"Ah!" He grinned and held it up. "Is this truly edible? It seems so plush and pillowy."

"Just wait until you taste it." She smiled at his expression, then looked over the other shelves. _Is this what I think it is? I wonder..._ She looked back at Hasu, then set it into the basket before grabbing some fruit and several bottles of water. "Alright, I think we're good to go."

"Right."

Once they were outside, she pulled him over to sit on a bench and opened the plastic wrapper, then passed him the cotton candy. "Are you ready to have your mind completely blown?"

"Am I ever." Hasu chuckled and took a bite, his eyes widening immediately before he took several more bites in quick succession. He swallowed and stared at it, and then looked at Natsumi. "This is... delicious! I could eat it for every meal." He bit into it again, and Natsumi laughed under her breath and scratched her head.

"W-Well, I wouldn't do that... But I am glad that you like it so much."

"Would you like some as well?" Hasu held it out to her. "You did not get any for yourself."

"No, that's okay!" She waved her hand. "It's yours, after all. I couldn't."

"Are you sure?" He raised a brow and looked at the treat. "As delicious as this is, I could not and should not eat it all myself, particularly not in a single sitting. You should take as much of it as you like."

"Well..." She bit her lip, then smiled. "Just a little, then." She moved a piece of her hair out of her face to lean forward and take a bite, then closed her eyes as it melted in her mouth. "So good..." She took another bite, then licked her lips. "I haven't had any cotton candy since last year's summer festival." She kicked her legs as she grinned. "Naruto and I managed to scrounge up enough money to get the festival snacks. We were _supposed_ to share the cotton candy, but I only got three bites before he managed to eat it all." She laughed. "It was so hard to be mad at him, because he looked so funny with his cheeks big like a chipmunk." She paused. "And then we stuffed ourselves with Yakisoba, Taiyaki, and shaved ice. We felt so sick after all that, but we were having such a good time that we didn't care."

"We celebrated the Summer Matsuri on the estate, but it was, for the most part, a somber event. We arranged alters for our ancestors, and of course, I looked forward to Kacchu Keiba each year." He chuckled. "Seeing it as a child influenced me to beg my mother and father for a horse of my own. I was utterly relentless until they finally gave in." He paused. "My father did bring in musicians, as well, and mother would dance and try to convince us all to join in." Hasu smiled, continued to eat as he watched her expression. "I have many fond memories of Matsuri, though the festival you speak of also seems enjoyable."

"It's a blast." Natsumi leaned back in the bench and exhaled. "Naruto and I always failed at goldfish scooping, and it would always frustrate him. He'd yell and say that the whole thing was rigged." She laughed. "We were both just terrible at it. But we made up for it in the ring toss!" She took out her coin purse and held it up. "I won Neko-chii, and Naruto won himself Gama-chan. I like how it's both really cute, and also looks mischievous." She put it away and then leaned back again. "And then we sat on top of Lord Fourth's head to get the best view of the fireworks." She sighed. "We'll probably be too busy this year with missions to be able to have fun at the festival like that, though." She stifled a laugh. "Not that the yukata really look good on my anyways. Only the really cute, girly-girls look pretty in them."

"In that case, I am certain that you would look stunning in one."

She blushed and averted her eyes, shaking her head as he face burned and she stood quickly. "A-Alright! Let's get to Kunai training now! Yup!" She turned and started to walk and Hasu laughed to himself, then followed her.

"If you say so, my lady."

Natsumi flushed deeper and covered her face. _"Hasu!"_

"My apologies." He chuckled. "I couldn't help it."


	95. Chapter 93: Gaara's Cruel Strength

_Sasuke lay unconscious on the ground with Sakura kneeling beside him as Shiore ran at them, smirking as he held up a Kunai. Naruto's eyes widened as Shiore lunged at Naruto to bury his Kunai into his stomach.  
_

* * *

Naruto woke up screaming, sitting up quickly to hold his head as it pounded. A large knot formed on the top of his head, and Choji and Shikamary knelt beside him, as Choji held a large stick. Naruto's scream tapered off and he blinked, then looked around. To see Sakura and Sasuke sitting together. He blinked again, and looked over to see Ino half-carrying Lee, and his eyes widened.

_"That guy?!"_ Naruto started to stand. "Everyone, hide!" He shook his head quickly, then threw himself to the ground to crawl. "No, lie down quick! W-Where's that guy at?!"

"Naruto...?" Sakura blinked and turned to look at him.

Ino stopped walking and puffed her cheeks as she furrowed her brows at the blond. _"That fool. He finally woke up."_

Choji prodded the lump on Naruto's head with the stick, now standing with a frown as Naruto blinked.

"You're sure one of a kind." Shikamaru let out a sigh and stuck his hands into his pockets as he stood. "Actually, you're getting on my nerves."

"Hmph." Naruto made a face and looked back at Sakura and Sasuke, staring intently at Sakura for a moment before his eyes widened. "S-Sakura! Y-Your...!"

"What?"

Naruto ran up to her and skidded to a stop as he sat beside her. "Sakura, your hair!"

"Oh. This?" She lifted a piece of her hair between her fingers and looked at it. "I'm just... changing my image." She stroked the back of her hair with a slight smile. "I liked it better long, but... when I move around in a foret like this, it just gets in the way when it's long."

Choji and Shikmaru approached and looked down at Naruto with matching frowns, and Naruto looked over at them over his shoulder.

"By the way... why are you guys here?!"

"Heh... It's too much of a drag to explain it to you." Shikamaru put his hand in his pocket and let out a breath.

"Everyone helped out." Sakura said softly.

"Huh?" Naruto turned back to her.

Ino smirked slightly. _"Hmph. Sakura's putting on a show of bravado..."_

Tenten jumped down in front of Ino and met her eyes. "I'll take care of him from here."

"Oh. Okay." Ino nodded and gently slid Lee's arm from around her shoulders, and Tenten gripped Lee's arms, then started to shake him hard.

"Hey! Get it together, Lee!"

Lee dropped to his knees and Tenten put her hands on her hips as his eyes opened slowly and he blinked.

"Oh? Tenten? Why are you here?"

She knelt in front of him and smiled. "I came to help."

"Help?" Lee repeated and looked around. "Those guys... where are the Sound Village Ninja?"

Tenten furrowed her brows. "That kid named Sasuke drove them away!"

"I see..." Lee turned to looked toward team seven and watched Sasuke, and Tenten frowned and poked his forehead sharply.

"Why did you hastily decided to act on your own?! Besides! You got really beaten up!" She let out a hot breath as she shook her head and crossed her arms. "Well...?"

"S-Sakura was in danger. So, as a man, I..."

_"You've got to be kidding me. If it were Lee alone, he absolutely wouldn't have lost to the guys."_ She furrowed her brows and met his eyes. "You're such an idiot."

Lee sighed and hugged his knees, drawing his legs closer. "I can't argue with that."

"Hey, Bushy-brow!" Naruto ran over to him and pointed at him.

"NARUTO!" Sakura glared and drew back her fist, running up quickly to hit him hard in the face, throwing him across the clearing. "Don't say rude things to Lee!"

Naruto hit the ground hard and blinked as he lay there for a moment. _"What... in the world... happened while I was asleep?"_

"That Naruto, he's completely out of the loop." Shikamaru sighed and crossed his arm, keeping his eyes on the blond.

"He's not the type to be the protagonist of a story, that's for sure." Choji mumbled and made a face.

"Lee-san..." Sakura looked down at him as he sat and he met her eyes. "...Thank you."

His eyes widened slightly and she smiled.

"Because of you, I was able to wake up. I feel like I've gotten a little stronger!"

Lee blushed and his eyes watered as he pouted. "S-S-Sakura-san..." He sniffed and wiped his face with his forearm. "It looks like my efforts were not enough!" He turned to Sasuke, who stood beside Sakura. "Sasuke... just what you'd expect from the Uchiha clan." He frowned slightly and looked down. "To chase off those Sound Village Ninja... it's just as I thought. You posessess amazing strength. I was beaten to a pulp."

Sasuke's eyes widened, then he furrowed his brows. _"What?! He was beaten to a pulp?! What is he talking about? Were those guys really that strong?"_

"Sakura!" Lee looked back at her. "The Lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice."

"Huh?"

Lee smiled and furrowed his brows. "When we meet again, I will have become a stronger man. I pledge it."

Tenten looked at Lee and put a hand on her hip and Sakura blinked, and then smiled.

"Okay!"

Naruto made a face as he lay on his belly, kicking his feet in the air as he rested his cheek in his hand, watching Lee and Sakura. "Hmph."

"Hey, Sakura!" Ino called out and she turned to her. "Come here, come here! I'll fix your hair for you!"

"Okay!" Sakura smiled and walked toward Ino. "That'd be great." She sat in front on Ino, who knelt behind her and started to carefully cut her hair with a Kunai.

"Hmph." Ino furrowed her brows as she cut. "You're really sneaky. Hugging him like that, you little Billboard Brow."

"Heh." Sakura glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "It's called first-come-first-serve, Miss Ino-Pig."

Neji stood on a branch overlooking the group, his hand on his hip as he kept his eyes on Sasuke in silence. _"Sasuke Uchiha... in any case, he's a strong opponent."_

* * *

Akamaru trembled and whimpered on the floor in front of Kiba, who frowned and reached out to gently stroke his head. "Are you okay, Akamaru?"

"Is he still shaking?" Shino glanced downward at the dog. "It's already been half a day."

"Poor Akamaru..." Hinata knelt beside him to gently pat his back.

"I don't blame him... it's all because he saw that... _monster."_

* * *

_"Yeah! This will be a piece of cake!" Kiba grinned as team eight moved quickly through the trees and pointed a thumb at himself. "After all, brains are most important in survival! Right, Akamaru?"_

_The small dog yapped in agreement as he jumped beside Kiba._

_"Heh. Lucky for us, the guys who got caught in that trap had an earth scroll!" Kiba laughed. "We'll be the first to the tower at this rate!"_

_"Don't get too full of yourself." Shino glanced over at him. "That's dangerous. No matter how small an insect is, it has to guard itself at all times. We have to pay attention to avoid coming across any enemies...This is safety."_

_"I know that!" Kiba frowned and turned to him. "As always, you're speaking in a way that's difficult to understand, bug-nerd."_

_Shino furrowed his brows as Kiba raced off ahead, and Hinata looked over at him._

_"Um... b-but... what Shino said... he has a point."_

_"I know! C'mon." Kiba rolled his eyes. "Don't you get on my case, too, Hinata."_

_Hinata pressed her lips together. _"Naruto... I hope nothing's happened to him..."

_Akamaru yapped softly and Kiba furrowed his brows and sniffed the air, stopping on a branch and holding out his arms to the side._

_"Hey, you two. Stop." They stopped and stood beside him, and he straightened and sniffed the air again. "We're bein' careful not to come across enemies, right?" He turned to Hinata and pointed. "Then, Hinata! Can you see one kilometer in that direction?"_

_"Mhm." Hinata's eyes followed his finger and she nodded. "Yes, I'll have a look." She stood and formed a sign, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them again as the veins around her eyes bulged. "Byakugan!"_

_Her vision focused ahead and, through the trees, she caught sight of the red-haired Sand Genin standing in a clearing. "There's someone there."_

_Shino knelt and pressed his ear to the thick branch they stood on. "Evidently... there are six people..."_

_"Okay!" Kiba smirked and clenched his fists. "Let's go look!"_

_"W-What?!" Hinata deactivated her Byakugan with a jump and turned to him quickly, then swallowed._

_"Kiba!" Shino stood and frowned at his teammate. "What are you saying? We're not doing that."_

_Kiba smirked, emphasizing his elongated canines. "The Proctor told us to bring one Heaven and Earth scroll as a pair. She didn't say to not take more than that." He held out his arms and chuckled. "If we take more, that means some other teams will be left out."_

_"B-But..." Hinata swallowed again and held her hand out._

_"We'll just see what's going on at first." Kiba grinned at her. "If it looks too dangerous, we won't jump in for now reason. Well, enough talking; let's go!" He jumped ahead with Akamaru and Shino and Hinata looked at him._

_"W-Wait!"_

_Shino crossed his arms and let out a short breath. "He's an irritating type, that one."_

_Hinata and Shino followed behind until they caught up to Kiba, then quietly hid behind a thick cover of bushes. Akamaru began to tremble and whimper softly and Kiba looked down at him._

_"What's wrong, Akamaru?"_

_"What's wrong?" Hinata glanced at Kiba. "You stopped suddenly."_

_"Akamaru suddenly got frightened." KIba frowned slightly and the dog crawled into Kiba's jacket to hide._

_"W-Why is that?" Hinata hugged her arms close and watched the small dog shaking._

_"Akamaru can sniff out the level of enemy Chakra and tell his strength." He reached up to gently rub Akamaru's head. "But this is the first time I've seen him this scared." Kiba frowned and narrowed his eyes as he glanced ahead. "Those people over there aren't ordinary guys..."_

* * *

_The three sand siblings stood across the clearing from a trio of Rain Ninja._

_"Sand village kids coming to challenge us forthright." The Rain Genin with facepaint chuckled. "It's foolish."_

_Gaara glared at the trio with his arms crossed in silence and Kankuro chuckled and put his hands in his pockets._

_Kiba narrowed his eyes as he watched from behind a thick bush and looked at Gaara. "What's that little guy thinking to get involved with those guys?!" Akamaru whimpered and buried his face in Kiba's shirt, and his eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the dog._

_"W-What's Akamaru saying?" Hinata glanced over at him, and Kiba gritted his teeth._

_"He's saying that big guy is dangerous."_

_Hinata gulped and turned to look back out to the Shinobi as they stared at one another intensely. _"They certainly look like bad news... They seem really strong."

* * *

_"Hey, you kids should really pick your opponents more wisely..." The tallest Rain Shinobi furrowed his brows, then smirked. "You're all going to die."_

_"That's enough from you." Gaara spoke up and met his eyes. "Let's do this quickly... old man from the Hidden Rain."_

_The man gritted his teeth and glared at the boy._

_"Which scroll do you guys have...?" Gaara asked, and Kankuro turned to the redhead._

_"Hey, Gaara! Doesn't it make sense to follow them and gather information before hunting them? If they have the same type of scroll, there's no need to fight. Unnecessary battles are—"_

_"It doesn't matter." Gaara interrupted. "If their eyes meet with mine... I'll kill them all."_

_Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened and Shigure froze in place and then narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening. Team eight's eyes widened from where they hid and Kankuro gulped quietly. _

"That's why I don't want to be with this guy..."

_Shigure titled his head down slightly and clenched his jaw. "Tch. Well, let's do this, then. Quickly!" He reached up to grab the umbrellas on his back and held them out in front of himself as they snapped open as shields._

_He tossed the umbrellas high into the air and Kankuro looked up at them._

_"H-Huh?"_

_"Die, kids!" Shigure furrowed his brows and formed a hand sign. "Ninja Art! Senbon Rainstorm!"_

"Hidden Senbons!"_ Hinata gasped as she watched the umbrellas begin to spin rapidly and large needles rained heavily down on the area. Gaara blinked and Shigure smirked._

_"Up, down, left, right... there is no blind spot in this Jutsu. In addition to that, all the Senbons are controlled by my own Chakra and all have perfect aim on my intended prey!"_

_The Senbon concentrated on Gaara's location and struck him at once, creating a small cloud of dust and earth on impact. Shigure smirked. _"Too easy."_ As the dust settled, his eyes widened. _"W-What?!"

_Sand encased Gaara in the shape of an egg, the Senbon sticking out and littering the ground around him. Gaara blinked and glared at the man._

_"Is that all?"_

_"I-It can't be!" Shigure stepped back and stared at him. "Not even one...? No wounds...? Impossible!" He gritted his teeth and formed another sign, sending another volley of Senbon raining down. Gaara's sand shifted to block the small gap and intercept each needle._

_"Tch!"Shigure's brows furrowed and a bead of sweat rolled down his face_

_"Senbon Rainstorm, huh...?" Gaara's brow furrowed as he met the man's eyes. "Well, I'll make it rain blood."_

* * *

_"What a huge Chakra..." Kiba gulped as Team Eight watched from the bushes, with Akamaru still trembling and whimpering. "And, that sand... it smells terrible._"

_"Smell?" Shino looked at him._

_"A strong smell of blood..." Kiba clenched his jaw and scrunched his nose at the metallic scent. _

* * *

_"A wall of sand...?" Another bead of sweat rolled down Shigure's face and watched as parts of the sand's shield cracks and fell to the ground. __Theremaining sand slowly sunk back to rest in piles around Gaara's feet and theSenbon scattered uselessly around._

_"That's right. An absolute defense of sand!" Kankuro closed one eye, narrowing the other at him. "He manipulates sand inside of that gourd and hardens it with magnified Chakra. It defends the circumference of Gaara's body. It's a technique that only he can do. Futhermore... it's somehow always automatically done with Gaara's intentions. Which means that all attacks aimed at Gaara fade into nothing and fail."_

_"T-That little...!"_

_"You guys can't beat our Gaara." Kankuro tilted his head up slightly. _

_"Don't underestimate me!" Shigure ran directly at Gaara, who brought his hands together in a sign._

"This guy's a goner..."_ Kankuro chuckled under his breath and Temari smirked._

"That's what you get for rebelling against Gaara..."

_"Sand Coffin!" Gaara held out a palm toward Shigure as he approached and the sane wrapped around his legs, appearing as hands, covering him entirely until only his face was visible. Shigure wriggled and strained and the sand constricted around him._

_"I... can't move!"_

_His teammates' eyes widened and they stepped back. Shigure's umbrellas fell from above and stuck out of the ground, and he glared at the boy._

_"T-This won't...!"_

_Gaara stepped forward and reached out to grip the handle of an umbrella. "I can cover your mouth to shut you up when I kill you." He pulled an umbrella from the dirt, then snapped it open and held it above his head. "But that's too pathetic." He held out his palm toward the man, raising his hand slightly._

_The sand responded and lifted Shigure above the clearing and Gaara closed his eyes briefly as he focused, then reopened as he glared darkly at his opponent, balling his hand into a tight fist. "Sand Burial!"_

_The sand crushed Shigure before he let out a scream. Blood splattered everywhere as his body was finely crushed._

__Team Eight's eyes went wide as they watched, paralyzed in place as their faces paled and their stomachs turned. __

_Baiu screamed as blood rained down, covering him. He stared, shaking violently at his blood-covered hand and Midare held up his arms to lessen the spray on his own face._

_"There's no pain." Gaara lifted the umbrella slightly to look at Midare and Baiu, who quickly stepped back. "I knocked him even harder than was necessary. The bloody tears of a corpse merge with vast sinking sand and provide more power to the demon of war."_

_"T-The scroll!" Midare stammered and took the scroll from his back pouch to set it on the ground. "We'll give it to you! Please! Just let us go!"_

_Gaara tossed the umbrella to the side and narrowed his eyes at the pair, holding out his palms toward them. Sand gripped them both, covering them completely as they screamed and struggled to break free. Gaara closed his fists and the screams stopped and blood splattered._

_"T-This is bad..." Kiba gulped and whispered, and Hinata hugged her arms close, shaking as she bent over. Kiba nudged her, then turned around. "Let's escape quickly! If he finds us, we're dead!"_

_Shino, Kiba, and Hinata began to quietly crawl away slowly through the underbrush, and Kankuro walked over to the scroll to pick it up, chuckling as he smirked._

_"Luckily, it's just the scroll we needed; A heaven scroll." He turned to his brother. "Alright, let's go to the tower now."_

_"Shut up." Gaara scowled and looked toward the bushes. "It's still... not enough for me!"_

_Team Eight froze and trembled, feeling Gaara's eyes on them._

"D-Damn!"_ Kiba clenched his jaw and gulped. _"Did he really notice us?!"

_Kankuro put his hand on his hip and furrowed his brows. "Let's be done with it, Gaara."_

_Gaara glanced toward him. "Are you afraid... you coward?"_

_Kankuro's eyes widened before they narrowed and he glared back as he walked toward him. "Gaara! It's certainly no problem for you, but it's too dangerous for us! One set of scrolls is enough! More than this is—"_

_"Weak people don't get to give me orders." Gaara held his palm out to the side at the bush where Team Eight hid behind and narrowed his eyes at his older brother._

_Temari and Kankuro clenched their jaws and a bead of sweat rolled down Temari's face._

_"That's enough, I said!" Kankuro raised his voice and gripped the strap of Gaara's gourd. "How about you listen to what your older brother has to say?!"_

_"I've never thought of you as my siblings." Gaara met his eyes and frowned. "If you get in my way... I'll kill you just the same."_

_Kankuro kept his eyes locked with his brother's until Gaara knocked his hand away, raising his hand again to the bush._

_"H-Hey!" Temari held up her hands and took a step forward. "G-Gaara, cut it out! Please? Don't say something so cold. As a favor to your sister... okay?"_

_Gaara turned his hand toward Kankuro, who froze and grimaced, then Gaara pointed his hand at the bushes once again. Sand began to accumulate around his hand and Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened. _

_"Gaara!" Temari held her hand out, taking another step forward as his fist closed suddenly. Kankuro flinched and Gaara stared at him unblinkingly, then glanced at the cork in his hand._

_"...Fine." He returned the cork to seal the sand inside of his gourd and his siblings let out small sighs as he turned to begin walking away._

_"Tch." Kankuro gritted his teeth. _"This is why I hate bratty kids."

* * *

_Akamaru whimpered and Team Eight took in large gasps of air after the Sand Ninja had left. The dog yapped quietly and Kiba looked down at him where he hid inside of his jacket._

_"What? So, that's it, Akamaru?" Kiba let out a deep breath. "C'mon, you should've said something sooner."_

* * *

"Nobody's here?" Hinata looked around the tower's main floor as crickets chirped loudly outside under the moonlight, and Kiba laughed.

"We must be the first ones, huh?"

"No, I sensed someone a little while ago." Shino stuck his hands into his pockets.

"More importantly, is Akamaru okay?" Hinata reached over to gently scratch the dog's chin. "He's been scared ever since."

"Now that you mention it, what exactly did Akamaru say before?" Shino looked over at Kiba, who turned to look at him.

"Oh... Akamaru said that it was dangerous because that Sand kid would kill that big Rain guy."

"Sheesh! Just like I thought, there's no other place to go!" Kankuro's voice echoed from down the hall, and the three's eyes widened.

"They've already made us wait for half a day!" Temari crossed her arms and complained. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara turned and walked into the large room. Temari and Kankuro smirked and glanced over at the Leaf Genin, as Hinata gulped and kept her eyes down, and Kiba and Shino quietly watched them pass. Gaara looked at them from the corner of his eye and they stayed still, a chill shuddering down their spines.

Kiba swallowed and watched as they exited through a door on the opposite side of the room, then slowly let out a breath. _"That Sand Village kid... I don't know what he is, but, that guy... he's too dangerous. _

* * *

"It's becoming a real disaster, but we can't cancel this test." Anko sighed from where she sat on a sofa and looked between the two ANBU agents.

"What do you mean?" The bird-masked man put a hand on his hip and looked down at her.

"Excuse me!" A Chunin opened the sliding door and addressed Anko.

"What is it? We're talking about something important!" Anko frowned at him and he blinked sheepishly.

"S-Sorry. But... uh..." He held up a VCR tape for her to see. "Please take a look at this!"

"A video?" The tallest ANBU man crossed his arms, and they turned toward the television.

Iwashi knelt in front of the television and stuck the tape into the player. After a moment, the recorded security footage of the main floor of the tower began to play, and he pointed to the top right corner. "Ready? Here! Look at the time!"

Displayed on the screen were Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara as they entered the tower, and the time read 16:07. Anko's eyes widened and her mouth gaped slightly as she looked at the time.

"This is a recording of the security footage from just inside the tower, only one hour and thirty-seven minutes after the start of the second test!"

"Three Ninja from the Hidden Sand Village broke through the second test!" A chunin announced over the tape, and Gaara turned to look up at the security camera with a glare.

Anko's eyes widened further and she stood quickly. "It can't be!"

"In a mere ninety-seven minutes..." Iwashi furrowed his brows and paused the tape. "This has never happened before." He looked back at Anko. "This is an anomaly. Those guys are not Genin level." He turned back to the screen. "They've beaten the fastest time by four hours..."

"It's not just that." Anko furrowed her brows.

"What do you mean?"

"It's ten kilometers from the test entrances to the tower." She turned to walk toward the window and gaze out at the forest. "Ferocious animals, poisonous insects, the rugged forest path... And, as if those were not there... especially that red-haired boy right in the front..."

"What about him?" Iwashi stood and looked at Anko.

"You didn't notice?"

He knelt and rewinded the video, watching Gaara enter the building several times and look at the camera.

"I see." The bird-masked man tilted his head slightly. "This is quite a surprise."

Iwashi turned to look at the man over his shoulder. "What about that kid is so...?"

"Look closely at his body." Anko glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He did as she said, looking over Gaara once again before he smirked faintly and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I see."

"He doesn't have a single scratch on him." Anko turned her eyes back to the window. "What's worse, there's not even a smudge of dirt on his clothing."

"Even I... No, any of the other Chunin... It's impossible for us to make it to this tower without a scratch." Iwashi's brows furrowed.

"It's likely that it has something to do with his ability." The cat-masked ANBU man crossed his arms. "After a long time, a strong candidate has appeared... Even though he's got evil eyes."


	96. Chapter 94: The Prince of the Leaf Pt 4

"Ah, I missed again." Hasu frowned slightly and shook his head before stooping to pick up the Kunai from the ground. "How disappointing."

"Don't feel discouraged. You were doing really well before." Natsumi smiled faintly. "It's just because I had you try from further back. You just need more practice at this distance."

"I understand." He glanced down at the Kunai in his hand. "However, I am still disappointed that I am not doing better than I am."

"It's just practice." She crossed her arms and touched her chin. "Well, and math. I could write out the formula and go into lengthy details, but I prefer mastery through practice."

"While I am no stranger to arithmetic, I feel it would be best if I continue with my efforts." Hasu backed away from the post, then aimed once more and threw a Kunai. It hit the post from an angle and bounced to the ground, and he sighed. As he raised the next Kunai, she grabbed his arm gently.

"I know what you're doing wrong now."

"Hm?" He lowered his arm and met her eyes. "What is it?"

"You're trying to _throw_ the Kunai, not throw it."

He blinked. "That... is rather confounding."

"Right." She looked upward for a moment. "It's like this; you did well from a shorter distance because you believed that you could, so your throw was natural. But now, you're at a distance that you're uncomfortable with, so you're making more of an effort with each throw instead of trying to keep your movements natural."

"Hm." He frowned and looked at the Kunai. "I suppose that explanation is rational, though I'm unsure of how to improve."

"Well, you just..." Her eyes lit and she smiled. "I know just the thing." She hurriedly went over to the shopping bag underneath of a tree to carry it over and place one of the items in his hand. "Here. We'll do this."

His eyes widened. "Playing cards?"

She nodded. "I remember you said you were good at throwing them, so I thought I'd pick some up."

"Forgive me, but how will this help me to master Kunai?"

"Confidence." She put her hands on her hips. "You're used to throwing cards, and you're confident in your ability. Confidence is one of the most important parts of being a Shinobi." She held up a finger. "If you lack confidence in your own ability, you'll make a fatal mistake."

"I see." Hasu nodded, opening the deck. He shuffled the deck fluidly with a small smile, then held a single card in his hand before looking at the post and quickly flicking his wrist and releasing the card. The card stuck into the wood in the center of the small circle she had drawn and Natsumi's eyes widened.

"Wow. You're scary good at that."

Hasu chuckled and threw several more cards in rapid succession and they landed in the center of the target. "I mastered this through sheer curiosity and boredom, though it is entertaining."

"That's good." Natsumi nodded. "Now, all we have to do is get you to transfer that confidence and ease to Kunai throwing. If you do that, you'll really be impressive."

"If only Kunai were as easy as cards." He flipped a card and caught it before throwing it at the target. "There is just something more comfortable about their size, shape, and weight that causes it to be more natural for me."

"Hm..." Natsumi crossed her arms and furrowed her brows in thought. "Well, I can't do anything about the shape and weight of Kunai, but I can help you practice until you become as comfortable with them as you are with playing cards."

"Would you like to try?" Hasu held out a card to her. "Perhaps you would find it easier to assist me if you could feel for yourself the difference."

"Good idea." She took the card from him, then turned to the target as he manipulated her hand and stance.

"You hold it like so..." He adjusted her fingers. "Once you release the card, it should follow the path of your index toward the target."

"Okay." She nodded and he stepped back, and she drew in a small breath before throwing the card. It hit the target slightly off-center, stuck into the wood several centimeters, and Hasu's eyes widened.

"You are... quite good at that."

"It's almost exactly the same as throwing a Shuriken." Natsumi smiled. "The only difference is the weight and the angling. I suppose the shape does matter a little for the aerodynamics, but it's not much of a difference."

"How were you able to have it penetrate so deeply?" He pulled the card out and examined the narrow hole.

"I channeled my Chakra into it." Natsumi held up a Kunai and focused until he saw a faint violet glow around the knife. "It allows the Kunai to pierce through harder targets and penetrate targets more deeply." She turned toward a tree and held up the knife. "Like this." She threw the Kunai and it broke through the trunk, leaving a small, gaping hole and stuck into the ground on the opposite side.

"W-Wow." His lips parted as he stared between her and the tree. "I didn't know such a thing was possible."

"It takes a lot of training to have that level of Chakra control." Natsumi put her hand on her hip. "It's definitely not something that you're just born able to do, that's for sure."

"How useful it must be to possess Chakra..." He exhaled shortly. "Perhaps I wouldn't need protection, if that were the case."

"You _do_ have Chakra, though." Natsumi smiled faintly and his eyes widened and he looked at her.

"I do?"

She nodded. "Everyone does. The only difference between Shinobi and everyone else is the amount of Chakra we're born with, how much we train, and our level of control."

"Do you mean that... I could do Ninjutsu as well?" Hasu stared at her and she rubbed her head and laughed under her breath.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that." Natsumi lowered her hand. "It depends on how much Chakra you actually have, and if your Chakra network is open or not."

"How might I learn that?" Hasu looked at his hands.

"That's a good question." Natsumi crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Someone with the Byukugan would be able to tell for sure, but so would someone with Medical Ninjutsu." She drummed her fingers against her arms. "One of the first things we did at the Academy was for our base Chakra levels to be determined, but that was so long ago that I don't really remember how it was done."

"How unfortunate." Hasu let out a small sigh.

"Hey, I didn't say it was impossible or that I wouldn't figure out how." She smiled and he met her gaze with a smile of his own. "Besides, before you try attempting to use any Chakra at all, you should thoroughly understand what it is and how it works."

"Will you teach me?"

"I'm not as cut out for teaching as Hidemi-sensei or Iruka-sensei, but I'll do my best." She nodded. "For now, you should keep working on your Kunai skills. Half of your source of Chakra is physical, so honing your abilities and your body are important."

Hasu nodded and bowed his head slightly. "I will be an diligent student, so please do not be lenient with me."

* * *

"Let's take a break now."

Hasu let out a long breath and stretched and sat down, resting his back against the post. "I did not realize that this training would be so taxing."

"It's because you're not used to it." Natsumi sat beside him and passed him a bottle of water. "Keep practicing every day, and it will be second nature."

He took a long drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then sighed and reached up to massage his shoulder. "I'm far sorer already than I had thought I would be."

"It happens." She put her hand on his shoulders and gently nudged him. "Turn around."

"Hm?" He turned to sit with his back to her and she gently applied pressure to his neck and shoulder. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. "That feels quite nice."

"It's important to properly take care of your body after training so that you don't damage your muscles." She paused, frowning slightly at the mark on the back of his neck before she continued in a mumble. "My... mentor used to do this for me. When I was first getting into serious training."

"How lucky for you." He smiled slightly and cracked one of his eyes to look at her over his shoulder.

_I hate to give her any credit, but at least Oto did this for me... after almost breaking me completely, that is._

"If you apply pressure to certain points, and gently massage out the knots, it relieves the tension. The inflammation, though, is something that will subside over time. She used to make me herbal tea for it." Natsumi bit her lip. "If you don't do this part, continued training will be hard on your body and could result in long-term damage to your nerves."

"I am grateful to have you as my teacher, then." Hasu let out a breath and shut his eyes again. "Do all Shinobi do this?"

"The smart ones." She laughed under her breath. "It's not something taught to us, but it's something we figure out. Kiri, Sena, and I like to soak in the bathhouse after a mission to relax, but Ahmya will go all-out and dedicate a whole day off for the spa after a long mission; starting with a Chiropractic adjustment followed up with a full-body massage, all the way to a manicure and facial. She's very particular about her self-care."

"I imagine that those establishments see a lot of business, then, if they are so beneficial for Shinobi."

The snake marking shifted to watch Natsumi and she jumped slightly in surprise and its movement and frowned at it. It met her eyes and she scowled.

_Of course she knows that I was just talking about her. Nosy devil woman._

"Well, that should be fine for now." Natsumi sat back and stretched, then stood. "How do you feel?"

Hasu chuckled and stood. "Would it be inconsiderate if I were to say 'disappointed' in that it was over?"

She blushed slightly, averting her eyes for a moment. "Are you hungry? It's about time we had some lunch."

His eyes lit and he smiled. "Curry, perhaps?"

"I think you've earned it." She smiled faintly and nodded. "If we go now, we should make it in time before they get really busy, too."

* * *

A woman seated Natsumi and Hasu in a small booth in the back corner of the restaurant and Natsumi's eyes sting and she rubbed them slightly.

_The food is so spicy that even the air is irritating me. My face feels numb just being here._

"What can I get for you today?" The waitress looked between Hasu and Natsumi with a smile. "Our lunch special today is Curry Doria, though our specialty is our Ultra-Spicy Curry, also known as 'Raging Rattlesnake' that's won International competitions for the past three years." She held up a finger. "And, if you finish the plate, you'll have your picture added to our wall of champions, your meal today will be free-of-charge, _and _you'll receive a special coupon for a free meal."

Hasu smiled broadly. "The Ultra-Spicy Curry, please."

"And you?" The woman looked at Natsumi. "The rules allow for two people to try the contest."

"Oh, no. Definitely not." She held up her hands and shook her head. "Just the Curry Doria."

"Alright, I'll be right back!" The woman smiled and walked of, and Natsumi rested her head on her arms.

"This is exciting. If only Shinsuke and Kouta were here." Hasu tapped her fingertips on the table in anticipation and Natsumi laughed quietly and looked up at him.

"You're crazy, you know? Lord Third if going to be furious that I let you eat this and you die from a heart attack."

Hasu chuckled and rested his hands in his lap. "I do appreciate your concern, though, as I said before, I have built up a tolerance to spice. I have yet to eat anything so powerful that it threatened my health."

"For both of our sakes, I hope you're right." She sighed softly and rested her chin in her hand, with her elbow on the table.

"You do not like spicy foods?"

She shook her head. "A little spice is one thing, if it's just part of the flavor, but anything too spicy that it makes my lips numb or my tongue burn, I can't stand it."

"You have a low tolerance as well, then?" Hasu smiled faintly and her cheeks warmed.

"One time, I accidentally bought the wrong thing from a vending machine." Natsumi made a face and looked away. "I was just trying to get some potato chips, but what I ended up with was a bag of mega-hot 'fire-ant' puffs. I didn't have any more money to get what I really wanted, and I hadn't eaten in almost a day, so I tried to eat them anyway." She shuddered and hugged her arms closer. "All I remember was eating just one puff and then waking up in the hospital the next day."

"That is frightful." He frowned slightly. "What happened exactly?"

She shrugged. "Naruto said he looked over and I turned red, was suddenly covered in sweat, and then fainted." She twirled a piece of her around her finger and mumbled. "I had blisters on my tongue and lips for a week after that. The dumb kids in my class teased me every time I tried to talk."

"I wholeheartedly understand why you dislike spicy foods so passionately." Hasu nodded as he spoke. "Although, it seems as though your peers treated you as poorly as that woman at the library."

Natsumi looked down slightly and traced the grain of the wood of the table. "...It's just normal."

"And why is that?" His voice softened and kept his eyes on her. "You haven't done anything to be deserving of it."

"It..." She bit her lip and whispered. "It's complicated."

"In what way?" He reached across the table and his fingertips brushed her hand.

"They..." She bit her lip harder, keeping her voice low. "They blame us for a tragedy that happened on the day we were born."

"What?" Hasu blinked furrowed his brows. "How could they do that? It clearly was no fault of your own. That's entirely unreasonable."

"It's just complicated." She glanced up at him, then quickly averted her eyes.

_I can't tell him about the Nine-Tails... If there's even the slightest chance that it will make him see me differently, then..._

She met his eyes again, guilt twisting her stomach.

_Then, I'll bear the burden of keeping that secret._

"I don't understand." Hasu scrunched his face and glanced downward. "Perhaps it is due to my being an outsider, though I can't think of any sound argument for blaming a pair of newborns for something they could not have possibly been responsible for."

Natsumi's eyes rested on their hands and she let out a soft sigh.

_Maybe... Maybe I can trust him with this. After all... he's keeping other secrets just fine._

She started to open her mouth and the waitress returned with two platters and a wide smile.

"Here you are! Best to eat it while its hot!" She placed the platters in front of them, then put her hand on her hip to look at their hands with a wink. "On a date, are we?"

Natsumi blushed deeply and drew her hand back to hold it gently in her other hand. "I-It's not what you think!"

Hasu's cheek flushed faintly and he drew his own hand back to rest it on his lap. "W-Well..."

The woman chuckled and waved her hand. "Oh, to be young again." She placed her other hand on her hip and frowned slightly at Hasu, glancing between him at the plate. "Are you sure you can handle all that on your own? Even most of the grown men who take on the challenge fail."

"Ye of little faith." Hasu smiled and held up his hand. "I aim to surprise."

"We'll see about that." The woman left for a moment, then returned with a large pitcher of milk and a pair of glasses. "Just be careful, young man."

She walked away and Natsumi looked down at her hand as she held it, her cheeks still warm. She squeezed her hand and looked up to see him press his hands together and close his eyes as he quietly muttered a prayer under his breath. She closed her own eyes, pressing her hands together.

_Thanks for the food._

When she opened her eyes again, she caught Hasu staring at her with a soft smile. She blushed and turned her eyes down to her plate and picked up the spoon.

"...Time to dig in." She took a bite, then froze and stared as Hasu carefully ate his first bite.

His eyes widened and he straightened in his seat, then gasped and coughed for several minutes. His face immediately reddened and lines of snot dripped from his nostrils.

"This is fantastic!"

Natsumi made a face as he wiped his own with a napkin and then drank a large glass of milk. "Alright, I'm convinced. You're insane."

Hasu laughed and took another bite as she cringed and slowly focused on her own meal. "It's invigorating."

"Please don't die." Natsumi muttered with a sigh and ate once more in silence as she thought. After some time, she looked back at Hasu sweating as he took another bite of curry, his cheeks bright red, and she sighed and shook her head.

_If I've learned anything from having a brother, it's that he's really going to be regretting this in a few hours._

She laughed under her breath as he continued to eat, and she ate quietly. After a while, she stopped and raised her brow as she watched him slowly continuing to shovel bites into his mouth, sweating profusely as his plate was mostly empty.

"...I don't know if I should be impressed, disgusted, or shocked." Natsumi blinked as he took the last bite and pushed his plate away with a quiet groan. "How are you still breathing? My face is numb from just smelling it."

Hasu grinned and wiped his face on a napkin and took a long drink of milk. "I did say that I had built up a tolerance to heat."

"That's more than just a tolerance. You're like... a dragon; completely immune to fire."

Hasu chuckled and rested his head on his arms. "I know that this is improper etiquette, but resting alleviates many of the side effects."

"...Seriously, though. How are you still breathing?"

Hasu laughed and poked his cheek. "Well, to be truthful, I can no longer feel my face and my heart is racing so quickly that I feel it might burst."

"This was such a bad idea." Natsumi sighed and shook her head. "Please don't get horribly sick and die from this. I couldn't forgive myself for not stopping you."

"I assure you; I am in no danger." Hasu smiled faintly. "While this was certainly hot, it hasn't caused me to vomit. Objectively, I would have to say this meal was the second-hottest I have ever tasted."

"_Only_ second?" Natsumi repeated in a mumble. "Maybe you really are a dragon in human form."

"The hottest pepper I have ever tested was one that Shinsuke had imported. It was quite rare, and quite expensive." Hasu chuckled at the memory, closing his eyes briefly. "Even the two of them were retching uncontrollably after a single bite of it. That was the only time that I thought I might die from spice."

"No kidding." Natsumi finished her own plate and leaned back in the seat. "You're braver than I am. I wouldn't have even tried it after seeing them have that reaction, that's for sure."

His lips twitched in a smirk. "I suppose it would seem juvenile if I said that I did it out of intense curiosity?"

"Not juvenile. Just... crazy."

"Hello!" The waitress returned with a smile. "How are you enjoying your meals?" Before they could answer, her eyes widened slightly and she stared at Hasu's empty plate. "Y-You finished it!"

"I did." He sat upright and rubbed his head, beads of sweat still rolling down his face.

"Amazing!" The woman clapped her hands together. "I think you may have broken the record for being the youngest person to complete the challenge!"

"Am I?" Hasu smiled.

"Yes!" She nodded quickly. "Let's get your picture up on that wall right away. It's been several months since anyone has succeeded at finishing the plate. This calls for a celebration."

He scratched his head with a chuckle and then touched his stomach. "I do hope that it's not a particularly active celebration. I think that I would prefer a nap than having to move too much."

* * *

"I still think you're crazy." Natsumi glanced over at Hasu where he lay in the grass in the shade of a large tree, his eyes closed as he rested.

"I admit that eating the entire platter may have been too much." Hasu laughed quietly and placed a hand on his stomach. "It feels as if I am being viciously torn apart internally and I am quite dizzy now."

Natsumi sighed and leaned back, looking away from her scroll. "I did try to warn you."

"You did." He cracked open an eye to look at her with a faint smile. "I suppose my stubbornness is to blame."

"Well, as long as you don't keel over, I think everything will be fine." She bent back over to study the writing for a while in silence and Hasu turned his head slightly to look at her.

"What are you reading?"

"This?" Natsumi blinked and held up the scroll before setting it back down on the ground. "I'm trying to figure out this ability." She frowned slightly. "I can understand the concept of it, but I'm having trouble actually fine-tuning it and putting it into practice."

"It sounds quite difficult, if someone of your talents is having trouble with it."

Her cheeks warmed slightly and she sighed. "I'm really not that talented. I've just gotten lucky a few times when it was important, and I'm still at the bottom in terms of strength and talent in my team. In terms of experience, I'm almost laughable. I still have a long way to go, so if I can master this technique, I'll be a lot more useful."

She rolled the scroll up with a sigh. "But, that's not something you really need to worry about. I'll get it eventually, even if it takes me weeks or months."

"I am confident that you will succeed." Hasu closed his eyes and went quiet for several minutes before he reached into his pocket, taking out a small pouch to look at it before he rested in on his chest with a soft breath.

"What's that?" Natsumi looked over at him.

"This?" He held the small leather pouch with golden embroidery, smiling faintly. "This belonged to my mother." He sat up slowly held it toward her and she leaned closer to examine the details. "She stitched this herself." Hasu smiled and touched the golden lotus design.

"It's beautiful." Natsumi's eyes widened slightly at the delicate stitches of each golden lotus flower. "I'd never be able to sew anything this nice. I'm horrible with needlework."

"What is most precious is not the pouch itself, but its contents." He opened the drawstring top and carefully tipped the bag up and a small hair pin shaped like a purple lotus slid into his palm.

"Oh!" Natsumi touched the pin gently. "It's so pretty..."

"It was the first gift that my father ever gave to her." Hasu touched one of the petals. "On the day of their betrothal, to be precise. It's by no means the most elaborate or valuable of her Kanzashi, but it was her favorite. The Lotus was her favorite flower, after all, and that is why she gave me the name that she did."

"It's broken." Natsumi's smile faded slightly at the realization.

"Unfortunately, yes." He nodded. "A few years ago, I fell off of the roof of the gardening shed that I was trying to climb. It had been in my pocket then." He frowned at the memory. "I had been careless, and I did try to glue it back together on my own, however, as you can clearly see, I did not do very well." Hasu sighed quietly and returned the heirloom to its pouch. "If she saw it now, I'm sure she would be upset."

"Maybe a little." Natsumi met his eyes. "But, isn't a mother the one who is also understanding, loves unconditionally, and forgives?"

Hasu smiled with a nod. "She would forgive me, of course, though forgiveness wouldn't fix this pin."

"I could fix it."

His eyes widened slightly. "You can?!"

She nodded. "It's a technique that I learned from... a certain person."

"Ah..." He scratched his cheek.

She reached into her back pouch and retrieved a small scroll, then placed it onto the ground. She unrolled it to reveal a blank sheet, the bit the tip of her index and began to draw a complicated seal.

He paled slightly and blinked as he watched, then furrowed his brows in concern. "Is it common for Shinobi to bite themselves in that way?"

"Hm?" Natsumi glanced up at him. "Yeah. Why?"

"And it does not hurt? Typically, the human body sends pain throughout as a warning to stop a certain action that will cause harm..."

"I mean... yeah, it hurts." She looked at her finger before continuing to draw more symbols. "We practice it from a young age so that we become accustomed to the pain. That way, in battle, if we have to use a summoning technique, we can do it quickly."

Hasu swallowed and averted his eyes. "I-I see." He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his head. "You Shinobi are truly on a different level."

"It's just a matter of will and practice." Natsumi bit her lip gently. "When I was young, though... I just couldn't do it. Every time I tried to practice, I used to cry before I even got close to biting until I broke the skin." She blushed slightly and mumbled. "It was so embarrassing. I was always teased for it in class."

"I do not think I could be capable of inflicting pain to myself like that." He shook his head slowly. "The thought alone of biting my finger with such strength..." He shuddered slightly.

"Mind over matter." Her mouth twitched in a faint smile. "Trust me; the pain can be overcome."

Hasu bowed his head slightly. "Truly, you are far tougher than I am."

"It doesn't actually take that much force to bite the tip of your finger like this." Natsumi shrugged. "Only four pounds of pressure to bite a finger off completely— The same force as biting a carrot. You use less than that to break the skin."

"Count me as both impressed... and intimidated by that knowledge."

"And... done." Natsumi looked over the seal to check her work, then licked the blood from her finger before gently biting her forearm. The small hole healed instantly and she looked and him and held her hand out. "If I may have that hairpin now, it won't take long for me to fix it."

Hasu gently placed it into her hand and she set it in the center of the seal. She formed a long series of hand seals and then held her hands over the pin, closing her eyes to quietly speak in a hiss. The seal began to glow red, the blood sizzled and evaporated from her Chakra, collecting at the pin and enshrouding it in darkness. Once the seal was gone, the darkness faded and only the pin remained on the scroll.

Hasu's eyes went wide and he leaned forward to examine the pin. Naruto placed it back into his open hand as it stared, speechless.

"I... I cannot believe it." He held the pin up and looked at it from all angles. "It's... without any blemish. It's as if it was just newly made." He looked at Natsumi, who had returned the scroll to her pouch. "That is an incredible technique... how is such a thing possible?" He looked down at the heirloom in his hands. "Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I am having a difficult time believing it truly happened."

"Is it good enough?"

"Good enough?" Hasu repeated. "It's outright flawless."

"I'm glad." Natsumi let out a deep breath and leaned back. "That technique requires a lot of Chakra. An average Ninja would only be able to do it once per day, or once every few days."

"Is it so taxing?" He frowned slightly and turned to her. "I apologize for causing you any harm. I was unaware."

She shook her head. "I have a lot more Chakra than most people. I could do that technique at least another ten times today before my Chakra would drop too low." She looked down at her hands, which shook violently, and frowned. "The shaking only lasts for a few minutes after, but it's pretty annoying." She flexed her fingers and sighed again. "Other than that, it doesn't affect me much to use."

"I am in your debt, then." He smiled at her. "Anything you want in return; I will grant you. Just say the word."

"That's not really necessary." Natsumi smiled and watched his expression as he looked at the pin. "...You were really close to her, weren't you?" She asked quietly, and her eyes rested on him.

"She spoiled me quite a bit in terms of her time." Hasu nodded. "As the youngest of six sons... I was irrelevant. My eldest brother was heir, of course, and the second was trained as his advisor. The third and fourth sons were trained as ambassadors of sorts, in charge of our relations to neighboring Lord, and the fifth brother was put in charge of the domestic affairs of the estate— coordinating servants, arranging meetings, and so on and so forth."

He let out a short sigh. "However, there was no role for me to fill. My father would often say that my only purpose was to educate myself and marry wisely so that the Abe family would be benefited from the union."

Natsumi blinked. "An arranged marriage?"

Hasu nodded again. "It's a common occurrence among nobility. My father had his eye on arranging a marriage between myself and the daughter of a Lord who owns land containing rich gold and jade deposits. However, the Abe and Fukui clans have been rivals for hundreds of years, so it is doubtful that Lord Fukui would ever agree to such a union."

"Even if it's common, doesn't the idea of an arranged marriage seem kind of... wrong?" Natsumi muttered and looked away. "It's selfish on the part of the parent doing the matching, and it creates a loveless marriage..."

"My parent's union was arranged." He smiled slightly and looked at her. "It was done when they were my age, and they courted for several years before they officially wed. It's true that, at first, they did not care much for each other, but my mother did tell me that they fell in love. It does not happen for every arranged marriage, but it isn't impossible."

"Still..." Natsumi sighed and looked down at the pin. "I don't know if I could ever marry someone I wasn't in love with. I haven't given it any thought at all before now, but getting married because someone forced me to for their own benefit isn't something I could go along with."

"Is that so?" He rested his chin in his hand and smiled faintly. "What sort of man do you imagine you would marry, then?"

Natsumi blushed and met his eyes, then looked away and wrung her hands. "I-I don't know... I've never really thought about it."

"Well, since we're on the subject, you should try."

"I-I guess I could." She looked out toward the river. "Well... probably someone I really respected. Someone with a good heart, who isn't afraid to do the right thing. He'd have to be intelligent, mature, and someone that I felt comfortable around. And of course, someone I could rely on to protect me if I got into a situation that I couldn't handle... Maybe also with a calming presence, but a good sense of humor." She blushed deeper and kept her face turned away. "A-And, having a handsome face I guess would also be nice."

Hasu's smile grew and he laughed quietly and Natsumi blushed and turned to look at him, covering her face.

"W-What?! Why are you laughing?"

"I apologize." He laughed again and covered his mouth and his laughing faded. "I didn't mean to sound rude. I think those are all fine traits to look for in a partner. In fact, those are all traits that all men should aspire to embody."

"O-Oh." Natsumi looked briefly.

"I did not mean to laugh at you. I was just surprised because you said that you had not given it much thought, but you gave quite a detailed description." Hasu smiled.

"Well..." She glanced at him. "W-What about you, then? What kind of person would you marry, if you were given the choice?"

"Me?" He smiled and leaned back slightly to look at the sky for a long pause before looking back at her. "I do not have any idea."

He laughed and Natsumi blushed.

"H-Hey! It was really embarrassing for me to answer a question like that if you weren't going to do it, too, ya know!"

"I must apologize again." He smiled again, rubbing his head. "The truth is, the idea I had in mind of an ideal wife from the time I was young was only what my father impressed on me; Obedient, soft-spoken, dutiful..." He lowered his arm and looked at the sky again. "In truth, I never gave any thought to what I would like best in a lifelong partner. Although... I think that my preferences are changing, so it's a bit strange to me now." Hasu looked back at her. "Is that an acceptable answer?"

Natsumi's ears warmed and she looked away, crossing her arms. "Y-Yeah. It makes sense..."

"I was surprised, though." He took a drink of his water as he paused. "From what I understand, most women would have said that they would like to marry someone with wealth."

"I—" She shut her mouth and then shrugged. "I don't know. Marrying someone for their money seems really shallow to me, and I've also grown up having next to nothing, so I'm used to getting by with whatever I've got. I wouldn't know what to do if I was rich."

"Pretend, then." He smiled faintly. "If you suddenly became wealthy, what would you do?"

"Well," Natsumi glanced down at her hands for a moment as she wrung them. "Getting a new place would be nice, I suppose. Naruto and I wouldn't have to share a room anymore, and it might be nice to have enough room for a bookshelf. I like going to the library, but it would be nice to have my own copies of my favorite books." She leaned back slightly and shrugged. "I wouldn't want to live somewhere too big or fancy because it would feel empty, just a little bigger than what we have now would be fine."

"You would not want anything more?"

She shook her head. "Something that I'd really like to do would be to figure out who our parents were. I guess I would have someone investigate that. After that, I think it would be nice if I could do something for other people." She paused to press her lips together. "I know that we're not the only kids without parents, so if there was something I could do for other kids, I'd want to make sure that they didn't ever go to bed hungry. That's what I would do."

She looked back to him and blushed slightly as he watched her intently.

"W-What?"

"I'm merely admiring you." Hasu laughed quietly. "You are a wonderfully kind person."

"I'm not kind..." Natsumi looked down and mumbled. "It's not special to not want kids to starve. It's just decency."

"Perhaps, but that does not make you any less kind." Hasu stood and held out a hand to her. "If I may..."

Natsumi took his hand and he pulled her to a stand. "Are we going somewhere?"

"I just thought of something that I would like to do." He smiled. "If you will humor me, that is."


	97. Chapter 95: Bittersweet

"Hasu, where are we going?" Natsumi asked and blinked as he pulled her with him gently by the hand.

"If I were to tell you, then it would cease to be a surprise, wouldn't it?" He turned to look at her over his shoulder to smile, then turned back to look at the road again, mumbling to himself. "Where is it, now? I distinctly remember passing it earlier..."

"If you tell me where you want to go, I can just show you the way."

"Thank you for the generous offer, however, this is something I would like to remain a surprise for now." Hasu closed his eyes as he smiled, then paused in the street as he looked at the shops. After a moment, he led her over to a small tree planted beside a bench.

"If you will wait for me here, I want to run into a shop. It should only take a few moments."

Natsumi made a face and crossed her arms. "I'm supposed to be looking out for you. Why can't I go in with you?"

"I will be all right on my own for a few moments." Hasu chuckled. "This is important to me, so I would appreciate a small amount of leniency... just this time."

Natsumi sighed and then slowly nodded. "Okay, just a few minutes. If you take too long, I'll come in just to check up on you."

"Ever so dutiful." Hasu bowed his head slightly to her. "I will make this brief."

He turned and quickly walked away to disappear inside of a shop and Natsumi blinked.

_A music store? Why is he going in there?_

She sighed again and crossed her arms to lean against the tree gently.

_II guess if I'm just waiting outside, that's fine. I can't follow him everywhere, after all._

After a few minutes, she started to drum her fingers against her arms.

_He's taking an awfully long time. What is he doing?_

She took a step forward toward the shop and a voice startled her from behind.

"Boo."

Natsumi jumped and turned to see Jiro standing behind her, wearing a black cloak and a Noh mask. She made a face and groaned as she turned away from him.

"And what do _you_ want?"

"Hello to you, too, little Red."

"I'm not in the mood, Jiro." She crossed her arms. "Say what you wanted to, and then kindly leave."

"Tsk. How impatient." He laughed quietly beneath the mask in almost a hiss. "Fine." He held out a small bag from behind his back and placed it into her hands. "You're welcome." Jiro chuckled. "By the way... I passed by that temple... or, rather, what's left of it."

Natsumi froze and a chill ran down her spine, making her shudder.

"I must say... what you did to those assassins made even _my_ handiwork seem tame." He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "You've thoroughly impressed me, make no mistake. I knew you had greatness in you."

Natsumi gulped and turned to looked at him and he took a step back.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" Jiro's eyes narrowed beneath the mask. "Nevertheless, you did quite well against them. You should be very proud of yourself."

"I'm not—!" She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes, speaking in a whisper. "What I did _wasn't_ intentional. And it was barbaric."

"It was marvelous." Jiro chuckled again, and Natsumi could tell by his tone that he was smirking. "Don't hide from your talents, and don't suppress your natural power. Haven't you considered that you have such power for a reason?" He leaned close to her ear once more, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You could make all of them acknowledge you." He chuckled. "Or, if you dared... you could make things really interesting... especially if you had the right friends."

He straightened and Natsumi shrugged his hand off.

"And, what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Jiro laughed and stepped backward into the shadow of the building. "That's the exciting part, isn't it? Getting to figure that out for yourself..."

He vanished and Natsumi gripped the bag tightly in her hand, clenching her teeth.

_That creepy masked jerk... what is he trying to imply?_

"Natsumi?"

Natsumi jumped again and let out a deep breath. "Hasu." She looked at him.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you." Hasu smiled slightly, then it shifted to a frown and his eyes rested on the shadows where the masked man had been. "Who was that?"

"Jiro." Natsumi mumbled. "One of my teammates."

"I assume that there is tension between the two of you?"

"Jiro has tension with everyone." Natsumi frowned faintly. "He's creepy, sadistic, and he loves to kill and fight. He's a strong Ninja and a powerful ally, but he's cold-blooded and his talent for killing has taken over as his personality."

"Unpleasant is too kind of a description for him, then." Hasu looked back at her. "What did he give you?"

_I'm almost scared to look._

Natsumi carefully opened the paper bag and her eyes widened slightly, then showed Hasu its contents. "It's... my mask."

"It's completely shattered." Hasu frowned slightly.

"Why would he give me this?" Natsumi's frown deepened.

_Why would he take the time out to collect every single fragment of it like that? How would he benefit from that?_

"Anyway." Natsumi let out a short breath and shut the bag and looked at him. "Did you finish what you wanted to do?"

"Oh, yes." Hasu nodded. "Everything should be prepared for your surprise now."

"You weren't kidding about there being a surprise?" Natsumi blushed and mumbled quietly. "I don't really need a surprise..."

"I think you will like it." He held out his hand. "This is also something that I have not done in quite some time and am thoroughly looking forward to it."

"O-Okay." Natsumi took his hand after a moment and he led her into the shop. It was empty with the exception of the owner, who looked up from where he was gently polishing a violin. He sat upright as he looked at her and then adjusted his glasses.

With a quiet grunt, he slid off the stool he had been sitting on and set the instrument down on the display.

"Come on, then." He motioned for them to follow with his wrinkled hand, frowning as he walked.

_He doesn't seem entirely friendly, even though he is still helping Hasu with this mystery surprise._

The man led the pair to a small room in the back with soundproofing. A Koto sat in the center of it, and Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

_What's this for?_

"There." The man crossed his arms and watched as Hasu sat in front of the instrument. "You get to play it for a few minutes, as I promised, but don't think I'll just leave you alone with precious merchandise. That's the only one that I have, and it's an antique."

"I swear that I will treat it delicately." Hasu smiled and gently tugged on Natsumi's hand so that she sat beside him.

"Hasu, are you going to really play this?" She looked between him and the instrument. "I didn't know you could play music."

"Hmph." The man frowned more deeply. "Hardly anyone can play that anymore, much less a kid. It's an elegant instrument, not a toy for kids to carelessly pluck at when they're bored."

Hasu took in a deep, quiet breath and closed his eyes. His hands hovered over the strings for a moment as he muttered silently, then he lowered his hands to the strings and began to play.

_W-Wow..._ She bit her lip and watched as he played a beautiful melody with hid eyes closed and a tender smile on his face. _Not only is he a talented at music, but he's enjoying it so much._

The man blinked and his eyes widened slightly at Hasu, his frown fading. "Huh. The kid can really play it, after all."

Natsumi smiled and closed her eyes as she listened, and Hasu continued to play. After a few minutes, he stopped playing and Natsumi opened her eyes quickly.

_He stopped?_

Hasu's fingers lingered over the Koto's strings as the final note faded and Natsumi looked at him, his eyes opening to meet hers.

"Why did you stop playing? That was beautiful."

He smiled slightly, though it faltered, and he glanced down at the instrument. "Forgive me, but that's all of the song that I know."

"Oh." She smiled. "That's alright. I didn't know you were such a good musician. Who taught you to play?"

"My mother did." He smiled, but his smile faltered. "I had asked her to teach me so that we both could play as a surprise for my father's birthday."

Natsumi bit her lip, clenching her hands for a moment as she looked down. She opened her mouth, but shut it quickly again.

"She died almost four years ago." Hasu spoke as if answering her silent question.

"Hasu..." Natsumi bit her lip and he managed a small smile. "You don't have to..."

"I would like to speak of her." Hasu rested his hands on the side of the Koto. After a moment, he drew in a deep breath. "Each night, after dinner, she would sit in our garden and play her Koto. I would sit with her, only enjoying her music at first, and then learning from her once she began to teach me."

He plucked a string softly and the low tone filled the quietness of his pause. "She had begun to complain about a mysterious pain in her abdomen several days before. We were concerned for her, though she continued to insist that she was fine. On that day, she was in incredible pain, though she insisted that I escort her out to the garden so that we could play. As soon as her finger touched the first string, she collapsed suddenly in excruciating pain."

Hasu rested his hands on his lap and paused for several minutes, remaining in silence as he thought. He pursed his lips, then folded his hands in his lap. "I remember clearly how horrified I was to see her in such a state. She was writhing on the ground, and I was helpless. All I could do was call out to her and cling to her hand." His voice lowered to a whisper. "And yet... even in so much pain... she turned to me, saw how I was, and touched my face. She said 'don't make that expression, Hasu. I'll be fine.'"

He swallowed at the lump in his throat. "Father had been concerned, so he had called for an esteemed doctor to come to the estate the day before. He should have been there by morning, however... we received the first snow of the winter that night. The flakes were large and heavy, and they fell in abundance. There was nearly a meter of it on the ground, and the doctor was unable to reach the estate in time. She died after two days, feverish and delirious from the pain."

"Oh, Hasu." Natsumi eyes stung as she watched a slow tear roll down his face. "I'm so sorry."

He wiped his face with his sleeve and touched the instrument. "She sent me away, as I had been at her side through the night. She assured me that she would be there when I awoke, though I soon realized that she had not wished for me to witness her passing. She knew that death was imminent, and she died just moments after I left her room."

"That's awful." She looked down at her hands and fell silent.

"After she passed, my father stopped allowing music on the estate." Hasu began to speak again, though quietly. "He became far stricter, and spent far less time with his own sons... even my eldest brother, who was his favorite. He locked up my mother's room, along with her Koto, and threw the key into the pond in our garden." He paused. "After that, the only ones who would still spend any amount of time with me were my brothers whom I participated in spice contests with, and my tutors." He smiled faintly and shook his head slowly. "Although, that isn't entirely true. I did spend a great deal of time with my horse, Matsukaze, and I would sneak out and spend time with the good people of that small village. So, I cannot claim that I was truly alone."

"You haven't played in four years?" The man interrupted, his gruff tone softened slightly. "And you played without a single mistake?"

"I am as surprised as you are." Hasu smiled and softly plucked a string. "Though, I can only attribute it to how wonderful of a musician and teacher my mother was."

"Hm." The man thought for a moment, then he turned as the bell rang at the front of the store. He turned and left to attend to the customer, and Hasu met Natsumi's eyes.

"So... did you enjoy your surprise?"

"It was beautiful." She smiled faintly and nodded. "I'm... really sorry about your mom, though. It must have been lonely without her."

"Quite." He looked at the instrument. "When I was playing, it felt as if she were still alive, only sitting at my side as you are. If I did not know better, I would even insist that I could hear her humming along."

"I think she'd be very proud of you, Hasu." She touched his hand. "I'm sure she's watching over you right now."

"I would like to think so." He squeezed her hand. "You would have gotten along well with her."

The man returned and put a hand on his hips. "Alright, you kids. You guys'll have to leave for now."

Hasu nodded and stood, and helped Natsumi to her feet as he looked at the man and bowed his head.

"Thank you for permitting me to play it for a short time. I am very grateful."

"Don't mention it." The man muttered and rubbed his head. "You're not a Ninja, are you?"

Hasu shook his head. "No, sir, I am not."

"I thought so. Your hands were far too delicate."

"H-Heh..." Hasu glanced down at his hands, then stuck them into his pockets sheepishly.

"Well, if you're looking for work, I'm looking to take on someone who I can trust to respect and care for the instruments."

Natsumi blinked. "Are you offering him a job?"

The man crossed his arms. "It'd only be temporary, though. I have to attend my granddaughter's wedding in a week and I'll be out-of-town for some time. I was going to have to close up my shop for that time, but if I can find someone to watch it in my absence..."

"I would be happy to, sir!" Hasu grinned. "I have never had a job before, but I assure you, I would work hard and take excellent care of your store."

"Well, I haven't decided yet." He scratched the scruff on his chin. "How about you come the day after tomorrow and I'll show you the ropes? If you do a good enough job for a few days, I'll take you on to look after the shop. But you'll have to really impress me."

"I swear that I will surpass your expectations." Hasu continued to smile. "You will see."

"Hmph. We'll see" The old man recrossed his arms. "If you do a good job, I'll even let you play the instruments whenever you'd like. If you earn it, that is."

"You are a generous man." Hasu bowed his head again. "Thank you again for allowing me to play the Koto today."

"It's nice to see someone who can actually play it." The man waved at them. "Alright, get on out, now. I've got some things to attend to."

"Of course." Hasu nodded, and they left the shop. Once they were outside, Natsumi stretched and then turned to him.

"What do you want to do now?"

"Well..." He glanced upward for a moment. "In truth, I'm not sure."

"Why don't we—" Natsumi started, then was interrupted by a breath on the back of her neck.

"Boo."

Natsumi scowled and jumped, reaching for a Kunai as she turned around.

"Jiro, I told you already, get lost!"

"_Woah, _there!" Kiri gripped Natsumi arm before she could draw a Kunai, and smiling sheepishly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." She blinked. "Wait... Jiro? Has he been bothering you today?"

"Don't scare me like that..." Natsumi let out a heavy breath and crossed her arms. "And, yes. He was being really annoying and creepy just a little while ago."

"Sometimes I wish I knew what was going on in his head." Kiri shook her head slowly as she muttered under her breath. "On second thought, that'd be a nightmare."

"I didn't know you were back from the mission already." Natsumi watched as Kiri sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Yeah, I haven't been back long. Ro went as backup to finish things."

"Oh." Natsumi pursed her lips.

_I only saw part of the castle because I was looking for Hasu, but I wonder what everyone else had to deal with._

She glanced toward Hasu.

_But I can't ask with him around. I don't think he'd handle the truth very well._

She looked at the shopping bags in Kiri's hand and then met her eyes. "New clothes?" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are those... baby clothes?" She blinked and paused. "Kiri... is there something you haven't told us?"

"E-Eh?" Kiri scrunched her face and poked Natsumi's forehead several times. "No way! They're not for me."

_Wait... if Kiri's back, does that mean...?_

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "Kanna and Koji are here?!"

"Shh." Kiri covered Natsumi's mouth to quiet her, then leaned in close and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Not here. We don't know who might be listening."

"Kiri?" Natsumi whispered back. "What is it?"

"Don't talk about her in public. It's not safe."

Natsumi nodded and looked around the area from the corners of her eyes.

_Just who is she worried about eavesdropping?_

"Come on, then. Come with me." Kiri straightened and looked between Natsumi and Hasu. "Well talk once we're somewhere safer."

Natsumi looked at Hasu and nodded, and they followed Kiri until she led them through the gates of the Sarutobi estates.

"Here we are." She let out a sigh, and Natsumi looked around.

"Why are we here?"

"Because." Kiri led them down the path toward the largest of the homes. "This is the one place that even _he_ wouldn't dare to go near."

"He?" Natsumi pressed her lips together.

_Who is she talking about?_

Kiri stopped at the door and knocked, and a young Sarutobi clanswoman greeted her.

"Welcome back, miss Ueno." She stepped out of their way to allow them in home. They slipped their shoes off and Kiri led them down a hall.

"You seem to know this place pretty well." Natsumi looked around as they passed various rooms, walking quickly to keep up with Kiri's long strides. "Have you been here before?"

"The old man looked out for me once in a while." Kiri answered after a moment. "Before I was old enough to join Team Yoru, if everyone else in my family were on missions, I would come here." Her pace slowed slightly. "And, after I lost my brother, and... other important people... I spent a little time here occasionally just to avoid being around Yuuri so much. I guess you could say that this place is like a second home to me."

She opened a door and motioned them inside, then closed the door behind them.

It was a small sitting room that had been recently rearranged to accommodate children's things. Kiri took the clothes out of her shopping bags and laid them out on top of the dresser, then sat at the low table. They sat with her, and Kiri leaned back and sighed quietly again.

"Sorry that I couldn't say anything before." She met Natsumi's eyes. "He knows that she's here, and he's interested in _acquiring _her. I'm sure his agents are roaming around in secret trying to gather as much information on her as possible."

"About Kanna? Why?"

"Forgive me for interrupting." Hasu leaned forward slightly as he sat on his feet. "But... who is Kanna? And who is it that wants to acquire her? And for what purpose?"

Kiri and Natsumi exchanged looks and Kiri shrugged. "I'm probably not supposed to tell you, but what the hell." She sat upright and looked at Natsumi. "Do you know who Danzo is?"

"He's one of the Village Elders, isn't he?" Natsumi answered after a moment. "He runs his own version of the ANBU. I don't know much else about him, or that group, though."

"Just the way he likes it." Kiri muttered. "Root operates similarly to the ANBU, but they don't answer to the Hokage or report to him."

"I cannot speak from experience as a Shinobi, though that seems somewhat problematic." Hasu glanced down as he thought and furrowed his brows. "Might that present opportunities to defy the Hokage?"

"Yeah." Kiri huffed and grumbled, then rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. "You can guarantee them to be shady. And their recruitment methods deserve just as much scrutiny."

"Recruitment methods?" Natsumi repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Kiri lowered her voice. "After my brother joined, it was as if he dropped off the face of the earth. He never came home again, and no one else saw him around." She paused and frowned. "Not to mention, the _one_ time I had to work with some Root guys on a mission, they were _kids."_

"_I'm_ a kid." Natsumi made a face.

"I don't mean your age." Kiri shook her head. "They were younger. I don't think they could have been older than eight."

Natsumi's eye widened and she blinked. "That young?!"

"Yeah..." Kiri nodded and paused. "It seemed strange to me, so I tried to snoop to see what I could find. But I found absolutely _nothing_ about any kids that age that fit their descriptions." She frowned deeply. "No Academy records or anything. I even tried to check the Orphanage's records, and found nothing." She drummed her fingers on the table. "Which begs the question... _where did those kids come from?"_

"That does seem really suspicious." Natsumi frowned. "Either that, or..."

"The records were destroyed." Hasu answered quietly, then looked between them. "I believe that would be the most likely thing."

"Yeah, so do I." Kiri continued to drum her fingers in thought. "Just to double check, I tried to talk to some of the caretakers at the orphanage, and none of them said that they ever remembered having those kids. But I asked one of the kids, and he claimed that he 'had a dream' where those kids were at the orphanage."

"A dream...?" Natsumi crossed her arms.

_No matter how you look at it, it all boils down to one thing._

"So, he stole the kids from the orphanage and then altered the memories of everyone there?" Natsumi met her eyes.

"It's the best theory I've got." Kiri rested her hand on the table and went quiet. "As for the older agents, I'd be willing to bet that they were orphans, too. It'd make them ideal for disappearing."

"I understand all of that, and I'm just as suspicious as you are..." Natsumi paused. "But, what does that have to do with Kanna?"

"Danzo wants to snatch her up." Kiri balled her hand into a fist. "The Hokage knows it, too. That's why she's staying here, under the protection of the Hokage and ANBU guards. He knows that Danzo would _love_ to get his hands on her, just from how Danzo was trying to have Kanna handed over to him for _protection. _That was easy to see through."

"Wouldn't Danzo only be interested in people who were strong?" Natsumi scrunched her face as she thought. "Kanna isn't even the daughter of Shinobi."

"Right, you don't know yet." Kiri mumbled and rubbed her head, then her expression turned serous. "You remember that Kanna had been in that building with the other kids, right? But she escaped?"

Natsumi nodded. "She said that something had bitten her, and I remember Jiro said that the kids had strange markings."

Kiri nodded slowly and lowered her voice again. "Those markings... they were done by Orochimaru. For people who survive the initial process, it can make them very powerful, apparently."

Natsumi's eyes widened and a chill shot up her spine.

_Orochimaru?!_ She clenched her fists tightly on her lap until her knuckles whitened. _I knew it! I knew he had to be involved somehow!_

"Ahem." Kiri cleared her throat and Natsumi glanced up at her. She formed a series of hand signals discreetly and Natsumi's eyes widened again.

_So, they all know that Orochimaru is here, too? How?! Why hasn't the Hokage done anything about it?_

"This mark you spoke of, it causes that girl to be a target of the man you call Danzo?" Hasu asked and the girls turned back to him.

"Yeah." Kiri drummed her fingers on the table again. "The timing of all of this is... _balls._ Not only are we dealing with _that_, but now having to keep an extra eye on Kanna..."

_She's right. Orochimaru is in the village and I don't know what he's planning, and Oto is just as scheming and dangerous. And now, Danzo is involved... this is a mess._

"I still do not know who this girl is that you're discussing."

"They should be back any time now." Kiri glanced up at the clock on the wall, and the door slid open a second later. "Right on time."

Another Sarutobi woman stood in the doorway, holding a baby in her arms as Kanna stood at her side. Kiri smiled faintly and raised her hand to wave.

"Hi, Kanna. I'm back, just like I said I would be." She thumbed toward the dresser. "I brought you new clothes, too."

"Kiri, thank you!" Kanna smiled and looked at Natsumi. "I remember you. You found us in that hidden room."

Natsumi smiled at the younger girl and nodded. "It's nice to see you again. I'm glad you're safe."

"But who is—" Kanna turned to look at Hasu, then her eyes widened and she dropped to the floor in a deep bow. "Y-Your Highness! I didn't recognize you! Please forgive me!"

Hasu held up his hands and shook his head, laughing sheepishly. "Please, don't apologize. There's no need to bow." He lowered his hands as he studied her face, then he blinked. "Are you the daughter of my tutors, Yaeko and Kenshin Kumagai?"

Kanna sat upright, still sitting on her knees and she nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, I am."

"I thought so." Hasu smiled and touched his chin. "You bear a striking resemblance to your mother, especially your eyes."

"I'm glad that you are alive and well, Prince Hasu." Kanna glanced downward. "I didn't think that anyone else had..."

"Thank you for your concern." Hasu smiled and gently took her hand to help her up. "You don't need to bow in my presence, though. And, for as long as I remain in the Leaf, simply call me by my given name."

"O-Oh." Kanna paused and stared at his hand. "Is that really okay?"

"Of course. We are all friends here, aren't we?" He smiled and led Kanna to sit at the table with them.

"Please wait here. I will go make you all some tea." Ena bowed her head, and placed the baby in Kanna's lap.

"Thanks." Kiri lifted a hand and smiled as she left, and glanced briefly at the small boy as he chewed on his own fingers. "Kanna."

"Yes?" The girl blinked and slowly looked up at her.

"You haven't noticed anything strange at all, right? No one new around here?"

"No, why?" Kanna bit her lip. "Should I have? Is there danger?"

Kiri sighed and shook her head. "No. I don't mean to make you nervous. I'm just a bit paranoid."

Kanna frowned slightly, keeping one arm around her brother as she reached up with the other to touch the back of her neck. "It still hurts... but it's like an ache now. I've gotten used to it."

Natsumi glanced down for a moment and touched her stomach for a moment.

_She's definitely mixed up in this Orochimaru mess. She was one of the presences I sensed before._

She looked back at the girl.

_Would Orochimaru try to take her back? Oto also doesn't seem like she'd be concerned with this girl. But, if Kiri says that Danzo is interested in her, then that's not good, either. I know Kiri said that Danzo wouldn't even dare try to have his people come into the Hokage's own home, but she's right to be paranoid. Nothing about this is right._

"Is this where you will be living for now?" Hasu watched Kanna's troubled expression, and she nodded and lowered her hand from her mark.

"For now." She looked down at her brother for a moment. "Although, after a few more days, the Hokage said that I'm going to be living with a Kunoichi. She'll train me so that I don't let this power control me." She frowned. "But... that means that Koji and I have to live separately."

"Separately?" Hasu repeated and Kanna nodded.

"Koji will stay here with Ena, and I'll be with a woman named Anko."

"Anko?" Natsumi paused. "Isn't that the proctor for the Chunin Exams?"

Kiri nodded. "Anko is decent with seals, and she has experience dealing with... _certain people._ She may not really be good with kids overall, but Kanna will really benefit from her training."

"I just don't like the idea of being away from him." Kanna held the baby close. "We only have each other now, after all."

Hasu paused for a moment and thought, then smiled slightly and looked at her. "Kanna, have you heard of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter?"

Kanna looked up at him and nodded. "My mother and I started to read it together before..." She bit her lip.

"Our last unit was full of such stories, and I enjoyed listening to your mother speak of them. She was also so passionate about books, something that I understand quite well."

Kanna smiled and glanced down. "My mom loved those legends and fairy tales most of all."

"Through fantasy, we are able to understand the thoughts and culture behind each author." Hasu smiled.

"My mom always said that..." Kanna's blinked and wiped her eye. "Have you heard her analysis of _I Am A Cat_?"

"I have not. We were unable to get to that particular one yet."

"Whenever she would read to me, she would always change her voice for each new character speaking." Kanna giggled at the memory. "It was so fun."

"It sounds enjoyable." Hasu shook his head slowly. "Though, during my lessons, she would never read that way."

"She always tried to remain professional while tutoring." Kanna paused, then her eyes widened slightly. "Actually, Ena lent me her childhood copy of _I Am A Cat_. I could read it for you, like my mother would, if you'd like."

"Would you?" Hasu beamed. "That would be delightful."

"I'll go get it." Kanna stood, then glanced down at Kiri for a moment, then back down at her brother. "Could you...?"

"Sure." Kiri held out her arms, taking the baby from her as Kanna nodded.

"Thank you." Kanna went into the side room for a moment, and Kiri poked the baby's cheek and sat him on her lap.

"You're a cute little baby, aren't you?"

Kanna returned a moment later with a book in her hand and a smile on her face, then she sat down beside Hasu again and turned to the first page. As she started to read, Ena returned with a tray of tea, setting out the cups for them all. Koji reached to try to grab Kiri's cup from her hand, and Ena laughed softly and took the boy from her lap.

"Here, let me handle him. It's time that he took a nap."

"Oh, okay." Kiri nodded and watched them leave the room, then listened to Kanna reading.

Natsumi sat respectfully, listening for a while as she drank her tea, but once she had finished, she excused herself to sit in the corner.

_I guess now would be a decent time for me to focus on that scroll again._

* * *

**_**This chapter is dedicated to Jun-ren, Squinty, ArtificialAsian, Mist, Sauce, Poomph, and V.**_**


	98. Chapter 96: Midnight Confessions

Natsumi summoned the scroll, then unrolled it and began to look it over again, studying it carefully for a while, but glancing back up as Hasu and Kanna laughed and looked over the book. She let out a short breath, then looked back to the scroll for a while, unable to focus.

"Studying?" Kiri sat beside her with her knees drawn up. She raised a brow at the scroll in the girl's hands. "Are you trying to learn that already?"

Natsumi jumped at her sudden appearance, then sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"Aito said that I should at least be familiar with it, even if I can't do it yet. But it's so complicated." She bit her lip. "How did you learn it?"

"Well…" Kiri looked up. "I was fifteen. It took me a while to master, honestly." She paused and frowned. "It wasn't until after a particular mission that I was able to do it. And then, it felt almost natural to me, to be unseen."

"Natural?" Natsumi repeated back.

Kiri's smile faltered and she looked away, shrugging. "As you already know, I'm not the best at teaching. Aito and Jiro are best at that technique."

Natsumi shuddered slightly and bit her lip.

_That's right… I did see him today. _She glanced toward the small bag beside her. _I still don't understand what he meant by 'the right friends.'_

"You saw Jiro before, right?" Kiri's voice lowered and she looked toward the bag. "Did he give you that?"

Natsumi nodded and passed the bag to her. Kiri peered inside and then frowned.

"That's… _odd."_

"I thought so, too." Natsumi took back the bag and rolled the scroll up. "It doesn't make sense that he would collect the pieces like that."

"Eh…" Kiri rubbed her head. "He's got a weird thing for masks."

"Has no one really seen his face?"

Kiri shook her head. "Not a single soul, as far as I know. Even when he's not on missions, he always wears a mask." She crossed her arms. "I've seen him in over twenty different ones before, but that's been all the times I've happened to see him outside of headquarters. It probably wouldn't come as a surprise if he has a whole room of masks."

"I wonder why he's like that." Natsumi stared at the bag and Kiri shrugged.

"I asked him once, a long time ago. All he said was 'a mask makes me who I am.' I left it at that."

"What a creepy guy." Natsumi mumbled and drew her legs in closer to wrap her arms around them.

"And, don't feel paranoid, but…" Kiri leaned in closer to her. "Ever since we got back from our mission, he's been pretty… _chatty_. About you."

"About me?" Natsumi bit her lip.

"All he's said was that you've impressed him, but he won't shut up about being intrigued by you." Kiri paused and crossed her arms. "Although, it's weird for him to praise anyone so much. If it was coming from anyone else, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But Jiro being… _Jiro… _it concerns me a bit."

"It's probably nothing." Natsumi shrugged and averted her eyes.

_I guess they don't know about those two assassins, then? It's probably better that way._

"Probably." Kiri stretched, then looked over at Hasu and Kanna before grinning and moving over to sit near them. "Oh, this is my favorite part!"

Natsumi watched them for a moment, then lowered her eyes and pulled her legs in closer.

_Orochimaru's here. Oto is dangerous and scheming something. Danzo is interested in Kanna. And now Jiro thinks that I'm so amazing just because I lost control and killed those people._

She bit her lip and closed her eyes as she sighed.

_And Naruto is in the middle of a really dangerous place, surrounded by people who would kill him without hesitation, and he won't be back for another few days. I don't know where I'm supposed to begin handling all of this._

"Natsumi." Hasu gently touched Natsumi's shoulder as he sat in a squat beside her, smiling as her eyes opened.

"Hm? Hasu?" She blinked and sat upright.

"You fell asleep." He laughed quietly and she blushed and rubbed her eyes.

"I did? Sorry." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

_Since when do I just fall asleep like that around people?_

"You do not need to feel self-conscious about it. We started to read many different books, and it has gotten late." He glanced over his shoulder, where Kiri was asleep with her head resting on her arms at the table, and Kanna was asleep on the ground with a book still in her hands. He smiled and looked back at her. "She is as much of an avid reader as I am."

"That's great." Natsumi mumbled. "I'm glad that you have a new friend."

He watches her carefully with a small smile, and the sliding door opened. Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and they stood quickly and she bowed her head slightly.

"Lord Third."

"Good evening, Lord Hokage." Hasu smiled and bowed his head.

Hiruzen looked at Kiri, who blinked and sat upright as she rubbed her eyes, though Kanna remained asleep on the ground.

"Hey, old man." Kiri yawned and stretched.

"Good evening to all of you." He clasped his hands behind his back. "I appreciate you coming to visit with Kanna. She will need friends nearer to her age as she begins to heal and adjust to life here."

"It is no trouble." Hasu smiled and looked toward the girl as she slept. "We had a pleasant time."

"It's late now, so I should get you back to that inn." Natsumi rubbed her head and sighed.

"That won't be necessary."

"Lord Third?" Natsumi furrowed her brows and turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"I have already spoken with the guards. I've arranged to have the prince stay here, at my estate as well."

"I would stay here?" Hasu asked after a pause.

"Is there a problem?" Hiruzen looked at the boy, who shook his head.

"No, of course not. I was merely curious as to why."

"In light of recent events, I believe that it would be easier to guard both you and Kanna here if you remain in the same location."

"Guard?" Kiri crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. _"Damn. It seems like the old man is finally taking this seriously."_

"I understand." Hasu nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage." Hasu paused again, then ran his fingers through his hair. "However, mister Jian at the music shop asked if I could help him out. I would very much like to do it."

"I see." Hiruzen touched his chin in thought. "Very well, you will be permitted to leave the estate for that purpose, but you will have a guard accompanying you, though unseen."

_I guess that rules me out._ Natsumi crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. _Because I still can't figure out how to do that Jutsu._

"I understand." Hasu glanced at Natsumi from the corner of his eye, who was too lost in thought to notice him. He glanced back to the Hokage and met the man's eyes. "If I may, Lord Hokage, I also have one more request."

"What is it?"

"I would like for Natsumi to spend the night as well, perhaps for the next few nights."

Natsumi blinked, hearing her name, and blushed and quickly turned to him. "W-What? Why?"

Hiruzen raised his brow and Hasu cleared his throat.

"If I am to primarily stay here, she has promised to teach me the basics of Chakra control and self-defense. It would be convenient if she did not have to commute." He paused and glanced toward her with a small smile. "This way, I would be able to dedicate more time to training."

"Hm…" The Hokage thought for a moment and then nodded. "Miss Uzumaki may stay here as a guest for a few days if she wishes."

They turned to look at Natsumi, who bit her lip for a moment.

_Well, it's not as if I have anything better to do…_

"I don't have a problem with it."

"Then it's settled." Hiruzen nodded and began to turn away. "I'll have another room prepared."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Hasu nodded as the man left, and he smiled at Natsumi. "Should we continue the lesson from before?

* * *

Natsumi let out a sigh as she settled down onto the futon and drew the covers up to cover the lower half of her face.

_I'm having a sleepover at the Sarutobi estate… and I'm not sure why. _

She closed her eyes and her body relaxed, though her thoughts continued to flow.

_It was kind of awkward, sitting around with Hasu as he read the books about Chakra. He retains everything so quickly from reading alone. He didn't even need my help with anything._

She glanced toward the sliding door, where Hasu slept in the adjoining room.

_Why did he even want me to stay here, anyway? _ _He doesn't need me to teach him the information that he's already reading, and there are plenty of guards here that my presence is irrelevant. So… why, then?_

She rolled over onto her side and made a face.

_I still haven't been able to think of a way to remove this seal from my tongue or to get that snake seal off of Hasu. The Hokage already knows that Orochimaru is here, but not that Oto is a dangerous, borderline traitor. Who knows what she is even planning? And Danzo… I don't know much about him, but he's bad news, too. What would he even do with Kanna if he got her?_

Natsumi furrowed her brows and rolled onto her back again.

_Just thinking about this gives me a headache. What am I supposed to do?_

There was a long, stagnant silence and Natsumi slowly began to close her eyes when Hasu spoke softly from the other side of the door.

"Are you awake?"

She looked toward the door and nodded. "Yeah. Do you need anything?"

"No, nothing in particular." He paused. "I am just unable to fall asleep. Is it the same for you?"

"Yeah…" She bit her lip. "There's a lot on my mind."

"Why did you come here for the night?" Hasu asked quietly from the other side of the door.

"You wanted me to." Natsumi furrowed her brows slightly.

_And Lord Third agreed to it so quickly, so I didn't feel that I could have refused._

"I do apologize for how I did not speak to you about it beforehand. You must have felt pressured to stay. That was not my intention."

"It's fine."

"Still, if the idea made you feel uncomfortable, you could have said so." Hasu went quiet for a moment. "Was there a different reason that you agreed to stay here for the night?"

Natsumi let out a deep sigh.

"That's because… all my life, it's only ever been Naruto and I against the world. Every single day, we were together. Even when we were put into separate classes, after causing trouble, we still saw each other a lot." She smiled faintly. "Iruka-sensei and I scolded him a lot for it, but it made me happy when he would sneak out of his class to find me during recess or lunch. I rarely had to be alone." Her smile faded and she gripped the blanket tightly. "Even when I was bullied, he always showed up at the right time to save me. I relied on him for everything."

"In what ways?"

"For protection." She paused again. "I was a weak crybaby. I hated violence, and I didn't even _want _to be a Shinobi. I was bad at everything, and all that made me an easy target for bullies. But Naruto would always show up, throw some punches for me, and end up getting hurt while he took the blows meant for me."

Natsumi's eyes stung and she closed them hard for a moment.

"I used to be too afraid to sleep alone, too. I was afraid that a monster lived under my bed, so I would always crawl into bed with Naruto, crying and begging him to protect me. I did that during storms, too, but he never laughed at me for being scared. He would hold me close and rub my head, talking to me over the thunder and rain until I fell asleep."

"You have a very caring, wonderful brother." Hasu smiled to himself. "I can see why you are so close to him."

"I rely on him too much." She admitted softly. "I'm not afraid of everything like I used to be, but… I can't even fall asleep at night or sleep soundly without hearing his breathing from the other side of the room. I guess that's partly why I agreed to stay here. It's easier for me to sleep somewhere else than to sleep at home when he's not there."

"I see." He glanced toward the door that separated them. "There is nothing wrong with that. For a long time, I was unable to fall asleep without hearing my mother play music before bed. I am used to it now, but it took me several months to adjust to it, after she died."

There was a long silence from the other side of the door and Natsumi turned to look at it.

_Did he fall asleep?_

"Would it be terrible of me if I said that I'm not sure anymore if I want to return home?"

Natsumi blinked at the door, pressing her lips together at the question. "…I don't think that's terrible of you."

Hasu laughed under his breath.

"Part of me wants to stay in the Leaf. The air here does not feel so tense, and there are so many more opportunities and freedoms. I would no longer have to worry about any of my old burdens again." He paused. "More than that, though… I don't know if I can return home. I have many memories there, especially of my mother and me, however…"

There was another pause and Natsumi's eyes stayed fixed on the door.

"I may have been blindfolded, but I could still _smell_. I'd never been around death before, though I recognized it right away. I'm not sure if I'll be able to walk those halls again without that smell returning to my thoughts."

Natsumi bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment.

_He lost everyone and everything that he cared about. I haven't been thinking about how he was affected by it, because he's seemed so… content. But now that I think about it, isn't he just trying to not think about it by keeping busy? All those books and questions, and his curiosity to visit every inch of the Village and learn about Ninjutsu… he's all just doing that to stay sane, isn't he?_

"It feels almost selfish of me to admit that out loud." Hasu broke the quietness. "After all, you were the one who had to experience it firsthand, risking your own life in the process to rescue a pampered prince like me. I didn't have to see it with my own eyes."

"You're not selfish," Natsumi muttered. "And, I don't blame you if you wouldn't want to go back. If we're being honest… I don't think I ever want to look at that castle ever again."

"No one will say what happened. Even your friend Kiri and the Lord Hokage spoke very carefully in my presence." Hasu paused. "Natsumi… what took place there? In the events leading up to when we met?"

Natsumi swallowed hard. "I don't…" She shook her head. "I can't say."

"But—"

"And I never want to." Natsumi interrupted. "It was…" She paused to swallow the lump in her throat as it formed. "What I saw, it wouldn't have been even in my worst nightmare. Even if I was allowed to tell you… I wouldn't."

"I understand."

There was another long pause.

"They're all dead, aren't they?"

Natsumi opened her mouth, then shut it quickly.

"I think I've known for all of this time, but I never consciously acknowledged it."

"Hasu—"

"To be honest, I think that I… sensed it, somehow. I was in that cell, half-asleep, and I suddenly felt wide awake. The air felt so heavy, and every part of my body felt as if it was crushed by it. My chest ached, and then, I simply felt cold. I had no explanation as to why I felt so strange so suddenly… but I think now… that was the moment that they died." He paused again. "My father… my brothers… the servants… I think that for so many to die at once, I was able to feel it."

"I'm sorry." Natsumi choked out quietly, biting her lip to keep back her tears.

"I don't know what would be the right course of action for me." Hasu continued. "What could be left for me in that place? I was never raised to follow in my father's footsteps, yet here I am, the only one left. At least if Ryuji had been the one to survive, instead of me… everything would be in good hands."

Natsumi frowned slightly. "…Now you're saying selfish things."

"Huh?"

She sat up and opened the door, meeting his eyes. "We all fought to save you. We risked our lives to honor our agreement and to rescue you. _I_ risked my life to rescue you. Yes, it was our mission, but I wanted to save you because it was the right thing to do. Because you have _value_. Saying that you wish you had died is an insult to everyone who fought so hard to see you alive."

His eyes widened at her and he stared at her for a moment, then bowed deeply and pressed his palms to the floor.

"You're right… I apologize. I hadn't thought of it from your perspective like that… please accept my apology." He paused and maintained the bow. "I am glad that you rescued me… and I'm grateful for your protection and friendship, and everything else that you have done for me since then. I, who was both afraid to die and be forgotten, yet had also resigned myself to that fate… please accept my apology for belittling your efforts."

Natsumi touched his shoulder and sighed.

"You don't need to apologize to me. The person you should be apologizing to is yourself."

"Myself?" He sat up and met her eyes.

She nodded. "All you do is talk about how you're somehow 'lesser' just because you were born last. You say that there wasn't a place for you, that there was no purpose for you, and you repeat it over and over as if it's the truth. But it's _not._ How people treated you was _wrong_. You _have_ value, and you _have_ a purpose; even if none of them saw it." She paused and rested her hand on her knee. "_You_ have to see it and accept it. And then, you decide what you want to do with your life, who you want to be, and what you want your purpose to be. From there, you just _do it_ and believe in yourself, without looking back. If you _don't_, and you just continue to repeat what has always been said to you and about you, then you just become as irrelevant as they all thought."

His eyes widened slightly and he lowered his gaze. "I know that you're right, and, I know what you mean. I've repeated to myself what many have said so often that I almost believe it myself. I acknowledge that it is a major flaw of mine, and I swear that I will put more effort in to counter it. Both out of gratitude and respect for you saving my life, and for my own sake, I will change my mindset."

Natsumi smiled and let out a breath.

"I'm glad. Resigning yourself to be exactly what people say about you… it's too painful, and you're a really good person. You don't deserve to live like that."

"Neither do you."

Natsumi's eyes widened briefly and met his eyes. "Hasu?"

He smiled and reached over to take her hand gently. "I could tell by your expression and the way you said that, that you were speaking from experience."

Natsumi looked down and then nodded after a moment. "The Villagers… they always looked down on Naruto and I. They always said that we were nuisances, and some even said that they wished we hadn't been born. We never knew why…" She paused and pressed her lips together. "It really affected us. We didn't have anyone to look after us… Naruto became a prankster, and everyone called him horrible things, like a delinquent. And me… I cried all the time, and it made people say that I was pathetic and useless. I wasn't good at anything, and I was always picked on. It wasn't until recently that we even learned why people always treated us like this."

"Because of a tragedy that happened when you were infants?"

She glanced down and then drew in a deep breath before meeting his eyes again. "After everything you've told me about yourself, and how you lost your mom… It's only right if I'm honest with you, too."

"I'm listening." He sat upright with a faint smile.

"Naruto is…" She bit her lip briefly. "My brother's a Jinchuriki."

"A Jinchuriki?" Hasu repeated, then his eyes widened. "I remember from that book, how it mentioned the wife of the First Hokage became the vessel of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Is that what you mean?" He leaned forward slightly. "Your brother is a vessel for such a creature?"

"The same one." She sighed softly. "He's got the Nine-Tails sealed inside of him, the same as Lord First's wife."

"Truly? How fascinating!" Hasu blinked, then cleared this throat and sat back slightly. "Although I now understand the villager's reasoning. When it comes to such a fearsome beast, many would be afraid, as well as wondering if a child could truly keep it safely sealed away."

"You're not afraid?"

"Well, perhaps I would be if I had seen the beast with my own eyes." He shook his head. "Though, I see no need to be afraid. You are a wonderful person, and from my brief meeting with him, your brother was also a friendly, caring individual. I see no reason to fear either of you."

Natsumi's eyes rested on her hands in her lap and Hasu frowned.

"Are you concerned about something else?"

"It's just that…" Natsumi mumbled softly. "I'm not sure if it really _is_ Naruto or not…"

"What do you mean?"

She swallowed and kept her eyes on her hands, opening and closing her fists slowly. "There have been times where I haven't been…_myself._ Like the way I was when we were ambushed at that temple." She swallowed again. "I never remember it clearly afterward, but _something_ happens to me… it made one of my friends stop talking to me entirely, and I hurt Kiri by accident. I still don't know what happened exactly, but the more I think of it…" Her voice lowered and was almost inaudible. "What if _I _am the real host and not Naruto? All that hatred toward him… what if it was meant for me? I've never known him to lose control like that. But for me… it's already happened a few times, and each time, it's almost _easier_ for it to happen."

She clenched her fists tightly until her knuckles whitened. "What if… I can't stop myself the next time? What if I hurt people? What if… I just completely _become_ the beast?"

"I do not think so." He smiled faintly and touched her hands, and her fists loosed slightly. "It might have startled me, but you were only protective of me at that time. How could I be afraid of you? Even when you were changed, you were still very much in control, as far as I could tell."

"In control?" She mumbled and furrowed her brows.

_So, I was the one who killed them so brutally? And without mercy? I can't even blame it on that monster?_

"If it worries you so, you should try to learn all about the beast that you are able. Perhaps if you understand it better, you will be able to control those moments when you feel that you are being influenced."

Her eyes widened slightly and she looked at him. "To control it… I need to understand the Fox?"

"I am not a Shinobi, so I, of course, do not know what is best in this situation, but that is what makes the most sense to me."

"What is there to even understand about a bloodthirsty monster?" She mumbled and then sighed after a long pause. "It's worth a try, I guess." Natsumi smiled faintly and nodded. "Thank you, Hasu. And I know that you feel conflicted, and you're not sure what you should do, but I know you'll figure it out. I can help you, if you'll help me with my research, too."

"I would be happy to help." He smiled and nodded.

"You should get some sleep now. Something tells me that mister Jian is going to work you to the bone tomorrow just to test you."

Hasu chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I believe you may be right, though I am sure that it will still be rather enjoyable." He placed his hand on the door and smiled. "Sleep well, Natsumi."

"Goodnight, Hasu."

He shut the sliding door and Natsumi settled back down on the futon, sighing as she closed her eyes.

_Understand the Demon Fox, huh?_


	99. Chapter 97: The Scroll's Secret!

Sasuke stoked the small campfire and watched as it crackled and sent embers drifting upward with the smoke in the night. Naruto and Sakura slept nearby, sleeping deeply despite the current situation. Though they had started the night apart, the cold had driven them to slowly creep closer to the other in their sleep, without realizing, until their backs were pressed together for warmth. Beyond the light of the fire, the night was loud and the air was filled with the chirping of crickets, the buzzing of cicadas, and the hooting of owls. Accompanying this cacophony were the sounds that Sasuke was listening most closely to— the rustling in the undergrowth of the giant centipedes, the slithering of the unnaturally large serpents, and the howls from ravenous timber wolves that had grown accustomed to the taste of human flesh after snacking on the weak and fallen Genin from Chunin Exams past.

He stoked the fire again as he calculated the time. _"In an hour it will be Sakura's watch."_

His eyes lingered on the way his teammates slept, reminded briefly of the familiar comfort of an embrace, then clenched his jaw slightly and looked away when the warm memory was replaced with one of red. The ground trembled slightly and he looked up quickly to gaze deep within the dark forest where a low growl was barely audible.

_"Whatever that is, it's big, and it's getting closer."_ He stood, looked between his teammates, and then furrowed his brows. _"I should check our perimeter to confirm their numbers make sure it isn't coming for a meal."_

* * *

Three Grass Genin crouched behind the roots of one of the forest's enormous trees and caught their breath.

"Damn it! They're all monsters!" Minto clenched his fist into a tight ball and looked around the dark of the forest. "How can we steal a scroll when defending our own takes everything we've got?"

"But we can't give up! The Village's honor rests with us!" Shigeri furrowed his brows and walked over to their third member, who sat quietly on the ground by herself, then wrenched her to her feet. "We'll go back to tracking and try to come up with a good plan."

"We'll definitely get a scroll next time." Minto nodded.

Shigeri kept his fingers firmly around the girl's arm and bit down as she winced. He bit harder, and her eyes shut tightly and watered as she stifled a cry. She forced her eyes open to look between them, her lip quivering as she spoke in a shaky voice.

"What should I do?"

"You'll only get in the way." Minto frowned and hurried over to her, taking the scroll out of the inner pocket of his jacket.

Shigeri released her arm and wiped his mouth, and she glanced down at the deep indents his bite had left behind in her skin. She bit her lip and cast her eyes downward.

"Just take this and stay hidden. You're only good for one thing, and that's healing us. Just stay out of the way."

"O-Okay." She nodded slowly and winced at Minto bit her arm. He remained latched for a moment before pushing her away, then he nodded at Shigeri, and they hurriedly jumped away. -

Once alone, she held the scroll close to her and dropped heavily to the ground, holding her hand gently over the bitemarks. Her crimson eyes watered and shut, and she hugged her arms close to her as she listened cautiously to the nighttime sounds of the forest around her.

_"Oh yeah. I should find a better place to hide." _She stood slowly and then paused as she looked around. _"Where should I go? I don't see anywhere that's good to hide."_

The ground trembled and a chill rushed down her spine.

_"What was that? It sounds like it's coming closer."_

She turned to see an enormous bear lumbering its way through the trees, each step of its paws shaking the ground with claws tearing the grass and dirt. Her eyes rounded and her breath caught in her throat.

_"W-What is that?! It can't be a bear! It's so huge…"_ She swallowed and trembled, then began to slowly back away from the creature that growled hungrily down at her. _"What do I do?! What can I do?! I can't fight that thing!"_ Her back pressed against the trunk of the tree and stared up at the beast. _"I don't want to die!"_

The bear snarled and lunged at her, snapping its jaws. She screamed in fear and dodged to avoid the bite, and began to run. She turned to look over her shoulder as it turned to pursue her, and she tripped over a root that stuck out of the ground. She cried out as she landed hard against the earth and her glasses slid off of her face, just out of reach. The bear licked its lips and lunged again at her, only to be stopped by a kick to the head.

"Lion's Barrage!"

Sasuke brought his foot down hard on top of the bear's eyes, kicking again and again, with each kick causing the bear to roar in pain and anger until it collapsed to the ground unconscious. He tapped his foot on the animal to ensure that it was no longer a threat, and then he looked at the girl.

The girl blinked slowly and raised her head to look around at her fuzzy surroundings. The massive blurry mountain of bear had an equally blurry figure standing atop it.

_"I was saved!"_ She squinted and felt around for her glasses, then picked them up and placed them on her face as she sat up. _"Did they actually come back to help me?"_ Her eyes adjusted and she gazed up at the dark-haired boy, then blushed faintly. _"Was he the one to save me? He's cute."_

She looked at his forehead protector, then her eyes widened slightly. _"A Leaf Genin? But why would he help me? Aren't we enemies?"_

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke jumped down from the animal to look her over, his eyes resting on the scroll in her hand.

She looked over herself and then slowly stood. "Y-Yeah." She looked down at the scroll in her hand and pressed her lips together. _"I know I was supposed to ensure that we all pass, and to protect this scroll, but he did save me, so maybe…"_

She held it out to him. "H-Here. If you hadn't come along, then I'd be…" She swallowed and averted her eyes. _"Dead."_

"You have an Earth Scroll, the same as us." Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets. _"Back to square one."_

"Oh." Her arm lowered slightly and looked at him up and down. "You have some injuries, though. I can…" She paused. "I can heal them for you. As thanks for saving me."

He looked down at the scratches. "No thanks."

Her face fell slightly. "Um… If it's because we're from rival villages, you don't have to be suspicious of me. I heal a lot of other people, so… if you want…" She held out her arm slightly as her cheeks flushed. "I can heal you, too. You're the first person to ever help me."

_"If it were anyone else, I would suspect a trap, but she's pretty weak and her teammates aren't around anywhere." _Sasuke glanced between his injuries and the girl for a moment as he thought. _"Chances of our success are also higher if I'm in better condition."_

"Alright." He answered after a moment. "I'll accept it."

He took a step closer to her expectantly, and she looked down at her hands.

"Oh, um. I heal differently than others do." She held up her right arm. "You have to bite me for it to work."

"Bite?" He raised his brow.

"I promise I'm not lying or anything." She paused. "I know it's unusual, but—"

"It's fine." He gently took her arm and pressed his teeth to her skin.

She blushed and watched him quietly as her chakra cloaked him in a faint green glow. _"It doesn't hurt… he's actually trying to not bite hard. No one else has ever… no one's ever shown consideration."_

After a moment he pulled away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before looking over himself. "It worked well."

She touched where he had bitten and he met her eyes.

"What sort of technique is that?"

"It's just something that members of my clan are able to do." She averted her eyes.

"Your clan?"

She nodded, and he put his hands into his pockets.

"What's your name?"

"M-Me?" Her cheeks warmed. "I'm Karin… Karin Uzumaki."

"Uzumaki?" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly before he furrowed his brows. _"Of course. I knew that red hair reminded me of someone else."_ He shifted where he stood, looking around for a moment as he listened to the forest, and then turned his attention back to her. "Do you happen to be related to anyone in Konoha?"

"Related to…?" She shook her head. "No, I." Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped slightly. "A-Are there more… I mean… Is there… another Uzumaki? Here? In this village?"

_"I should have known better to ask, considering she's from a different village."_ He turned and took a step. "I'll be going now. Thanks."

"W-Wait!" Karin held up her hand, and when he turned back to her, she blushed. "You didn't tell me your name."

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" She murmured under her breath. _"He's a member of that clan? I've heard the Jonin talk about them before." _She took a step toward him. "Thank you again for saving me, Sasuke. I'll never forget it."

"Don't worry about it."

"Wait. One more thing, please." She bit her lip again and her eyes fell to the marks on her left arm. "Please tell me… is there really another Uzumaki in the Leaf? You don't have to give me their name, but…" She covered her marks and her eyes watered as memories surfaced. "I have to know… are they treated well?"

Sasuke kept his back to her slightly, watching her from his peripherals as she tried to hide the marks. He took another step away.

"The Leaf's ramen is supposed to be the best. You should try it sometime."

Karin watched as he quickly left, holding out her hand before hugging her arms closer as she muttered. "Ramen? I don't understand. Why would he bring that up?" Her eyes widened and looked back in the direction he had gone. _"Or… is that where I can find…?"_

* * *

Naruto grinned and stared down into the water at the pair of fat fish that swam lazily and his clones chuckled and licked their lips.

"Special technique! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, fishing version!" Naruto and the three clones jumped off a high rock into the water, creating large splashes and ripples. Sasuke stood at-the-ready on the rocky bank with his Kunai. The Narutos swam around after the fish, herding them towards the surface. The fish jumped out of the water and Sasuke quickly threw the Kunai. It stabbed through the fish and pinned it to the tree across the water. He caught two more the same way, and the fish gaped and flailed as he Naruto's head popped out of the water and he took a large breath of air.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, who narrowed his eyes at him.

"Thrash about more! I want to catch some for curing! Three isn't enough." Sasuke put a hand on his hip. "Three more, you loser!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he clenched his jaw. "This is very taxing, ya know!" He waved his fists in the air as he yelled, then slammed his fists on the water to splash. "I mean it! Let's switch!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out. "The fire is ready to light! Could you make some fireballs, please?"

"Hmph." Sasuke glanced back toward the tree. "I guess three is okay for the time being…"

Naruto blinked as Sasuke walked off and then clenched his fist again. "Hey, wait a minute!"

* * *

"It's already been four days since the second exam started." Sasuke commented as he watched the fish cooking over the fire.

"Yeah." Sakura nodded quietly in agreement and used a stick to stoke the fire. "That's right."

"The start of the second exam was around three in the afternoon." Sasuke furrowed his brows in thought. We only have twenty-five or twenty-six hours left."

"I'm sure there have already been some teams that have passed." Sakura paused. "That means…"

Naruto ignored their conversation, licking his lips as he grinned and stared at the fish. _"I wonder if it'll be broiled soon!"_

_"We're soon going to be in a tough spot."_ Sasuke gripped the scroll slightly as he thought, then glanced toward Naruto, who was drooling and watching the fish cooking.

_"That's the biggest one! I'm totally taking it for myself!"_ Naruto chuckled to himself.

* * *

"Even if we were to try pursuit, there's hardly anybody left to be targets. What do we do?" Minoji mused aloud, then eyed his friends on either side, who had been listening to him.

The three Leaf Genin jumped from branch to branch in the forest, only landing once they reached the rocky bank of the river.

"Almost everyone's surely already passed." Minoji added with a sigh.

"Yeah, it's been four days, after all." Shibire nodded and frowned.

"Anyway," Tanzō stood and dusted himself off and looked between his teammates. "It's early afternoon now. Let's eat something. You two rest a bit and I'll go find us something to eat."

He leaped back into the forest and his teammates let out a sigh and rested their backs against the cliffside.

"Say…" Shibire held up their scroll to study it.

"Hm?"

"As I recall, on the other one… Heaven was written." He held it out to Minoji. "and, unlike this one, the colors were inverted, right?"

"Well, when they showed the scrolls before the exam, I wasn't really paying attention." Minoji sat up straighter. "What's with your interest in it, all of a sudden?"

Shibire lowered the scroll and smirked, and Minoji's eyes widened.

"Y-You've got to be kidding!"

Shibire's smirk grew as he stared at the scroll and softly cackled, looking slowly over to his teammate.

* * *

Team Seven ate their fish in silence around the campfire, with Naruto taking large, greedy bites of his fish, Sasuke eating quietly and neatly, and Sakura taking slow bites as she stared at the slightly-charred flesh of the fish.

"Ah this is so good!" Naruto tore off a chunk of meat roughly, then swallowed after barely chewing. "It reminds me of when Natsumi and I used to fish together." He gulped down another bite and then frowned faintly, continuing to talk aloud to himself. "Come to think of it, we haven't been fishing at all in a while. Maybe I should see if she wants to go again once we get out of this forest." He chewed slowly in thought for a moment, then looked up. _"Huh. I wonder what she's doing now?"_ He turned his attention back to his fish, opening his mouth wide to take another bite, only to stop and watch as Sakura was lost in thought, her eyes unfocused as she held the fish in her hands. "Sakura? Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" She blinked at her name, then sat upright more before nodding slightly. "Well, actually…" She looked down again. "For all we know…" She bit her lip and eyed the scroll on the ground. "there may not be any Heaven scrolls left."

Sasuke lowered his fish and turned to her. "What do you mean, Sakura?"

"Well, in this second part of the exam, four of the five days of the time limit have already passed. That means we've already used eighty-percent of the total exam time. Seventy-eight participants and twenty-six teams." Sakura explained, and Naruto continued to eat, only half paying attention. "There are only thirteen each of the Heaven and Earth scrolls, which means that there will only be thirteen teams that pass, at most."

"What?" Naruto stopped before he took another bite and looked at her.

"Moreover, you remember, don't you, Sasuke? That Orochimaru guy burned the Heaven scroll that we had."

Sasuke nodded shortly and furrowed his brows. "Which means…"

"The teams that will pass had already, at that moment, decreased by one. Also, it's not certain that all of the other scrolls are safe, so…" Sakura trailed off, and the three of them looked down at their own scroll.

"After parting ways with the Leaf Village bunch, we allotted two days for healing." Sasuke paused and watched as the fire slowly began to die out. "So, from here on, we have to increase the distance of our actions. At any rate, the next enemy that we encounter is our last chance." Sasuke stood with his canteen and looked between them, his eyes resting on Naruto. "I'm going to get some water. Don't make a big commotion and draw enemies to us while I'm gone."

Naruto glared and balled his hand into a fist. "As if I would do that, you jerk!"

"You're doing it now!" Sakura glared and pulled his ear. "Pipe down!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Naruto whined and rubbed his cheek after she let go, mumbling. "I got it, ya know. You didn't have to do that…" He frowned slightly and looked at the scroll for a moment before picking it up and whispering to Sakura. "Say! Say! I thought of a great way for us to not fight with an enemy!"

"What?" Sakura blinked. "What are you thinking?"

Naruto reached for one of his pouches on the ground, then turned it upside-down to dump out several scrolls.

"Get serious!" Sakura's eyes widened slightly.

"I am serious." Naruto dropped the empty pouch on the ground and picked one up. "I have lots of scrolls stocked, so…" He grinned and looked down at the blue-and-white scroll in his hand. "Ninjutsu manual, deadly poison manual, a scroll for taking notes… If we change its appearance a little, it will be just the same as a Heaven scroll."

"H-Hold it right there!" Sakura held up both hands and he scrunched up his face.

"Huh?"

"Even if you were able to make it look exactly right on the outside, you don't know what's written on the inside!" She held up a finger. "If the proctor looks inside, we'll be found out right away! You didn't even think that through, you idiot!"

Naruto smirked slightly and held his chin as he thought. "Well, when it comes to stuff like this, there's a password or something written where you can't understand the meaning unless you have both scrolls." He grinned and held up a finger as he leaned in closer to her. "In other words, to pass the tower, we'll definitely need the whole password, or something like that, ya know!"

"What difference does that make?" Sakura let out a short sigh and lowered her hand.

"What do you mean?"

"If you don't know what's in the other scroll, there's no use in making a fake!" Sakura clenched her fists and lectured, her eye twitching.

"E-Eh?" Naruto hung his head and sighed.

"Man, here I was wondering what you were going to say, looking all big… but you're just an idiot who can't even think things through."

Naruto looked back up at her. "B-But… what if we can predict what it'll say?" He held up the Earth scroll and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto…?"

"This Earth scroll…"

Sakura furrowed her brows and met his eyes. "You wouldn't dare…"

"I'll just have to open this scroll."

"No!" Sakura smacked his head and he dropped the scroll. "Have you completely lost your mind and forgotten the rules?! We were told not to look inside the scrolls until he got to the tower, remember?"

"Ow…." Naruto pouted and rubbed his head. "But! At this moment, we're in a really tough spot, right?!

Sakura sat back down and sighed, looking down at her hands as they rested in her lap, and they both looked at the scrolls on the ground. After a long time, Naruto picked up the Earth scroll, gulping as he prepared to open it. Sakura leaned forward to watch closely, nodding, and Naruto gulped again, as a bead of sweat rolling down his brow.

* * *

Shibire held the scroll in his hand as it trembled slightly, then he glanced at Minoji briefly. They nodded at each other, and Shibire turned his attention back to the scroll, placing his thumb just under the end of the roll.

"There may be a trap or something." Shibire muttered under his breath.

"Carefully…. Do it carefully." Minoji warned.

"I know." He lifted the paper and started to unroll it, slowly at first, then he quickly pulled it open. His eyes widened at the seal there and both Genin screamed loudly.

* * *

Tanzō dropped the mushrooms he had gathered in the forest, his eyes wide as he turned toward the source of the screaming.

"T-That's—!" He gulped and quickly ran back toward his teammates. _"What's going on?! Is it an attack?!"_

He quickly came to the break in the trees, looking all around until he saw Minoji and Shibire. His eyes widened again as he stepped closer, carefully looking around.

"H-Hey! What happened?!" He knelt in front of them, shaking their shoulders and clenching his jaw at their unconsciousness. He gulped again, seeing the blank scroll as it lay open on the ground, then turned back to Shibire. "Hey, wake up! What happened here?!"

* * *

Naruto's hand trembled as he stuck his thumb just under the scroll's seal to lift the edge up slightly, just as Kabuto appeared suddenly, clasping his hand over Naruto's to stop him.

"You shouldn't do that."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened and they froze.

_"Where did he come from?!"_ Naruto gulped as Kabuto stared at him intently from the corner of his eyes for a moment.

Sasuke walked back toward the campsite and his eyes widened as he saw Kabuto grab Naruto's hand. _"An enemy?!" _Sasuke ran at Kabuto, dropping his canteen as he drew a Kunai and swung at him.

Kabuto blocked with his own Kunai in his free hand, still holding his hand over Naruto's.

"What are you doing here?!" Sasuke glared at him, and Kabuto pushed back his Kunai, maintaining eye contact before he laughed softly and smiled.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight you. I just noticed your teammates were about to make the very poor choice of opening your scroll, so I stopped them."

"Hm?" Sasuke kept his Kunai raised and glanced toward Sakura and Naruto, who both paled, sheepishly laughing as they quickly looked away. He let out a short sigh, lowering his Kunai and straightening.

"Man, you're beyond saving…" Sasuke shook his head and glanced toward Naruto. "Not only that, but Sakura was involved as well." He looked at her, and her expression fell. "I would have expected Naruto to do something like this, but I didn't think that you would stoop that low, too, Sakura."

_"Sasuke doesn't look happy at all… does he hate me now?" _Sakura bit her lip, staring down as her eyes stung. _"If Naruto hadn't suggested it first, I wouldn't have even thought to do such a thing!"_

"That was too close." Kabuto put his hand on his hip, as Naruto and Sakura both stood, still hanging their heads shamefully.

"W-We're sorry." Sakura mumbled, keeping her eyes down as Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Sorry…" Naruto muttered and scratched his head.

"Those who ignored the rules are forced to withdraw from the exam." Kabuto explained. "In the last exam, a Hypnotism Seal formula was set up to get into the eyes of those who looked in the scrolls early. A measure so potent that they would lie in the forest until the end of the exam."

"By the way…" Sasuke turned to Kabuto, uncrossing his arms. "If I remember correctly, your name is Kabuto, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Kabuto looked at him from the corner of his eyes with a smile, and Sasuke kept his brows furrowed.

"What're you doing hanging out here alone?"

"Like I said, I'm not here as your enemy. I'm not after your scroll."

"I didn't think you were." Sasuke looked away for a moment. "If that was your intention, you would have simply just taken it from Naruto." He looked back at Kabuto and put a hand on his hip. "So, that means that you're also after the Heaven scroll?"

"No." Kabuto shook his head slightly, then reached into his back pouch to hold up two scrolls. "I already have them both, actually. See?"

"What?" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.

Kabuto returned the scrolls to his pouch. "Some things led to other things… I was hurrying over to the vicinity of the tower to wait for my estranged companions. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

He turned to leave, and Sasuke clenched his fist and furrowed his brows. "Wait!"

Kabuto looked at the boy from over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Fight me."

* * *

Oboro looked down at the group of Leaf Genin and laughed under his breath, muffled by his mask. "Lucky me!"

* * *

"You want a fight?" Kabuto smirked slightly.

"Sasuke?" Sakura muttered softly as she watched his intense expression.

"Don't be an idiot, Sasuke!" Naruto frowned and raised his voice. "What're you saying all of a sudden?!"

"Are you serious?" Kabuto turned back around to take a step toward him.

"While I appreciate that you helped stop them from opening the scroll, we don't have any more time." Sasuke straightened, and Naruto balled his hand into a fist and pointed at the Uchiha.

"Hey, Sasuke! Kabuto just saved us! Even if we don't have a lot of time left, you can't just fight him!"

Sakura nodded. "I don't think that'd be a good idea, either, Sasuke."

"Shut up, both of you!" Sasuke glared at them momentarily and focused his gaze on Kabuto. "We wouldn't have needed his help if you hadn't decided to open the scroll, in the first place."

"Sasuke…" Sakura pressed her lips together and looked down, and Naruto made a face and crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath.

"In any case, it can't be helped." Sasuke kept his eyes locked on Kabuto. "This is all that can be done to survive through this forest now."

"Hm… that's a lie." Kabuto adjusted his glasses and turned to look away.

"A lie?" Naruto blinked.

"Your heart isn't entirely in this as much as you're saying." He smiled and turned back to Sasuke, who clenched his jaw. "If you could really become serious about this exam… why is it necessary to fight me? You should jump at me at my unguarded moment, without going through the trouble of announcing it. That's the essence of a Shinobi, after all."

"That's pretty profound." Naruto made a face, scratching his cheek before he crossed his arms.

"It's not that I dislike that side of you." Kabuto added, and they all turned toward him. "So, I'll give you advice on what you should do next. However, it'd be best to talk while we move." He narrowed his eyes slightly, turning to look over his shoulder. "The smell of broiled fish in the fire smoke has traveled a great distance. If we stay here any longer, we'll find ourselves targeted by fierce animals… or enemies."

Oboro's eyes widened from his hiding spot and he quickly flickered away. Kabuto's brows furrowed at the slight rustle of leaves as he vanished, then glanced at the younger Genin, who were unaware that they had been watched.

"Hmph." Kabuto smirked faintly and quietly chuckled to himself.

* * *

"Are there really still enemies around?" Sasuke looked at Kabuto as they traveled through the forest, moving from branch to branch."

"Yes, there's no mistake." Kabuto nodded slightly. "If you think about it a little, you'll understand. Do you know the cleverest way to fight in a battle if the terrain is expansive forests and jungles such as this?"

"No…" Sakura shook her head and glanced at Sasuke, who only looked ahead and did not acknowledge her.

"The tower located in the center of this forest, that's the end-goal for us test-takers. That means that when the last day of the exam's allotted time is here, the area near that tower will be the easiest place to gather scrolls."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she smiled wide in understanding, turning her attention to Kabuto. "Oh, I see! You're talking about an ambush, right?"

"That's exactly right, Sakura. You're quick to catch on." Kabuto smiled at her from over his shoulder.

Sakura grinned at the praise and turned toward Naruto, who was squinting slightly as he thought.

"I don't really get it…"

"In other words, Naruto, we go after the scrolls of the teams that have both the Heaven and Earth scrolls and are setting out for the tower."

"That's one-third of the answer." Kabuto nodded again.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked and turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

"You won't be the only ones with this strategy, after all." Kabuto continued to explain. "Near the tower, there are sure to be other teams with the same idea with traps already set up, so…"

"Ah, I see!" Naruto grinned and laughed. "That means there will be lots of enemies lying in wait to engage us." He furrowed his brows and smirked slightly. "Heh. Having a handicap gets me pump, ya know! I'm looking forward to it! We can just beat them all and take a Heaven scroll, then we'll pass the second exam!"

"Not quite!" Kabuto shook his head. "That's still only two-thirds of the answer."

"Well, what's the last part of the answer?" Sakura asked.

"The collectors who are certain to appear during an exam of this nature."

"Collectors?" Sakura repeated.

"In this exam, with the tower only a stone's throw away, you definitely can't rest easy. These particular conditions are what create them. In other words, they'll be the ones to gather extra scrolls as compensation for sparing them when they come across an unexpected enemy. In addition to that, those types will also help their comrades from the same Village by providing the missing scrolls they need. And those who are thinking of— under conditions favorable to them— annihilating the powerful opponents, they will most likely be the ones to reach the third stage of the exam. It goes without saying, but those enemies will be quite formidable and the worst enemies are the ones who are not conceited."

"I see." Sasuke spoke up and narrowed his eyes as he thought. "Now I understand the reason why you appeared before us."

"Hm?" Kabuto glanced toward him, and Sasuke's mouth twitched in a smirk.

"You're scared, too, right?"

"Ah… Yes, that's right." Kabuto smiled sheepishly.

* * *

"Now, then, the tower's finally come into view." Kabuto landed silently on the ground and put a hand on his hip as he looked up at the structure that rose over the tops of the trees, backlit by the bright, full. Crickets filled the forest with their loud chirping and an owl's hoot occasionally sounded through the dense trees. Team Seven joined him, looking up at the tower with serious expressions. "From this point on, things will be very difficult."

"Alright, let's go!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air and Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke and Kabuto scowled and furrowed their brows.

"An enemy already?" Sakura turned to look behind quickly, with her hand hovering over her Kunai holder.

"There!" Naruto launched a Kunai into the trees and embedded itself into the head of an enormous centipede. Their eyes widened at the creature and Naruto groaned. "Oh, it's just a centipede."

"Y-Yikes!" Sakura shuddered, pale now as she drew her arms in close. "It's huge! All those legs are so gross!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the centipede, only silently studying it.

"Naruto." Kabuto looked at the boy, who blinked up at him.

"Hm?"

"I'd like to avoid inadvertent sounds and careless actions from here on. Rushing ahead through a dense forest, making noise like an elephant, it's the same as serving a notice that we're coming." Kabuto pushed his glasses up. "We would definitely receive an enthusiastic welcome."

Naruto gulped and a bead of sweat rolled down his temple at the seriousness of his expression. "O-Oh, I see…"

"As long as time allows, we should move slowly and remain hidden."

"Yeah." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Okay." Naruto nodded as well, and Sasuke put a hand on his hip.

"Of course."

Naruto's eyes widened suddenly and he broke into quiet laughter, rubbing his head sheepishly. "B-Before we do… I gotta go to the bathroom."

Sasuke let out a hot breath, frowning as he turned away and Sakura crossed her arms.

"Now?!" She pointed at him, quietly lecturing him. "Why didn't you do that a while ago? Who knows how many enemies are around here!" She crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. "You'll just have to wait."

Naruto's stomach gurgled loudly and he made a face and Sakura sighed deeply.

"It should be fine to take a short break." Kabuto nodded slightly at the blond, then adjusted his glasses again and lowered his tone. "Granted he doesn't stray far."

"Fine. Just make it quick." Sakura glanced back at him. "And be _quiet._ If you attract enemies, I'll pummel you."

Naruto gulped again and quickly nodded, speaking in a whisper as he turned and hurried away. "I got it, ya know!"

Sakura sighed again, shaking her head slightly and looked at Sasuke out of the corner of her eyes, who had walked off slightly with his hands in his pockets. _"He still hasn't really spoken to me since before, and he's hardly even looking my way. Was he really so angry with Naruto and me?" _She bit her lip gently. _"Peeking at the scrolls is against the rules, I know that, but we were only trying to help, after all."_

Kabuto looked between the two Genin as light tension hung in the air, and then turned to leave. "I'll scout ahead a bit in the meantime."

"Wait." Sasuke stepped toward him and Kabuto stopped. "We should come up with plans for the most likely scenarios we'll run into."

"Good idea." Kabuto nodded. "I assume you have an idea for a starting point?"

"First," Sasuke paused. "I'd like to see the information you've gathered on the other examinees, particularly the ones you think would be most likely to have an ambush in place."

"Of course." Kabuto took out the deck of cards, shuffling them before kneeling on the ground and setting them down. "I'd expect nothing less from someone from the esteemed Uchiha clan, after all." He began to select and set out multiple cards, and Sasuke squatted beside him as he began to choose. He channeled his Chakra, holding up a hand sign and pressing his finger to the cards to reveal their information. "Let's see, starting with this team, then…"

After a while looking over the cards carefully, and discussing strategy, Sasuke handed back the cards he held, and Kabuto returned them to his deck.

"It seems like we have a good idea of where to start." Kabuto returned the cards to his back pouch and stood. "I'll go do a little bit of scouting now. You're in charge of things here until I get back."

"Just a minute." Sasuke stood and watched him carefully. "There's also one more person I'd like to ask you about."

"Hm? Who is it?"

"Do you have any information on Natsumi?"

"Natsumi?" Kabuto repeated and rubbed his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know of any examinees by that name."

"She isn't an examinee." Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets. "She's Naruto's twin sister."

"Twin sister?" Kabuto smiled slightly. "I didn't know he had one." He lowered his arm to put his hand on his hip. "Well, if she isn't an examinee, then I'm afraid that I haven't gathered any information on her." He paused to study the boy carefully. "Why are you asking about her in the first place?"

"We fought each other in a training exercise, and she was a tough opponent… completely unlike that hopeless idiot of a brother of hers. She claims to train alone, though I don't believe it, and I also haven't been able to find any information about her since she graduated the Academy."

"I see." Kabuto crossed his arms and touched his chin. "So, you see her as a rival, then. She must be very skilled, and the fact that you haven't been able to learn anything about her must be frustrating." He smiled slightly. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint. My efforts have been to learn about my fellow test-takers, so I can't help you in this case."

"It's fine." Sasuke looked away in thought. "I'll figure it out on my own."

"Well, I'm off then. I'll be back in a bit." Kabuto waved with a smile, then walked off, leaving Sasuke in thought.

"Ah, man! I feel better now!" Naruto chuckled and rubbed his stomach with a sigh and a pout. "It just wouldn't stop… must have been those weird berries I ate a while ago."

"Don't talk like that around a lady, Naruto!" Sakura made a face a crossed her arms. "Also, you shouldn't eat things if you don't know what they are! What if they were poisonous?"

"I know, I know!" He sighed and rubbed his stomach. "I won't be eating those again anytime soon…"

"Naruto…" Sakura shook her head. "You're completely hopeless." She turned slightly to look at Sasuke, who stood by himself

Naruto blinked and looked around, holding his hand up to his eyes. "Hey, where'd that four-eyed guy go?"

"Kabuto went to scout since you were taking so long."

"Oh." Naruto rubbed his head and crossed his arms. "But what are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

* * *

Kabuto looked over his shoulder once he was a good distance away, then took out his deck of cards again, shuffling them and taking one out to hold it up. He channeled his Chakra once again, revealing the portrait of a violet-eyed, red-haired girl and he looked over what little information was written below.

"So… the Uchiha boy is interested in you as well?"

* * *

_"Heh, not bad, everyone."_ Kabuto knelt on a branch, becoming visible once more, and then looked around.

Sakura walked quietly through a large field of thick, tall grass, while Sasuke crossed a river, breathing through a bamboo snorkel.

_"Oh?"_ Invisible again, Kabuto continued onward until he saw Naruto entangled in vines, quietly struggling to break free. He let out a small sigh and frowned faintly. _"He's stuck…"_

* * *

"Okay, it's this way." Kabuto looked through a scope at the tower, then closed it and returned it to his pouch before the group began to make their way to the tower once again.

After some time, Naruto stopped walking and titled his head slightly to look at a thin piece of rope that hung down into the path. Kabuto put his hand on his shoulder, then glanced upward. Naruto followed his gaze to see three bodies in the branches above, tangled in rope with Kunai and Shuriken sticking out of them. Naruto gulped and took a step back.

"That's awful…" Sakura drew her hand close to her mouth, shuddering at the sight.

"It looks like they fell into a trap." Sasuke put his hands into his pockets and narrowed his eyes as he looked over the bodies and the surrounding area.

"Yes." Kabuto nodded and put a hand on his hip. "Things will get much more intense the nearer to the tower that we get." He turned to walk away, followed by Naruto and Sasuke, but Sakura lingered behind for a moment to clasp her hands together and looked back at the fallen Genin.

_"Sure enough, this exam is really dangerous. We'll have to be careful to not be caught in any traps, or else we'll end up like those poor guys."_

She swallowed and quickly turned to follow after the boys, and Naruto glanced over at her, studying her expression.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll definitely protect you if we get caught in a trap." He held up a thumbs-up and she sighed.

"Um… Thank you, I guess. But I'm not scared, so…"

Naruto grinned at her, then his eyes widened as he took a step and tripped over a wire. A volley of Kunai launched at them from the trees above and Kabuto quickly moved to shield Naruto, falling to the ground as they struck.

"Kabuto-niisan!" Naruto gaped at his body, only to find a section of log in his place. Naruto stood and blinked, then nudged the log with his foot. "The Substitution Jutsu!"

"That was close, Naruto." Kabuto looked down at him from an upper branch and pushed his glasses up. "I told you it would get more intense from here on." He jumped down and stepped toward them. "We should all take care of our surroundings."

"Yeah…" Naruto nodded and looked at the Kunai sticking out of the log, then Kabuto smiled slightly.

"With that in mind, let's keep going."

* * *

"I… can't go on any farther…" Naruto huffed and slouched as his pace slowed. Sakura breathed heavily, her legs trembling, and she wobbled and fell on her knees. "Sakura!" He knelt beside her to look her over.

"For crying out loud…" She gasped for breath and held herself up with her arms, which also trembled. "How long have we been walking for? The tower hasn't gotten any closer at all."

"Huh?" Naruto looked toward the tower and squinted. "We can see it right in front of us, though. Strange…"

_"There's no mistake about it."_ Sasuke furrowed his brows at the tower and looked around.

"Well, it seems that we've already run into the enthusiastic welcome." Kabuto frowned and pointed off to the side. "Take a look at that."

They turned to follow his hand, and Naruto's eyes widened.

"What?! It can't be! What on earth is going on?" Naruto gaped as he stared and Sakura paled slightly and hugged her arms close.

"Eep! It's that same centipede from before! No way!"

"Is this Genjutsu?" Sasuke balled a hand into a fist and Kabuto let out a breath.

"So it would seem. We were lured in perfectly." He closed his eyes for a moment, then faintly smirked. "It appears we were meticulously careful and were made to walk around the same place in a circle."

"In other words, we're being watched." Sasuke tightened his fist and clenched his jaw.

"Most likely." Kabuto nodded. "They intend to wear down our physical strength and catch us unprepared when we're exhausted."

"If so, then this follows the enemy strategy."

"They'll be coming soon." Kabuto looked between them.

Invisible, shapeless forms slithered and moved on the trees around them, then turned visible and took the form of Rain Shinobi. Their eyes widened at the number of clones that surrounded them. The clones moved closer to the group silently, their movements jolted.

"They've finally shown up." Sasuke smirked and looked around, and Naruto grinned and cracked his knuckles

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled. "This is the perfect handicap."

Sakura reached for a Kunai, then held it up defensively. _"There are so many of them!"_

"Don't worry, Sakura." Naruto glanced at her over his shoulder. "I said I would protect you, remember? Don't let these guys worry you one bit."

"Don't get too hasty, Naruto." Kabuto warned. "There are quite a few."

They stepped closer to each other, nearly back-to-back as the clones continued to approach. One clone laughed from behind his mask, the sound breathy and muffled.

"Just like cornered rats…"


	100. Chapter 98: The Root of the Problem

Natsumi yawned and stretched as she walked out onto the veranda, then looked into the dewy grass where Hasu was doing morning stretching and running through basic Taijutsu forms, with Kanna copying his movements. Natsumi put her hands on her hips as she watched Kanna struggling, her face reddening as she huffed and tried to keep up.

Hasu looked at the young girl from the corner of his eye, stopping and wiping the sweat accumulated on his brow with the hem of his shirt that clung to him, sticky with sweat. Kanna stopped as well, panting as she caught her breath, her own clothes damp.

"Kanna, you do not have to do this training with me. You're still quite young, so you should allow yourself to rest when you need to."

"I won't!" Kanna shook her head quickly and balled her fists as she looked up at him. "The sooner I learn these basic things, the sooner I can learn to control my mark, and then I won't have to be separated from Koji as long."

Hasu smiled and patted her head, nodding slightly. "Your determination is admirable, though you still need to allow your body to rest. This training regimen was created for me, so you should be following the regimen that Natsumi recommended for you instead."

"I can... keep up." Kanna drew in a breath, holding it in for a moment to calm herself. "If you can do this without any training before, then so can I."

_What a stubborn girl._ The corners of Natsumi's mouth twitched slightly, and she crossed her arms. _She'll manage just fine with that Anko woman as her mentor._

"Natsumi, please advise Kanna that resting is important for a Shinobi." Hasu turned to her, and then motioned to the girl beside him. "This is the third day in a row that she has attempted to keep up with my regimen, and she is quite sore and fatigued."

"I'm not..." Kanna's cheeks were flushed, half from her stubborn embarrassment, and the other half from exertion.

"Hasu, she's _your_ Kouhai." Natsumi laughed quietly, then shook her head. "One of the skills of a Shinobi is being able to guide your juniors." She turned to Kanna. "But also, it's important for a Ninja to heed the teachings of their Senpai or Sensei. Hasu's right; your body needs rest."

"But—"

Hasu put his hand on her shoulder. "Rest for now, please. If you push yourself too much, particularly at such a young age, you might do damage to your body."

Kanna bit her lower lip gently and then sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll take a break."

"Good." Natsumi nodded and stepped forward. "Kanna, I want you to take the rest of the day off from strenuous activity." When the girl opened her mouth to protest, she held up a hand to interrupt. "You _may_ do some stretching before bed, but _only_ stretching."

Kanna sighed again and then nodded. "Okay."

Natsumi smiled and thumbed toward the door behind her. "Go take a quick bath before breakfast. A nice soak will help your aching muscles."

Kanna bowed slightly to Hasu, then to Natsumi before she quickly ran into the house. Hasu wiped his sweat again and then rubbed his head.

"A hot bath sounds quite nice."

"You stay right there." Natsumi pointed at him and furrowed her brows. "You've only done half of your forms so far. Do the rest, and you can have a bath, too."

"Ah, Natsumi, you are quite the strict teacher." Hasu chuckled. "Very well, then."

_You're the one who insisted on learning how to defend yourself. I can't just let you slack off when there are so many threats around. I won't always be there to protect you._

Natsumi sighed softly and watched as he returned to the basic form, and she ran her fingers through her hair.

_Still, he's made good progress learning these forms in such a short amount of time. I wish I had picked up new things that quickly when I was younger._

"NEESAN!"

Konohamaru ran over and knocked her down with a grin and a surprise hug, and she laughed as she looked at him.

"Good morning to you, too, Konohamaru." Natsumi got up and dusted herself off, then patted his head, bending to meet his eyes. "Did you sleep well? You're sure energetic this morning."

"I'm not sure." Konohamaru paused for a moment, scrunching his face and crossing his arms before eventually shrugging and grinning once again. "I just feel like today will be really exciting!"

"Oh really?" She grinned back at him, then turned him around and nudged him toward the grass. "You know, they say that the best way to start a good day is to train."

"Who says that?" Konohamaru looked at her and she crossed her arms.

"_I _do." Natsumi smiled faintly and nudged him again. "Go help Hasu with his forms. You already know them, right?"

"Heh." He rubbed his nose and puffed out his chest. "Of course I do! I'm going to be the Hokage someday, so of course I know that basic stuff." He turned to jump down from the veranda to walk over to Hasu and immediately correct his posture.

Natsumi smiled to herself as she watched them train for a moment, then a figure softly bumped into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Uzumaki. I didn't see you there."

Natsumi stepped aside and watched as the woman smiled sheepishly. "Oh, Ena. Good morning. What are you doing?"

"Koji made a mess of himself while eating, so I was going to fetch a towel for his bath." Ena paused, blinking for a moment as she frowned faintly. "It seems I can't quite remember where I had put them, though."

_She can't remember where things are in her own home?_

Natsumi turned slightly to point toward a door near the far end of the veranda. "Aren't the linens in the room to the right of the bath?"

"Oh!" Ena's eyes widened slightly and she tapped the side of her head with her fist softly. "Thank you." She smiled and then smoothed her hair. "How silly I must seem to you, forgetting something like that."

"Are you alright?" Natsumi tilted her head slightly and Ena waved her hand, laughing as she shook her head.

"I'm fine, of course. I've just been having a difficult time sleeping deeply. It must be why I was getting a bit turned around." She turned and waved and she walked toward the door. "Thank you again for your help."

"Um... you're welcome?" Natsumi waved back, then crossed her arms and frowned once Ena had disappeared.

_Well, that was strange. She's been the one to tell me where everything is while I've been here._

She sighed and turned back toward the boys as they trained, then she puffed her cheeks and walked toward them. "Hey! Fix your stances!"

"Sorry!" Hasu and Konohamaru jumped slightly and rubbed their heads as they glanced back at the other.

"Also, I don't know what you're talking about, but you can make jokes after you're done training."

"But it's too early to be training so seriously, Neesan." Konohamaru pouted slightly.

Natsumi raised her brow and he blinked and held a smile until she relented with a smile, taking a stance. "Okay, then, if that's how you feel... both of you spar with me. If you win, then we can be done."

"All right!" Konohamaru laughed and flexed his small, skinny arms and looked up at Hasu. "We can take her, right?"

"Well, we can try, at the very least."

* * *

"I can't believe you believed that you could beat Natsumi in a match." Kanna combed her hair into two sections with her fingers, then quickly braided each half, flipping the short braids over her shoulders once she was finished. Then, she took a sip of her tea and looked between Konohamaru and Hasu, who sat beside each other on the opposite side of the table.

"We may have lost; however, we had a good time." Hasu smiled at Konohamaru, who shoveled a bite of breakfast into his mouth and gave him a thumbs-up. "The bath felt rather relaxing after training so earnestly." He cracked a half-smile, glancing at the younger boy- who wore his damp towel on his head- after a pause. "Well, it was rather relaxing until _someone_ began to splash around."

"You started it!" Konohamaru swallowed his bite and pointed at him.

"Did I?" Hasu sipped his tea and laughed. "I noticed a few soap bubbles still lingering on your hair, and I tried to help you rinse them away."

"He splashed me." Konohamaru held a hand up to his mouth as he whispered to Natsumi, who laughed.

"It was only a bit of fun." Hasu rubbed the towel on his head, mussing Konohamaru's hair. "I used to splash my brothers in the bath when I was your age. Our mother became so frustrated each time, because we would soak the bathroom after a splashing fight."

"Having brothers sounds like a lot of fun." Konohamaru fixed his hair and looked up at him, then looked down. "I wish _I_ had a brother, too."

"Hey, Naruto and I are kind of like your brother and sister, right?" Natsumi smiled at him, and he nodded and grinned.

"Yeah, that's right." Konohamaru nodded and continued to eat, and Natsumi sat back and shifted her gaze at Ena.

Ena sat quietly and looked down at Koji as he drank from a bottle in her arms, and Natsumi watched her from the corner of her eye. After a few minutes, Kanna finished looked up from her meal to look at Ena with curiosity in her eyes.

"Ena, how was your book club yesterday?"

"Book club?" Natsumi repeated and looked at the girl, who nodded.

"Ena is part of a book club called 'Literature in the Moonlight' that meets twice a week to read together." Kanna beamed and closed her eyes for a moment. "It sounds so fun!"

"I wouldn't call it a formal book club." Ena shook her head with a smile, sitting Koji up to pat his back as he finished the bottle. "You see, all of us members were good friends when we were younger, but we don't get to see each other much as adults. We use the book club as an excuse to get together." She laughed quietly. "Though, we do enjoy reading together."

"I didn't know you were in a club." Natsumi paused and studied the woman as she blinked, almost frozen in place.

"Ena is actually very social." Kanna nodded, looking at Natsumi as she spoke. "She has a very interesting routine and always does something with her free time." She leaned forward and smiled as she looked at Ena, tapping her fingers on her lap. "You were supposed to get a new book last night, right? What is it this time? Another fantasy? Or, maybe a romance this time?"

They turned to look at Ena, who blinked and sat still, as if frozen, as Koji wriggled on her lap. She blinked after a moment, then frowned and forced a small smile.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember. I don't think I went to the book club last night."

"You don't _think_ you did?" Natsumi asked, and Ena smiled sheepishly and tapped her head again.

"I must have gone to bed early because of how poorly I've been sleeping, that must be why I didn't go."

"Oh." Kanna's smile faded briefly before spreading again. "That's alright; I'm sure they'll catch you up on what happened."

"Of course." Ena smiled back at her, though uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

_I'm not imagining it; something is definitely wrong with her. First, she gets lost in her own home, and, not only did she break her routine, but she can't even remember what she was doing last night._

Natsumi bit her lip.

_Maybe the stress of taking care of a baby, and the current situation with Kanna and Hasu is just getting to her, but something doesn't feel right about this._

Konohamaru looked at the woman after gulping down his glass of milk and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ena, where is Gramps anyway? He normally eats with us."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ena smiled sweetly and moved her hair behind her ear. "He said that he had an early meeting this morning that he had to attend to. It must be very important."

Konohamaru sighed and crossed his arms, grumbling. "That old man is always too busy..."

"Well, with an event such as the Chunin Exams currently taking place, I am sure there is quite a bit that he has to manage for it." Hasu reassured him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Otherwise, I am certain that your grandfather would be happy to spend time with you."

"Yeah." Konohamaru made a face and Hasu smiled.

"I must go now, but would you like to visit me at the music shop after your classes are through? We can walk back here together afterward if you'd like."

"Really?" Konohamaru's eyes widened slightly. "Can I? That'd be cool! Will you play an instrument for me?"

"Perhaps. If you study diligently during your classes, that is."

"Deal." Konohamaru shook his hand and they nodded to each other.

"Oh dear." Ena glanced at the clock at stood, holding Koji on her hip as she looked at Konohamaru. "You had better finish getting ready and hurry off to the Academy. You don't want to be late."

"Alright." Konohamaru grumbled and Hasu helped him to his feet.

"Would you like me to walk with you?"

"I'm not a little kid." Konohamaru put his hands on his hips. "I can get there by myself." He turned and left the room, and Hasu smiled at Natsumi.

"I should prepare myself as well to leave, but thank you for the training this morning. I appreciate you taking this time to help me."

"No problem." Natsumi smiled and watched as he left, then looked back at Ena after he had left.

"I think little Koji wants to play again, so I'll leave you girls for now." Ena started to leave with the baby in her arms, but Natsumi quickly followed her out into the hall.

"Ena, wait a moment."

"What is it?" She turned and looked down at Natsumi. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah... no." Natsumi lied, rubbing her head with a smile. "Actually, I was curious about your book club. Where do you guys usually meet?"

"Oh." Ena laughed. "One of my friends owns that café next to the Yamanaka flower shop. We sit out on the patio and read together." She paused and smiled at her. "Although, if you're interested in joining, I'm afraid that it's an exclusive group only for us old friends."

"That's okay." Natsumi shook her head slightly. "Do you always follow your routine like Kanna said?"

"Oh yes." Ena nodded. "I lost my mother when I was your age, and establishing a routine was something that helped me to manage the grief of it. I find my routine to be perfectly soothing." She paused, a thought reflected in her eyes, and her smile faded slightly. "Though, I'm not sure why I missed my book club. I've been having such trouble sleeping, even with my nightly routine. I'm sure it's only temporary." She smiled again. "Was there anything else that you needed?"

"No, thank you." Natsumi turned to go back into the room, and Ena met her eyes.

"If I may say so..." Ena lowered her voice to a whisper. "Ever since you and that boy have started to stay here, Kanna has improved so much. She is able to socialize as a normal girl, and having friends has really helped her to cope with her situation. She may not say so, but she is very grateful for the company."

"I'm glad that she's doing better. I didn't do much, but I'm happy that I was able to help her a little. I was really worried about her."

Ena walked off with the babbling baby to play in the courtyard and Natsumi turned to look behind her, where Kanna had finished her meal and had begun to clean up the table. She turned to look at Natsumi with a slight smile, and Natsumi bit her lip and rubbed her head.

"...You heard us, didn't you?"

Kanna nodded and gripped the bottom of her shirt and smiled. "Ena is right. Thank you for helping me so much. I don't feel as lonely." She looked away for a moment, then back at Natsumi. "When he said that I was going to be away from Koji, and that I would be a Ninja, I was scared. But you started helping me train, and I don't feel as scared anymore. I still don't want to be away from Koji, but I feel a little braver now."

"That's great." Natsumi paused, then bit her lip again. "Have you noticed anything off about Ena lately?"

"It is strange that she missed her book club, but..." Kanna pursed her lips as she thought and furrowed her brow. "She has been having trouble sleeping. If she went to sleep early, that would help her, I think."

_Considering how much time Kanna spends around Ena, I thought for sure she'd notice something._

Natsumi crossed her arms. "When did she start having trouble sleeping?"

"Um..." Kanna screwed her face as she paused to think again. "Maybe the same night you first stayed here? Koji woke up before sunrise, so Ena took him outside for a little walk to see if that would get him back to sleep."

"Did it work?"

Kanna nodded. "When they came back, he was fast asleep. Ena tried to go back to bed, too, but she said that she had a headache."

"What happened after that?"

"She used a Willow tincture and drank a Feverfew tea, then went to sleep." Kanna paused, her face relaxing as she met the older girl's eyes. "Why? Is something wrong with Ena?"

_I guess she's been spending so much time with Hasu and me the past few days that she really hasn't noticed._

"I think Ena is okay." Natsumi smiled faintly and patted her head. "Don't worry about her. I'm sure she'll be back to normal soon."

Kanna nodded and smiled. "I'm sure!" She turned back to clean again, and Natsumi took a step forward.

"Do you want me to help?"

"I've got it." Kanna shook her head. "If I am going to be a Ninja, then I want to start doing more things on my own."

"Okay." Natsumi stretched and turned to leave. "In that case, I've got something I need to take care of." She turned and left the room, walking down the hall as she frowned to herself.

_That wasn't as helpful as I was hoping for. Went for a walk, developed a headache, and now is having trouble with her memory. Maybe it really is nothing to worry about, but I have a bad feeling._

A pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her around the corner, and she reached for a Kunai as Hasu's eyes widened.

"It's just me!"

"Hasu..." Natsumi gasped, then sighed. "Don't scare me like that."

"My apologies." Hasu looked around and crossed his arms. "There was something that I wanted to tell you, but I did not want to worry Kanna by speaking of it around her."

"Is it about Ena?"

He nodded. "She said that she did not remember what she did last night, and that she believes that she went to bed early, though I know for a fact that she did not."

Natsumi furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I was awake late yesterday evening, reading, and I saw Ena leave the estate."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "She left the estate? But she doesn't remember it?"

Hasu nodded. "I wouldn't have thought it strange, except for the fact that she was wearing her nightclothes." He paused. "She also seemed as if she was sleepwalking."

"That's definitely not normal." Natsumi frowned. "Do you know where she went?"

He shook his head. "I did not follow her, though I now wish that I had."

"She went somewhere but doesn't remember it... and in her pajamas, no less. The first sign was having a headache after a walk at night..." Natsumi tapped her chin as she slowly paced and muttered to herself. "She even got lost in her own home..."

"That is serious." Hasu frowned. "Though, I haven't the faintest idea of what could cause it."

"Neither do I." Natsumi crossed her arms. "But I have a bad feeling about it. If she's having this much trouble after only a few days from the first symptom, who knows how bad it will be in another few days."

"With her responsibility of caring for a baby, this is very worrisome." Hasu combed his fingers through the ends of his hair. "Perhaps we should have her examined by a doctor or Medical Ninja?"

Natsumi shook her head. "No; not yet, at least. I don't want to raise the alarm or worry Kanna too much. For now, I think I'll just keep an eye on her. If anything strange happens, I might be able to figure out what is wrong."

"And, if you are unable to determine the cause?"

"Then I'll have Ahmya or Sena examine her. I just don't want to jump to any conclusions." She bit her lip, then nodded slightly to herself. "Still, finding out where she went, and why she doesn't remember it, is important."

"I know that you are a capable Kunoichi, however, please proceed with caution." Hasu smiled faintly and touched her shoulder. "Do not attempt to do something alone if it is too great for you to handle on your own."

"I'll be careful."

* * *

Natsumi sighed from her hiding place from behind a pillar in the garden, watching a window as the light turned off and the figure inside could no longer be seen moving around.

_I've been following Ena all day and she didn't do a single thing or go anywhere that seemed suspicious at all. Aside from getting turned around once and forgetting someone's name, nothing was wrong._

She puffed her cheek and furrowed her brow, then touched her stomach as it growled.

_I'm so hungry, too. Having a clone eat in my place didn't help much, either. It was also really unsatisfying to not even be able to taste the food myself._

She closed her eyes and prodded her stomach as it growled again, and she opened her eyes again to turn her attention back to the window. She sat there diligently for some time, tapping her fingers on her knees as the crickets chirped loudly in the night. A large centipede slowly crawled over her stationary foot, its feelers wiggling and touching her as its numerous legs prickled over her skin.

Natsumi bit her lip to keep herself from screaming, digging her nails into her palms as she forced herself to remain still, and gulped as the creature seemed to meet her eyes before it crawled off into the grass. She shuddered violently and rubbed her arms, making a face and sticking out her tongue.

_Ew. Ew. Ew. Those things are the grossest._ She shuddered again and bit her lip. _That one was a venomous one, too. And all those legs..._

"Yuck." Natsumi muttered and shifted her position to focus her attention back on the window for another moment before sighing heavily.

_Why am I even still bothering to watch her? Nothing happened today, and nothing is happening right now._

She scratched her head and glanced away from the darkened window. As she stood to leave, the quiet creak of the sliding door made her freeze in place, and she held her breath to listen.

_It can't be..._

She slowly turned her head, looking from the corner of her eye at the figure that stepped outside, and her eyes widened slightly.

_It's Ena!_

Dressed in only a nightgown, Ena moved slowly, her feet shuffling quietly as she went. She walked barefoot down the stone path in the moonlight with a blank expression and half-closed, glassy eyes.

_It's just like Hasu said! She looks like she's sleep-walking, but..._ She narrowed her eyes, hiding herself carefully in the shadow of the wall as Ena passed her and walked through the gate of the estate. _Sleep-walkers usually do things that they do routinely. This isn't routine of her, sneaking out through the back gate like this._

She followed Ena from a distance with quiet steps, reaching out for a moment, then drawing her hand back.

_Even if it might be dangerous for her to sleepwalk like this, I am curious to see where she's going._

Ena continued in her trance; moving through the moonlit streets, cutting through yards, and sneaking by sleeping guard dogs who cracked their eyes at her as she passed. She continued to shuffle forward in a daze until she reached a small playground at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac. Natsumi kept careful watch from a distance, hidden amongst the branches of a tree.

_A playground? She plays on a playground while she sleepwalks?_ Natsumi bit her lip. _She passed several parks on the way here, though. Why does she come to think one when it's so out of the way?_

Ena approached an empty bench and stood there, maintaining her blank expression as she stared into the empty space. Natsumi frowned and narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched.

_She's just standing there? I don't understand._

The air above the bench rippled and a figure shifted his transparency, becoming visible. Natsumi's eyes widened and she quickly looked him over as he balanced in a squat on the back of the bench. His skin was dark and he wore black clothes— simple black pants, a black crop-top, and a black half-jacket with a short right-sleeve and a long left-sleeve. A pair of swords were strapped on his back, and he wore three utility pouches on his back waistband. His face was covered with a white mask, though his bright fuchsia eyes were obvious from a distance.

_Who is that?! Is he ANBU? I've never seen him before!_

The boy reached his hand out, placing his palm on Ena's forehead. His eyes flickered with glowing light, and his hand was cloaked in chakra of the same hue. Ena's eyes widened and her body stiffened and then trembled, and she whimpered in pain. Tears streamed slowly from her eyes and Natsumi clenched her jaw.

_I don't know what he's doing to her, but it's hurting her!_

She summoned her Ninjato to her hand and flickered down from the tree to reappear at the edge of the mulched playground, pointing the tip of her sword at him.

"Step away from Ena."

The boy kept his hand in place and turned his head slightly to see her as he narrowed his eyes, though he remained silent.

"Who are you?" Natsumi took a step forward and glared. "What are you doing to her?"

As she stepped forward, he threw a Shuriken into the ground only millimeters from her feet. She met his eyes and tightened her grip on her sword.

"I was giving you a chance to explain yourself for luring a member of the Hokage's own family and then hurting her, but it looks like you'd rather I capture you and get the answers the hard way."

His eyes flickered again and the chakra dissipated from around his hand. Ena groaned in pain and her eyes fluttered shut before she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Ena!"

Before Natsumi could react, the boy appeared in front of her and brought his swords down at her simultaneously. She gritted her teeth and blocked the strike with the back of her blade, glaring as their eyes met.

"Who are you?!"

He pushed her down under the strength of his blades and her knees bent as she was forced downward.

_He's really strong!_

She struggled against the force, and as the edges of his blades drew closer to her, she let out a soft hiss and relaxed. His eyes widened slightly as his swords passed through her and she twisted her body to maneuver away from him. She held up her sword and solidified as she swung at him. He dodged her attack and retaliated, locking swords once again.

"What did you do to Ena?!" Natsumi dodged his second sword, and they continued to strike, dodge, parry, and counter each other's attacks. He stayed silent as she questioned him and she glared at him. "Who do you work for?!"

"Impertinent girl." He parried her strike and raised his foot to kick her hard in the chest, knocking her back. She growled low and gripped her Ninjato tighter.

"So, you _can_ talk." Natsumi ran at him again, feinting a strike and summoning her Ninjato to her opposite hand to slice his exposed side. He turned his body to avoid her blade, avoiding a deeper strike, but a line of crimson appeared on his skin and he glanced down at his wound briefly. "I thought you were mute."

"You must be the one who uses Lord Fourth's Jutsu." He aimed a strike at her again, and she shifted form to allow it to pass through her before she countered with her eyes widening.

"How do you know about me?"

He paused momentarily, tilting his head slightly as if studying her for a moment. She adjusted her stance to watch him carefully.

"You're weaker than I expected." The masked boy spun the swords in his hands, gripping the hilt backward to prepare a strike. "However, you interrupted and now you must be silenced."

_Who is this guy?! And what did he want with Ena?_

She bit her lip, then furrowed her brows.

_Unless... he's interested in someone else. Someone close to Ena._

Her eyes widened and she glared at him. "You work for Danzo, don't you?"


	101. Chapter 99: Source

"You work for Danzo, don't you?"

His eyes narrowed and reflected a sharp coldness coupled with burning anger. "You must die now."

_So he is Root, then._

He rushed at her with his Tantō raised and she shifted forms as she moved to avoid his blades. He continued to press forward, forcing her to continue in her intangible state to avoid being hit. She kept her Ninjato raised defensively as a precaution and she clenched its handle tighter.

_Darn! He's completely got the advantage close-quarter like this. I don't even have time to do any Jutsu or strike back._

She continued to dodge as he continued to relentlessly barrage her with attacks that brushed through her sword and arm.

_Even worse, is he's already figured out the weaknesses for this and he's not giving me any time to react._

She jumped quickly out of his reach and shifted to solid as she caught her breath.

_How could I be so stupid? I blew the advantage that I had. He didn't even know I was there until I rushed in like that._ She bit her lip and glanced over to where Ena was still unconscious. _I didn't even think of a plan— I only was panicking because she was in pain._

She clenched her fist and exhaled sharply.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

He leaped at her position to strike at her and she narrowly dodged and shifted form once again. "Running like a rat, are you?"

"I'm not running." Natsumi glared and solidified and swung her blade at him. He twisted to avoid the strike and slashed again, only for his blades to pass through her. _I'm just trying to think._

"You are weak to have to rely on this so heavily. It seems the talk of you was exaggerated."

"What talk?!" She put distance between them and she let out a slow breath.

She swung her blade at him and he crossed his Tantō to defend as she pressed forward, striking again and again to maintain distance between them and prevent him from closing the gap. With an expert twist, he forced her Ninjato out of her hand and it clattered onto the ground.

He slowly closed in on her and she scanned the area in her peripherals.

_That's it! I can't outmatch him in raw strength_,_ so I'll have to fight smarter_.

She rolled to avoid an attack and his knives hit the playground's pole. The boy gritted his teeth as she summoned her Ninjato to her hand and flashed a faint smirk at him.

_Catch_ _me if you can._

She swung at him again and again, ducking behind the playground equipment as his Tantō clanged against it. As she dodged and maneuvered around the playground, she tapped her hand on it, counting in her head. After some time, the boy glared and their attacks slowed gradually.

"You're still running."

_So you think._ Natsumi feigned an attack, pushing him to block, and she struck at face. A scratch appeared on his mask and she jumped up when he retaliated. Landing softly on top of the playground, she placed her palm there and exhaled, allowing for a small smile. _We'll see who the real rat is._

He drew closer to attack and the corner of her mouth twitched upward slightly. Natsumi vanished and his eyes widened. She reappeared at another seal and lunged at him to land an attack that grazed his exposed lower back. He grunted and arched his back, twisting and slicing at the empty air.

"Damn it." He growled, gripped his Tantō tighter, and rushed to her newest location, only to be met with empty air once again. Natsumi's attacks landed one-by-one from each of the activated seals. After a few minutes, her breathing was ragged and she recovered her breath in a squat. He clutched at another cut and applied pressure as blood oozed out over his fingers, appearing nearly black in the moonlight. Identical cuts were spread over his exposed skin— his bare midriff and back, with additional wounds on his arms and thighs.

With each breath, Natsumi's body trembled and she bit her lip while watching him.

_I've used up a lot of Chakra and can't keep this up for too much longer. I don't want to kill him, but he isn't giving himself up for capture, either._

She straightened and adjusted her Ninjato in her shaky hand.

_If I can knock him out with the next attack, then I can bring him to a secure place for questioning._

Natsumi sucked in a breath to rush at him and disappeared, only to reappear from another seal. He remained hunched over and holding his wound, not yet reacting, and she took careful aim.

_I'll hit him there and—_

He gripped her wrist suddenly and squeezed, simultaneously holding his hand in front of her face. His eyes glowed and his Chakra swelled around his hand. Her body went rigid and she clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth as their eyes met.

_I don't understand! How could he be faster than my Jutsu?!_

"You're far too predictable." He slowly curled the fingers of his open hand to resemble a claw and a sharp, fiery sensation filled her head. She cried out as the pain surged and pulsed through her body, searing her mind as she struggled to move.

_Why can't I move?! What kind of Jutsu is this? I can't even shift into smoke._

"Your other form is impressive, though it was easy for me to see through it. All Jutsu have weaknesses, and that Yin form has a particularly glaring one."

Natsumi cried out a second time and clenched her jaw once again and her vision was overtaken by the bright glow of his eyes, his voicing gradually fading away with the rest of her senses.

"Let's take a look inside _your_ mind now."

* * *

_A pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her around the corner, and she reached for a Kunai as Hasu's eyes widened._

_"It's just me!"_

_"Hasu..." Natsumi gasped, then sighed. "Don't scare me like that."_

_"My apologies." Hasu looked around and crossed his arms. "There was something that I wanted to tell you, but I did not want to worry Kanna by speaking of it around her."_

_"Is it about Ena?"_

_He nodded. "She said that she did not remember what she did last night, and that she believes that she went to bed early, though I know for a fact that she did not."_

_Natsumi furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"_

_"I was awake late yesterday evening, reading, and I saw Ena leave the estate."_

_Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "She left the estate? But she doesn't remember it?"_

_Hasu nodded. "I wouldn't have thought it strange, except for the fact that she was wearing her nightclothes." He paused. "She also seemed as if she was sleepwalking."_

* * *

"Deeper." The boy's voice echoed in the darkness of her mind, and the memory faded away. Another wave of pain surged through Natsumi's mind and another memory appeared.

* * *

_"W-What are you doing? Let me go!" Natsumi struggled and Oto brought her hands together for the final sign._

_"Ensuring your cooperation." Smoke gathered around Oto's hand and she pointed two fingers toward Natsumi's mouth. The smoke shifted and formed a small, black serpent with a seal on its head, then it lashed out at Natsumi and latched onto her tongue. Natsumi let out a muffled scream as it clamped down, and after a moment, vanished into thin air._

_The snakes retracted and released Natsumi, and she fell to the ground, writhing and screaming as a mark burned itself into her tongue. Once the seal was complete, the pain subsided and Natsumi sat up slowly, her body still trembling._

_"W-What... did you do...?"_

_Oto laughed and took a puff from her pipe. "A useful Jutsu that I once taught a man named Danzo." Her lips curved in a smirk. "You're free to go now. You won't be able to breathe a word of this to the Hokage... or to anyone else, for that matter."_

_Natsumi stood and glared, balling her hands into fists until her knuckles whitened. "You... You won't get away with this."_

_Oto chuckled and exhaled, releasing smoke from her nostrils. "Oh, child. I already have." She waved her hand, manipulating the smoke to swirl around Natsumi. When it cleared, she was standing outside of the building. Natsumi gritted her teeth and slammed her fists against the door, pressing her nails into her palms._

_"I hate you, Oto! Do you understand?! I hate you!"_

* * *

"Interesting." His voice echoed. "Again."

* * *

_"Natsumi?" Sena hugged her arms close and turned to watch her go back, following her slightly and peering around the corner._

I am not a coward. I am not a coward.

_Natsumi stopped in front of the boy, who looked down at her in surprise and crossed his arms._

_"What do you want?"_

_"I..." She paused and met his eyes. "I'm Natsumi. And you're cute."_

_He blinked. "W-What?"_

I am not a coward.

_"I said you're cute." She lifted herself onto her tiptoes, grabbing his collar to pull him closer to press her lips to his._

_"Hey—!" His eyes widened as she kissed him, and he leaned in subconsciously._

_Natsumi pulled away after a minute, blushing furiously as she turned and ran back to where Sena stood, wide eyed._

_"Natsumi!" Sena covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "I said to _talk _to him."_

_Natsumi's ears reddened as she glanced over her shoulder at the stunned boy as he stood and stared at her. He moved to take a step toward her, and she started to push Sena forward._

_"Time to go." Natsumi tugged her quickly through the passage until they stood just outside the village. She stopped to catch her breath with her heart pounding in her ears._

* * *

"Disgusting."

* * *

_"Fuck." Kiri growled, pulling Natsumi and Sena back and standing in front of them. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."_

_The men eyed the trio with impish smirks and stepped inside, surrounding them easily._

_"Well, well, well... what have we here?" One of them chuckled and licked his lips._

_"Replacements." Another cackled to himself, pulling two serrated daggers out._

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six_. Natsumi tightened her grip on the Ninjato as her hands began to tremble. _We're outnumbered. They're blocking the only exit. And we're in a small space...

_"Kiri." Natsumi muttered as the woman continued to curse under her breath and cover the younger girls with herself. "Who are they?"_

_"Did Aito ever tell you about his sister?" Kiri's voice shook with anger as she replied quietly. "Asahi?"_

_Natsumi nodded slowly. "He said she died on a mission."_

_"She did." Kiri glared at the men. "She was killed by these assholes. By the Araki brothers."_

* * *

_"What is this?"_

_Oto chuckled. "Why, it's my private collection. There is a seal on the door that prevents anyone else from entering this area. If they use the ordinary key, it brings them into the official storage of the Records."_

_"Your private collection?" Natsumi turned in a slow circle as she stepped deeper into the room. Her eyes fell of several glass vials of red liquid stored in a glass case. "Is that... blood?"_

_"Hm? Oh, yes." Oto bent down to peer at the vials with a smirk. "It's the blood of the original five Kage."_

_Natsumi's eyes widened more and she swallowed and stepped back. "W-Why do you have their blood?"_

_"Just in case." Oto smiled, almost too innocently, and held her finger up to her own lips. "Now, on to your first assignment."_

_"Assignment?" Natsumi followed over to a shelf and watched as she took out a thin, black book. Oto leafed through it, then held out the pages of old, faded writing for Natsumi to see and pointed at the left page._

_"Yes. You will retrieve these documents for me."_

_"Retrieve documents?" Natsumi repeated in a murmur as she squinted to read the barely-visible titles. "I don't understand. I thought you said you were training me? Shouldn't I have training before I do anything like this?"_

_"Oh, girl." Oto chuckled and exhaled a puff of smoke. "On the contrary, I need these documents as much as you do."_

_"I need them?" Natsumi met her eyes._

_"Yes." Oto nodded. "You will learn the techniques found on those scrolls, after all."_

I have to collect my own materials?

_"Okay." She nodded after a moment. "Where are they? I can get them."_

_"Not yet." Oto lifted a scroll from the table and held it out to her. "First, learn this Jutsu. You have twenty-four hours. Your time begins now."_

_"T-Twenty-four hours?!" Natsumi's mouth gaped. "T-To learn a new Jutsu?! That's not possible!"_

_"Then make it so." Oto took in a long breath on her pipe and exhaled the smoke as she turned to leave. "You may not leave this room until you've mastered it. Then, and only then, will you be capable of accomplishing your assignment."_

_"B-But!" Natsumi balled her hands into fists and held them close to her chest. "I have to go to school! What about my brother?! I can't just can't be gone for a whole day!"_

_"Then, you had better hurry." Oto turned and left the room, locking the door behind her._

_Natsumi ran up to the door, tugging on the handle and then banging on the door. "Let me out! You can't keep me here all day! Oto-sama! Oto-sama!"_

* * *

"Deeper. To the beginning."

* * *

_"That was a great story, Miss Mikoto!" A young Natsumi rocked back-and-forth where she sat on the grass outside of the orphanage. "Do you know any more good stories?"_

_The dark-haired woman laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I'm afraid that I don't have enough time for another story today."_

_"Aw man." Natsumi sighed heavily and her twin stopped ripping blades of grass out of the ground and looked up at the woman._

_"But you haven't even been playing with us long." Naruto complained. "Last time, you played with us for hours."_

_"Sorry, you two." She reached out to muss each other their hair. "I have to go pick up my little one from preschool soon."_

_"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly and turned his nose up. "You just don't like us anymore."_

_"That's not true!" Natsumi crossed her arms and looked from the blond boy to the woman. "Right, Miss Mikoto? You're our friend, right?"_

_The woman's smile faltered and her eyes watered slightly before she nodded. "Of course. I'm happy to be your friend."_

_"If you were really our friend, you'd bring us sweets again." Naruto cracked open an eye and peered at her._

_"Oh?" Mikoto laughed and reach into the pocket of her dress to take out a handful of caramels. "You mean these?"_

_The twin's eyes widened and they each quickly grabbed the candies._

_"Wow, so many!"_

_"Thanks, Miss Mikoto!"_

_Natsumi slowly unwrapped a single candy and put it into her mouth, while naruto unwrapped them all and stuck them into his mouth, smacking his lips together as he chewed._

_Mikoto laughed again. "Naruto, eat them carefully! You'll choke."_

_"Okay." Naruto's reply was muffled by the fullness of his mouth._

_The woman's smile softened as she looked between them, and Natsumi swallowed her candy and put her small hand on the woman's._

_"Miss Mikoto, can you bring your sons to play with us too, next time? That way, you can stay longer."_

_Mikoto paused for a moment. "You want to meet my boys?"_

_Natsumi nodded quickly. "Yes, please!"_

_"Well, maybe I will bring them by sometime." Mikoto poked the girl's cheek. "You know, my younger son is the same age as you all. It would be great if you could become friends."_

_Naruto swallowed the mass of candy in his mouth, licking his lips before he stared down at the empty wrappers in his hands and his stomach growled loudly again. "Aw, man..."_

_Natsumi held out her remaining candies. "Here."_

_Naruto's eyes widened. "But those are yours, ya know."_

_Natsumi shook her head. "I want you to have them."_

_"Really?" Naruto took the candies from her and hugged her tightly. "Natsumi, you're the best sister!"_

_Mikoto watched them and held her arms close as she did. "You know, Natsumi, you remind me of my oldest son."_

_Natsumi looked at her. "Really? How?"_

_"Why don't you see for yourself, if you get to meet him?" Mikoto winked playfully and Natsumi pouted as she stood. "I'll be back another day I'm free to see you again. Behave yourselves in the meantime, alright?"_

_"Okay..." The twins mumbled sullenly with their gaze downward._

_"Wait, Miss Mikoto!" Natsumi tugged on the hem of her dress. "I drew you a picture!"_

_"Oh?" Mikoto knelt in front of her, and Natsumi carefully took out a folded-up paper from her dress pocket and handed it to the woman. "What's this?"_

_"It's me, and you and Naruto!" Natsumi beamed and pointed at the figures drawn in crayon. "See, we're all holding hands."_

_"Aw, how sweet." Mikoto hugged her. "I'll treasure this always."_

_Natsumi's eyes watered and she held tightly to the woman's hand. "Can't you just bring us with you? The people here are mean, and you're so nice."_

_The woman's eyes widened and she pressed her lips together and looked away. "I'm sorry, Natsumi. I wish I could."_

_Natsumi watched the woman leave, her lip quivering as she started to cry, and Naruto stood beside her to squeeze her hand._

_"It's okay, Natsumi. I'm here."_

* * *

_Darkness. The light sensation of weightlessness. Silence all but the loud and familiar watery echo of heartbeat. And then, out of the nothingness— an uncomfortable constriction._

_Wriggling to escape the feeling, though the dark space only got smaller and smaller. After a moment, the feeling faded. It came again and again, inducing more uncomfortable wriggling as the body was forced smaller and more compact._

_In the darkness, muffled cries could be heard, growing louder each time the constriction returned. The wet and the warmth suddenly was gone and the weightlessness was replaced with an unfamiliar heaviness._

_Eyes shut tightly at the increasing pressure, and the throbbing of the head as the bone shifted slightly. The sounds were less muffled and sharper, and a flurry of unhappy kicks against their body in the small space._

_"Poor, weak, tiny, pathetic girl. I will use you to attain my freedom."_

_Pain shooting through like a blazing fire and a desperate, feral scraping. The darkness gone and everything now orange and red— too bright. Constriction and pressure, and searing pain as the entity attempted to force itself inside in an agonizing and chaotic fusion. Pain. Pain. Pain. And an internal roar of primal anger and hatred._

_"It isn't working! Damn that human for keeping me bound. Perhaps if I attached myself more firmly..."_

_More pain, ferocious as it filled the small body. Red-orange slowly replaced with an unnatural violet. Pressure mounting until a bright yellowish light was blinding, accompanied by loud, clear cries, and cold._

_"Curse that human. I can't break free."_

_Violet faded, pain faded, and now only surrounded by a harsh cold. Some warmth enveloped and there was a warm embrace, and a feeling of security— finally calm, though the seed of dark, burning fire slept within her belly._

* * *

His eyes widened as he blinked, then stared at the girl before held captive by his power. Her body was still paralyzed where she stood and she was screaming in the pain of having such deep memories forcibly explored that her throat was raw and the sound echoed in the night. She was still unconscious in her suspended state— though her appearance had changed; red eyes in place of deep purple, claws in place of nails, fangs in place of ordinary canines, and her body cloaked in an ominous violet chakra- the pressure of it so intense that it crackled the air around them and an unfamiliar feeling clawed in his belly:

_Fear_.

"What's all that racket?!"

"What's going on?!"

The windows of nearby houses illuminated and half-asleep faces peered out of the windows to look around to find the source of the agonized, roaring scream.

_"This is not ideal. I pushed too deeply and now have attracted attention."_

He blinked and released her quickly from her state and her body fell to the ground as he stepped cautiously back. She gasped for air as she recovered, only half-conscious and aware of her surroundings.

_"More importantly, I've gotten myself into a dangerous situation. This must have been drawn out during the extraction."_

He furrowed his brows at the now-quiet feral girl, on her hands and knees with her head down, whose ragged breaths were half-growl. He took another step back, and her head suddenly snapped up to look at him with hatred burning in her eyes.

_"Damn it."_

She lunged suddenly at him with a vicious snarl and swiped at him with her claws, shredding the front of his cropped shirt and adding new, bloody marks to his body. He winced as he dodged, though she followed him as he attempted to retreat. He dodged another attack, only receiving a fraction of the harm, and caught his breath briefly inside of the playground equipment.

"What's that?!"

More windows illuminated and he clenched his Tantō tighter.

_"I've been compromised. Lord Danzo will not be pleased."_

She circled the equipment on all fours, growling and panting as she kept her crimson eyes on him. In the same instant he leaped out of hiding to escape, the Chakra swelled around her clawed fingers as they curled into fists and she slammed them down onto the playground.

The ground shook and a crater formed, and the air was filled with a cloud of mulch, earth, and dust. Splintered, melted, and ripped fragments only remained of the slide, tunnels, and swings, and, when her predatory gaze searched the wreckage, there was only the log from a substitution.

She dug her claws into the ground and threw her head back in a long, resounding roar. The earth charred as she paced, and a hooded figure slowly approached her from the trees.

"Oh my. How interesting."

Her head whipped to see the masked figure and swiped at him with a large violet Chakra arm, slamming her hand onto the ground once again. The ground shook a second time and the figure chuckled from behind her.

"Naughty naughty."

Wires appeared around Natsumi, suddenly visible in the moonlight, then snapped and bound her tightly. Chakra flowed through the wires as the masked figure slowly stepped closer to watch with a smirk while she thrashed on the growled and flashed her fangs. He formed a series of handsigns and seals spread to cover the girl's body entirely.

"Secret Sealing Jutsu: Binding Wire Trap."

A small flash of light burst from the seals, followed by a sharp cry of pain, and then silence. Slowly he drew closer and rolled her over with his foot, then nodded at the return of her human features and the absence of the overwhelming Chakra.

"Well, that was fun." He chuckled and snapped his fingers, the wires vanishing from around her as he flickered away.

* * *

The boy clutched his wounds as he hurriedly retreated, his breathing harsh.

_"I underestimated her... I didn't think..."_

He glanced back over his shoulder, and then down as his wounds.

_"Lord Danzo is not going to be pleased at all."_


	102. Chapter 100: Clone vs Clone

"Just like cornered rats..." A clone laughed, muffled under his mask, as he smirked and looked between the members of Team Seven.

Naruto clenched his fists and his jaw, and then rushed at the clone with his fist raised. "Shut up, ya know!"

_"Oh, the clones are pretty weak in reality, huh?"_ Sakura smiled slightly as Naruto's fist made contact with the clone, who made no attempt to block or dodge the strike. "Good job, Naruto!"

Kabuto turned to look at Naruto over his shoulder as the clone's torso became tarlike and the boy's fist emerged through the other side of the clone's now-liquid center. Naruto's eyes widened as his strike created a gaping hole in the clone's side. The rest of the clone melted to nearly form a puddle onto the ground, only half-standing now.

_"What are these guys?"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth as Naruto fell to the ground, having had too much momentum in his attack.

A second clone emerged from the hole in the other's side, holding a double-ended Kunai knife.

"W-What's going on here?" Naruto asked under his breath as he slowly sat up from where he'd fallen. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kabuto stared wide-eyed at the clone as the clones slowly separated.

_"I'll figure this out." _Sasuke gritted his teeth and blinked, changing his eyes. _"Sharingan!"_

The new clone pulled away from the original and raised his weapon to strike Naruto in the back.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, drawing Shuriken and leaping up quickly. His Shuriken struck the clone's arm, destroying its tarlike form, and the weapon clattered to the ground as Naruto turned to see.

The half-split clones turned their connected torsos to look at Sasuke, then raised another weapon to throw it at the Uchiha.

"Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke froze in place suddenly.

Sasuke grunted quietly as the mark on his neck glowed and throbbed, sending the fiery, agonizing sensation through his body and clenching his muscles. Kabuto's eyes widened at Sasuke and he shifted his body to shield his body with his own. The blade scraped his shoulder and a small amount of blood splattered from the wound as the pair felt to the ground.

Kabuto closed his eyes briefly and then opened them again to shot a glare toward the clone before quickly getting to his feet once again. Sasuke remained frozen on the ground with his lips parted slightly and his Sharingan still activated.

_"What's going on?!"_ Sasuke's vision blurred as his body remained paralyzed. _"My body is..."_

Sakura knelt beside him, helping Sasuke sit up slowly as he winced. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

Kabuto held his hand to his shoulder as he picked up the Kunai and examine the blade. _"There's no mistake. This is the real thing, not an illusion."_

"Scroll please." The clones stepped closer to the group, all repeating the same phrase. "Scroll please."

"If Kabuto was injured does that mean that these are actual Shadow Clones?!" Naruto raised his own Kunai defensively and backed slowly towards where Kabuto stood. "B-But... Shadow Clones are supposed to vanish if they take a direct attack. These things didn't." He turned to Kabuto over his shoulder. "Is this a Genjutsu?! Which is it?!"

"Scroll please. Scroll please." The clones drew closer and continued to chant. "Give me scroll."

"Darn it!" Naruto glared and raised his Kunai for a strike.

"It's no use!" Sasuke called out to him. "Stop!"

Naruto froze and cautiously looked between Sasuke and the clones.

"These things are illusions." Sasuke furrowed his brows and looked around at the clones with his Sharingan. "This is all a Genjutsu."

"B-But!" Sakura's eyes widened and she looked at him. "Kabuto's wound is the real thing!"

"No, it's as Sasuke says." Kabuto looked around in the branches his above them. "The enemy is likely hiding somewhere and coordinating their attack with the movements of the Genjutsu clones in order to attack from a different location, only pretending as if those Genjutsu clones are attacking.

* * *

Oboro chuckled through his mask as he watched them from above and narrowed his eyes. "I wonder how long they can hold out for."

* * *

"Then I'll just find the idiot who's behind the scenes and I'll kick his butt, believe it!"

"Hold it, Naruto." Kabuto turned to look at him. "We've been deceived as to the true source of the Kunai knives, so we can't easily determine the exact location of the enemy in this situation. Do you understand? That is what the enemy's goal is."

Naruto clenched his fists and stayed where he was as he looked around, and Kabuto continued to explain.

"From a data standpoint, it's a type who is weak at close combat and Taijutsu and prefers this type of tactic. On the surface, it's a cowardly approach, but highly effective in that it confuses the targets enough to allow them to be worn down until they are eventually defeated." Kabuto frowned slightly. "Listen, you guys! Even if we know this is Genjutsu, all there is to do now is to fend off the enemy attack."

"Fine." Naruto smirked slightly. "If that's what their plan is..."

"The night is long." Kagari laughed a sharp, higher-pitched chuckle that faded into a slow, seething exhale.

Mubi held up three Kunai between his knuckles, throwing them at the same time that the clones through their Illusion Kunai. Naruto dodged the Kunai aimed at him, while Sakura blocked one with a Kunai of her own.

The clones threw more Kunai, dodged by Sasuke and Kabuto, and Mubi continued to throw his Kunai down at them from different angles. The defending Shinobi were left out-of-breath from the volleys, breathing heavily as they cautiously watched the clones surrounding them.

"This is never-ending!" Sakura panted and complained.

Naruto looked at Sakura, then furrowed his brows and frowned at the clones in front of him. "Since it's come to this..."

"Stop!" Kabuto's eyes widened slightly and looked at him. "Naruto, don't waste your Chakra! Even if you attack these things, there's no point!"

Oboro narrowed his eyes down at the Leaf Genin and Naruto smirked.

"If I hit them all in a single sweep, the enemy won't fire inadvertently while these things are reverting back, ya know! And we'll finally know where they're hiding." He paused to channel his Chakra. "Check me out! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A large cloud of smoke burst through the area and revealed a horde of Narutos as it cleared.

"Shadow clones?!" Oboro's eyes widened as the Narutos ran at each of the tarlike clones in a flurry of punches, kicks, and Kunai strikes. One Naruto clone wrapped his legs around the waist of one clone from behind, then locked his arm around his neck is a stronghold, continued to apply pressure until the clone burst open and fell to the ground in a dark, sticky puddle. The clones reformed from their puddles only to be quickly destroyed by Naruto's clones once they finished reforming.

"I'm not done yet!" Naruto and his clones rushed at the inky clones again and again, defeating them before they had a chance to fully solidify."

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto stated wide-eyed at Naruto and his clones. Sasuke furrowed his brows, clenching his jaw tightly as he watched Naruto fighting. Sakura bit her lip and glanced at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, what should we do...?"

"That loser..." Sasuke muttered and balled his hand into fists. "All there is to do is to go for it!"

"B-But—!" Sakura's eyes widened, then she furrowed her brows slightly in concern.

"This is not a situation that he can get through by himself." Kabuto narrowed his eyes and held up the weapon in his hand.

"Let's go, Sakura!" Sasuke ran at the clones to join the fight, slashing through several as Kabuto cut several clones in half and Sakura nodded quickly.

"Yeah!" Sakura drew her own Kunai and leaped into the air to cut through a clone, severing its arm with a grunt. "Cha!"

The group continued to fight until dawn began to break over the forest. The clones continued to reform and attack, wearing them down with each strike. A clone knocked the Kunai from Sakura's hand and struck her hard, and she fell to the ground. Kabuto's back hit a tree after he was thrown by his opponent, and Sasuke's legs trembled as he dodged an attack, only to collapse from exhaustion. Clones slowly surrounded the three of them as the last of Naruto's clones were dispelled and he was knocked to the ground. He gritted his teeth and they all breathed heavily as they regained their breath.

"Dawn is breaking. It's finally time for the hunt." Mubi continued to maintain his handsign and watched as the clones completely surrounded their targets.

"Mubi, that's enough." Oboro chuckled. "We're through breaking their spirits. The only thing left is their bodies."

"...Alright." Mubi lowered his hand and the clones disappeared. He leaped down from the branch to the ground below to meet Kabuto's eyes, and his teammates jumped down to stand on either side of him.

"Lucky." Oboro laughed and looked between them.

Sasuke's eyes widened at them as the Rain Ninja locked eyes with him.

"You're the one who... did my left shoulder." Oboro took a step forward, holding a Kunai up. "I finally found you. You really hung me up. How lucky. I can finally even the score."

Naruto clenched his jaw and kept his eyes on Oboro in silence, trembling slightly before he let out a short breath and smirked.

"Heh."

Oboro's eyes widened and voices came from the forest around them.

"Just like cornered rats." Sasuke smirked.

"That went well, Naruto!" Sakura beamed at the blond and clasped her hands together.

Oboro looked between the four Leaf Genin as he blinked, and they sat in their same positions as before, panting in exhaustion. They turned around to see their enemies standing behind them as well, all wearing smirks as they watched the bewildered Rain-nin.

"W-What the hell are these guys?! This can't be! Since when—?!"

"Idiot!" The Naruto that knelt on the ground narrowed his eyes as he smirked. "You finally showed your true colors, punk." He held up a hand sign and his teammates beside him transformed in a small burst of smoke to reveal three clones.

"Don't tell me this brat..."

"Heh." Naruto stood and crossed his arms. "The Shadow Clones were just the preparation for the trick, ya know, for me to disguise myself as all the members of our team!" The clones disappeared.

Sasuke put his hand on his hip with his Sharingan active. "At the same time Naruto lifted the Shadow Clones, the three of us hid and waited. The Genjutsu users were then adversely fooled."

Naruto's smirk faltered and he fell to his knees, his breathing harder than before.

"Naruto!" Sakura's eyes widened slightly and Sasuke looked at him.

"You've used too much Chakra. Leave the rest to me."

Oboro's team turned to look at the Uchiha, and Naruto sprang up to land a hard hit to Oboro's face. He knocked back into his teammates, and the three of them fell to the ground in a pile.

"There's no way I'm going to let you have all the fun, Sasuke, when it's just gotten good!"

Sasuke watched the blond carefully and furrowed his brows._ "Is this really that Naruto...? Since when did he improve this much?"_

Mubi slowly sat up and turned to Naruto. _"This brat's stronger than I expected. After all that, he shouldn't be able to move."_

"Naruto..." Sakura murmured and frowned slightly.

_"What amazing Chakra stamina."_ Kabuto's eyes rested on Naruto. _"Right after using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to such extent, he used a daring plan to transform into the three of us and performed convincingly enough to fool our opponents. And now he can still move after doing all that. On top of that, it's the fifth day. This kid will transform if he can just master the use of his Chakra."_

Oboro, Mubi, and Kagari stood and focused on Naruto.

"Not bad, brat." Oboro formed a hand sign, and Mubi and Kagari did the same. "But, we're still not unlucky." He glanced upward at the morning light streaming through the forest canopy. "There's no time. This time... we'll show you our Ninjutsu!" His eyes narrowed. "Ninja Art: Fog Clone Jutsu!"

Dozens of clones appeared around the Ame-Genin and Naruto looked around them. "Shadow Clones?"

"No, those are ordinary clones." Sasuke eyed them with his Sharingan. "However, he's up to something."

"Hah! If they're just clones, then there's still only one real body. I'll just kick their butts right and left until I find him."

"You idiot!" Sasuke frowned slightly. "Such a reckless tactic."

"I'm telling you! I'm saying don't stick your nose in!" Naruto ran at the clones and Sakura's eyes widened slightly.

"Naruto! Don't just rush in!" Sakura held her hand close to her chest and Kabuto shook his head.

"Jeez."

Sasuke's eyes went wide and his body froze. A burning sensation rushed over his skin, concentrated at his neck. Unable to move, he trembled slightly. _"My neck hurts each time I use my Sharingan. Maybe I used too much Chakra before. Damn it."_

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and bit her lip, and Naruto's fist went through a clone.

_"Darn it! A clone?"_ He lunged at others, only for his fists to pass through them. _"These ones, too?!"_

"Naruto, stop this already!" Kabuto jumped in the middle of the group of clones.

"They're all fakes?!" Sakura's mouth gaped slightly. _"This can't be Genjutsu again, so that means that these clones are all similar to that form of Natsumi's that she used against us in our match. If that's the case, there's got to be some way that we can counter them."_

_"This is the last of my Chakra."_ Sasuke formed hand signs and sucked in a breath, opening his eyes wider. _"Sharingan!"_ His vision shifted and each figure before him was cloaked in blue Chakra. The mark on the back of his neck glowed like embers and pain shot through him. He let out a scream and quickly covered the back of his neck as his knees buckled.

"Sasuke!" Sakura quickly knelt beside where he had dropped and she placed a hand on his back. Her eyes widened as she moved the collar of his shirt to look at the glowing mark, which had begun to expand slightly. _"That mark again..."_ She bent to meet his eyes as he grunted and winced. "Stop using your Sharingan, Sasuke!"

"Sasuke?" Naruto turned to look over his shoulder and Oboro raised a double-ended Kunai, smirking as he aimed at the blond.

"How foolish of you to create an opening!" -

He brought the weapon down, narrowly missing as Kabuto shoved the boy out of the way.

"Kabuto!" Naruto looked at the cut on his leg, then glared at the group of clones. "Darn it!"

"Stop, Naruto!" Sasuke gritted his teeth and look at him. "No matter how much you try to hit them, the real one isn't among them."

"Then where's the enemy attacking from?! If they're just clones, then they won't be able to attack!"

"If I knew that, then we wouldn't be in such a tight spot." Sasuke gripped his shoulder. "This is part of the enemy's plan."

Naruto tried to stand but his body shook and he was forced back to the ground. "Darn it! I can't use the Shadow Clone Jutsu anymore..."

"Now they're too exhausted to even stand. How lucky." Oboro smirked beneath his mask and jumped into the air with his Kunai, once again taking aim at Naruto.

Sasuke strained his Sharingan a final time to see the Oboro clone aim its strike at Naruto as Oboro, Mubi, and Kagari emerged from the ground behind Naruto and Kabuto with their own weapons.

_"That's it! The real body hides with that Earth-style technique and attacks from behind while the clones have you busy!"_

Kabuto turned to look over his shoulder as Oboro slashed him with his Kunai. Blood splattered and Naruto paled as he lay motionless.

"Kabuto!"

The Rain Genin stood at their full heights and looked down at Kabuto, freezing as Kabuto's head whipped around in a murderous glare.

Naruto ran at them, jumping to kick Oboro hard in the face and knocking the three of them to the ground. Naruto dusted off his jacket as he stood and walked over to where Oboro lay. His respirator had been knocked off, and he drooled in unconsciousness.

Naruto chuckled and wiped his nose. "Heh. 'How foolish of you to create an opening,' right?"

Kabuto blinked and his icy expression shifted into a sheepish smile as he rubbed his head. "Thanks Naruto. You saved me."

"Great job, Naruto! We're both fine over here, so it's finally over!" Sakura waved to him, and then helped Sasuke to his feet.

Naruto's cheeks warmed and he scratched his cheek with a grin. _"Yes! Sakura's giving me praise!"_

Kabut rested his hand on his hip and glanced down at Sasuke, who watched him with narrowed eyes from over his shoulder.

"What happened there? Did you get injured?" Kabuto's eyes rested on the mark on the back of the boy's neck. "That's a strange mark."

Sasuke frowned and covered it with his hand, turning to look up at him. "It's nothing to concern yourself over."

After catching his breath, Naruto clambered over to Oboro's body and dug through his pouch. He broke into a wide grin and jumped up. "Look, look! It's a Heaven Scroll! Just what we need, ya know!"

"Good for you!" Kabuto smiled back.

Sasuke stood and kept his eyes on Kabuto as he put his hands into his pockets. _"There's something about this guy that I don't like."_

* * *

Kabuto stood at the top step of the tower's entrance as Naruto climb the final stair and turned to watch Sakura as she helped Sasuke ascend. From the forest, Yoroi and Misumi approached, and Kabuto turned toward them as they drew nearer.

"Oh, it's you two."

"You're late, Kabuto." Misumi glanced toward the trio of rookie and frowned slightly behind his mask.

"Well, I got a bit involved in something, sorry."

"But, but! Thanks to you, we were able to get the scroll we needed." Naruto grinned and crossed his arms behind his head."

"No, I didn't do much. It was because you guys persevered and fought hard." Kabuto smiled and waved his hand. "You were amazing in the end, Naruto."

"Heh." Naruto's grinned widened and he chuckled.

"Well, we're going through this door now." Kabuto looked between the three of them and gave them a thumbs-up. "It was good working with you all, even if only for a short time."

"Okay!" Naruto nodded and gripped the door's handles and drew in a deep breath. "Alright! Here we go!" He pushed open the doors to tear their seal, and he stepped inside the building. "Team Seven has made it!"

They stood in the center of the room and looked around.

"Huh?" Naruto held his hand up to his eyes. "There's nobody here."

Sasuke pulled away from Sakura to stand on his own. "I'm fine now, Sakura."

"R-Right!" She smiled awkwardly and shut her eyes and he stepped away from her. _"Drat! This is so disappointing!"_

"Hey, hey, what're we supposed to do in here, ya know?" Naruto walked around the room and scratched his head.

"Oh, look at that!" Sakura pointed at some writing posted on the back wall.

"Oh, nice job, Sakura!" Naruto smiled and turned to read it. "Without heaven... hmm... I don't get it at all."

"Ahem." Sakura cleared her throat. "If Heaven does not exist, enrich your knowledge and prepare for the chance. If Earth does not exist, run the fields in search of an advantage. Open the series of Heaven and Earth, and the perilous way shall be redressed... this is namely the secret of 'the one that guides.'"

"Eh..." Naruto scratched his head and look at her. "What's that mean?"

"Well, I'm not sure." Sakura looked between him and the message once more. "It looks as though there are letters of something missing there. It probably has to do with the scrolls." She paused to read it again, then furrowed her brows. "I think this means that we're supposed to open the Heaven and Earth scrolls, now."

"If you think so, then I'm sure that's right." Naruto nodded in agreement and then held out both scrolls to her. She took the Heaven scroll and he held out the Earth scroll in front of them, pausing several moments as they looked down at the scrolls. -

Naruto swallowed and they nodded to each other. "Alright then, let's open them now."

* * *

Kabuto stepped inside the building and the door shut behind him, then a voice came from the shadows.

"What of the harvest?"

"Ah, yes. More than I expected." Kabuto adjusted his glasses with his middle finger. "I was able to fill in all of the missing data." He held out a card toward the figure. "You need this, right?"

"So, how was it?" The man stepped forward to reveal his face, and Kabuto chuckled.

"Sure enough, it appears you're rather curious, Lord Orochiarmu."

Orochimaru took the card and held it up to look it over with a satisfied smirk. "I want to ask your opinion, Kabuto. As the Sound Village's spy..."

"That's not really necessary, is it?" Kabuto put a hand on his hip. "You will be the one to decide it all, so..."

"As always, I like that cleverness of yours. Good work." Orochimaru laughed under his breath before he was enveloped by a swirling cloud of smoke, disappearing as it dissipated.


	103. Chapter 101: In the Shadows

Natsumi walked slowly through the streets with the soft light of dawn painted over the village as it warmed her skin. She bit her lips as she carried the unconscious Ena on her back. She released a slow breath as she continued forward and rounded a corner that brought them closer to the Sarutobi estate.

_I'm not even really sure what happened. We were fighting, and he caught me with his ability somehow, but the rest feels like a strange dream._

She frowned slightly and shook her head.

_My whole body hurts like I was skinned and rolled in lemon juice, and my head feels like my brain was violently scooped out with a spoon. I saw all those memories, but was that what he was after? What was the point of even digging in my head if he didn't even look for anything related to Kanna? _

She glanced over her shoulder at Ena's peaceful expression and sighed.

_Well, at least Ena's nightmare might be over now and she will be able to go back to normal. He didn't kill either of us, so maybe he already got what he needed. I'm so tired though that I don't really care what he's gotten as long as I never see him again._

She turned again and the gates of the Sarutobi estate came into view.

_"What do I do? Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to just tell Lord Third what happened, but Oto's seal probably won't even let me. That park was completely destroyed, though, so it's not as if no one will ask any questions." _She bit her lip, nibbling on it slightly. _"What can I do? I feel useless right now."_

Natsumi pushed open the gate to slip inside with a yawn and Kiri's eyes widened as she stopped pacing in the courtyard to rush over.

"Natsumi, there you are!"

_So much for no one noticing my absence and having to answer questions._

Kiri's brows furrowed as she eyed both Ena and Natsumi, and then crossed her arms. "Explain. Now. Why were both of you out before dawn? Why is she unconscious? And what the hell happened to you?"

"Kiri..." Natsumi shuffled forward and looked down. _Where do I start?_

"Oh, Natsumi; always managing to get yourself into trouble." Kiri sighed softly and smiled, then gently poked the girl's cheek. "You've been through a lot. Why don't you go inside and rest for a while? I'll take Ena." Kiri carefully lifted the woman from Natsumi's back and held her in her own arms, then nodded her head toward the house. "Go on. There will be time later to catch me up."

"Kiri, you're the best." Natsumi muttered softly with a half-smile, and Kiri grinned.

"Damn right I am. Go nap now."

Natsumi shuffled inside and slid the door shut behind her. She started down the halls to the guest room with her lids heavy and drooping, and her feet growing heavier with each step. She bumped into a figure, mumbling an apology as he lifted her into his arms.

"Hasu? What're you up so early for?" Her eyes cracked open and he smiled at her.

"Kiri woke not long ago and discovered that you were missing, so she woke me to inquire if I knew your whereabouts. I was confident that you would return soon, though your current condition is concerning." He frowned slightly. "What happened?"

Natsumi mumbled a short reply, too muffled for him to understand, and he adjusted her in his arms to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Let's lay you down for now. You'll be more coherent after you rest."

"Thanks." She mumbled again, closing her eyes briefly, and then finding herself on the futon when she opened them again.

_I'm here already?_ She looked around to confirm that she was alone, and then she let out a breath and shut her eyes. _Maybe everything will just sort itself out while I sleep. _

* * *

The boy stumbled into the compound and dropped to his knees behind the man, kneeling in silence with his eyes trained on the cool stone floor as he applied pressure to one of his wounds. The man kept his hands clasped behind his back and frowned slightly.

"You are late."

"I can explain, Lord Danzo." His breathing shuddered and he winced as blood slowly oozed from his injuries. "There was a... slight _complication._"

"Complication?" Danzo furrowed his brows and turned to look down at the boy, who did not meet his eye. "You mean that you were discovered and attacked. Explain yourself."

The boy cleared his throat quietly and paused. "The woman was followed and I was seen in the middle of the extraction process."

"Tsk." The creases in the man's face deepened as he scowled. "Did I not emphasize the importance of this mission of yours?"

"Lord Danzo—"

"Silence." He took a step toward the boy and stared down at him. "I chose you specifically for this task because of your talent for stealth and that Kekkei Genkai of yours. Perhaps I believed too highly in your skill. I assure you; I will not make that same mistake again."

The boy remained quiet as the old man paused, and he swallowed slightly, glancing upward briefly before turning his face down to the floor once again from Danzo's stern disappointment.

"You said that the woman was followed." His frown deepened. "Who was it that you fought so fiercely?"

"A girl in the Hokage's ANBU, Lord Danzo." The boy answered quickly, and the icy glare in the man's eyes grew colder.

"I assume that you dispatched her in the midst of battle to cover yourself?"

The boy remained silent and Danzo hit his cane against the floor loudly.

"You failed to kill her?" His tone caused the boy to flinch slightly. "Do you understand clearly the severity of your error?"

"She possessed abilities I did not recognize or was aware of, which made her a difficult opponent. As I was gaining the upper hand, our fight caused enough of a commotion that led to civilians nearly seeing me. I was forced to retreat."

"Tsk." Danzo exhaled slowly from his nose as he thought. "I see. However, the fact remains that you failed to kill her. What happens if she goes to that fool Hiruzen?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't believe that she will. Or, rather, she can't."

Danzo raised his brow. "Why do you say that?"

"When we were fighting, I saw a Seal on her tongue."

"Hm."Danzo paused again. "Who was this agent? Did you recognize her?" _  
_

"The one that the ANBU are calling 'the Red Flash,' Lord Danzo." He glanced up at the man. "The Uzumaki girl."

"Oto's protégé?" Danzo muttered to himself, and then let out a short breath. "I see. In that case, it seems your error has not completely damned this mission."

"What should be done about the girl?"

Danzo took a few steps away, pausing for several moments before he answered. "You _did_ manage to gathered all the necessary information, correct? Or did you fail that as well."

"I've got it all, my Lord." The boy nodded, his stomach twisting as a bitter taste burned in his mouth. "All of the information that you requested."

"Then we shall do nothing. If Oto has muzzled her, then she is most likely unable to report any of this to Hiruzen, at least in detail." He stood in front of the boy again. "For now, we will simply review the information and prepare for our next move."

"I understand, Lord Danzo."

"Understand this, as well." Danzo straightened and glared down at the boy, his words icy daggers once more. "Failing a second time will not be tolerated. There is no room for weakness in the Foundation, and I shall not show leniency simply because of your ability."

The boy turned his face down and pressed his lips together. "I understand."

"Fuu." Danzo turned slightly and a figure flickered and knelt before him.

"Yes, Lord Danzo?"

"Take this incompetent boy to be treated." Danzo scowled over his shoulder at the boy, and then eyed the blood around him on the ground. "Retrieve the information from his mind, and then have someone clean that mess."

"Yes, Lord Danzo." Fuu nodded and stood to approach the boy, then supported his weight and lifted him to his feet. "It will be done."

* * *

"That will be all for now. Thank you." Hiruzen nodded to Kin, who bowed her head slightly and left the room. He looked over the new stack of folders on his desk and lifted the top one to examine the seal. With a breath, he formed a sign and tapped it on the seal, illuminating the symbols briefly before he opened the file and gazed upon the photos at the top of the first page— the expressionless face of a teen, and then the same teen with the face hidden beneath a wolf-faced mask with red paint like blood dripping from the eye openings.

"Now, doesn't this bring me back?" A silky voice came from the ceiling, accompanied by a low chuckle. "I had almost forgotten what I looked like. I was quite attractive, wasn't I?"

Hiruzen frowned and glanced upward as the masked figure became visible from where he sat in a squat on the office's ceiling.

"How long have you been there for?"

"Only the past hour." He chuckled again and hopped down on the floor behind the old man, smirking behind his mask at the sealed envelope in the file before the old man shut it quickly. "Your senses have dulled, Hiruzen."

"Why are you here, Jiro?" Hiruzen turned to look over at him, though he was gone and now standing in front of the death.

"Why, can't an agent simply come to visit and pay respects to the great leader of his Village?" Jiro swept his arms in a grand gesture and bent low at the waist in a bow.

"Save that silver tongue of yours for someone else." The Hokage puffed on his pipe and sat back in his chair. "Get right to the point."

"Very well, then." Jiro straightened, and his eyes narrowed and darkened. "I had to subdue that girl last night."

Hiruzen averted his eyes slightly and inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. "...I'm aware. Kiri has already reported that Natsumi is resting now and that she investigated the scene."

"Then why do you hesitate?" He took a step forward and placed his palms on the desk, leaning in. "I very clearly remember your orders when you first assigned me to carefully monitor those two. I've done as you asked, biding my time and remaining patient. But now, when it's clear that the girl is feral and cannot contain it, and the boy's seal has weakened... you don't follow through with your own plans? Why is that, old man? Don't tell me that you no longer believe that your own idea is not what is best for the village."

Hiruzen's jaw clenched and he furrowed his brows deeply. "I also ordered you to never speak of that out loud, or have you forgotten?"

"You've gotten cold feet now, haven't you?" Jiro met his glare and his smirk widened. "How much longer do you intend to wait? At least with the boy, his seal still remains intact. But for how much longer? And then you have that girl, whose outbursts are as mysterious as they are dangerous."

"Silence!" Hiruzen quietly interrupted and he tapped his finger against the pipe in his hand. "You have always been far too impatient for your own good. It has not come to such drastic measures."

"Oh?"Jiro clicked his tongue. "I suppose you're waiting for the whole of the Village to quake in fear in the middle of a rampage before you act."

"Mind yourself, boy." Hiruzen exhaled and tendrils of smoke rose from his nostrils. "With your knowledge of Seals, why not simply strengthen the boy's and evaluate the girl?"

"Well, that would be going back on your original plan."

"You are well aware that that course of action is only reserved if all else fails, as a last resort. It has not come to that."

Jiro chuckled and clasped his hands behind his back. "Very well. Seeing as you're not convinced... I can evaluate the girl for the time being, if those are your orders."

Hiruzen let out a short breath. "I will arrange for it to happen. Wait for me to call on you."

"What shall I do in the meantime?"

"What you have been until this point. Return to the shadows."

"As you wish." Jiro chuckled and bowed deeply again, and then disappeared.

* * *

Fuu watched as the Medical-nin finished treatment and left the room, and the boy sat upright on the cot to flex his fingers, nearly covered head-to-toe with fresh bandages. He remained where he stood with his back pressed to the wall and his arms crossed, then sighed and stepped closer to the teen.

"You made some serious errors today."

The dark-skinned boy furrowed his brows, staying silent as he examined his bandages. Fuu frowned and stepped forward until he stood in front of the cot.

"What happened in that fight? As skilled as you are, it's surprising to see you so severely beaten."

"It was that 'Red Flash' girl." He clenched his hands into loose fists and grunted. "I anticipated her to be more skilled with that designation, though she exhausted far too quickly. It seemed unnatural; all things considered."

"The Uzumaki girl?" Fuu paused and his lips formed a hard line, and the teen drummed his fingers on his arm. "From the intel Lord Danzo has given us, members of her clan should all possess abnormally large reserves of Chakra. Why would hers exhaust so quickly?"

The boy looked downward and rested his forearms on his knees as he slouched forward. _"In many ways, she was rather underwhelming, but, even so..."_ He furrowed his brows. _"Though that last memory... it's produced far more questions than it has answered."_

"You looked into her mind, didn't you?" Fuu sat on the cot across from him, his arms still crossed. "I assume you found something of interest?"

"...No." He closed his fists. _"There isn't a point of discussing it until I have figured out what was taking place."_

Fuu leaned forward slightly to meet his eyes with a hard stare. "Ishiki."

The boy shot a glare at him as he sat up straighter. "What?"

"There is no use in hiding things from me." Fuu's tone darkened. "Lord Danzo wants me to peer into your mind to retrieve the data you collected in the first place. If you are hiding anything, then it will be easy for me to simply go deeper into your mind and expose your secrets."

Ishiki maintained his glare and they stared at each other for several moments before his eyes flickered with a soft glow. "You could try."

The tension mounted in the air and a third teen cleared his throat in the doorway.

"Fuu, Ishiki. Stop that."

They turned to the boy and Fuu exhaled sharply. "It's only you, Torune."

Ishiki rolled his eyes and clutched at his stomach, twitching at the lingering wounds. "You should mind your own business."

"Discord among fellow agents causes destabilization in the Foundation. Therefore, your feud is also my business." Torune walked inside the room and looked between them. "Ishiki, I heard that you allowed yourself to lose to a young girl."

"Tch." Ishiki narrowed his eyes at him. "That was no _ordinary_ girl."

"So you _are_ hiding information." Fuu crossed his legs as well and watched him.

"Hiding information?" Torune rested a hand on his hip. "That's unlike you, Ishiki."

"There isn't anything to hide." He gritted his teeth. "The extraction was interrupted when I was nearly seen by villagers. Our fight had caused a commotion, exactly as I reported to Lord Danzo."

"And yet you have not elaborated on what you _did_ find in her mind." Torune commented.

Ishiki tightened his fists until his knuckles lightened. "There was not much to see that would prove useful. Her head was filled with little more than the fancies of a stupid girl."

"And yet she's made a name for herself already among the ANBU." Fuu stood and stepped forward.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Torune asked.

"The only reason that it seems I am withholding information is due to the fact that one of her memories was... indecipherable." Ishiki averted his eyes. "However, it isn't related to our target in any way, and so it is of no importance to discuss."

"Perhaps I should bring this to Lord Danzo's attention and allow him to decide what is and is not of importance."

"Fuu, stop provoking him." Torune chided. "And you, Ishiki. If that memory is really as indecipherable as you say, simply showing it to Fuu will end his suspicion and allow for someone else to solve it."

The two teens remained quiet, and Torune spoke again. "Ishiki, there is already some commotion about this. The location where you fought has been investigated already by the Hokage's ANBU."

Ishiki's eyes widened and he sat straighter, then winced and touched the bandages on his stomach again. "Already? What moves has the Hokage made?"

"Relax." Torune held up a hand. "There is no suspicion that the Foundation was involved at this point. Even though you allowed that girl to live, it seems we've gotten lucky."

"She had a seal on her tongue from that snake woman." Fuu nodded slightly. "His mistakes are lessened by that."

"Even so," Torune added. "Her involvement is always meddlesome. She's interfered with the Foundation before, and she isn't bound to obeying the Hokage, either, so she poses a threat."

"I agree, though I'm sure Lord Danzo has already taken that into consideration." Fuu nodded. "If he doesn't believe that she is a concern right now, then her goals must also align with ours for the time being."

"It's a shame that we can't be rid of her and be done with it." Torune paused and furrowed his brows. "Though with her power, not even Lord Danzo knows the extent of her abilities. It's best to keep a watchful eye on her."

"That girl he fought is her protégé." Fuu drummed his fingers against his arm. "For now, she may be weak, but who's to say she won't also attain the strength of that woman? If that happens, then it could cause more inconveniences for Lord Danzo."

"I'm sure that he will have us eliminate her before that time comes." Torune stood beside him and lowered his voice slightly.

"She's already too great of a threat." Ishiki stood slowly, grunting as he straightened and their eyes fell on him. "We've been operating under the impression that she is ordinary, giving most of the credit to that brother of hers, though I believe we have had our eyes on the wrong twin."

Fuu's eyes widened slightly and he turned to him. "That boy is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon— a valuable asset to the Leaf and to Lord Danzo. Lord Danzo was informed of this by the Third Hokage himself, just after that incident. Are you suggesting that the Hokage lied to us?"

"The Hokage is an old fool." Ishiki's eyes narrowed. "If anything, perhaps he was mistaken himself."

"How can you be so sure? Our spies have found documentation in the Hokage's reports of the Zabuza incident that the Uzumaki boy utilized the Demon's power and the seal weakened."

"I was the one who battled that girl." Ishiki glared at them. "She wasn't fully human." -

"Explain." Torune stepped forward, and Ishiki shook his head slightly and turned to Fuu.

"I saw her base memory. You'll understand if you see it as well."

"Very well, then." Fuu stood in front of him, then brought his hands together in a sign and furrowed his brows. "Show me."


	104. Chapter 102: The Rookie 9 Together Again

Naruto swallowed and they nodded to each other. "Alright then, let's open them now."

Sakura and Naruto slowly unrolled the scroll, millimeter by millimeter, until finally opening it completely in a single, fluid motion as Sasuke watched carefully. Their eyes widened at the seals and Naruto squinted and leaned closer to look.

"Huh? What's this?"

"A man? A person?" Sakura blinked and read the kanji within the seal.

Sasuke's eyes widened further when the kanji bubbled and swelled, then emitted smoke. "This is... a Summoning Jutsu!" He stepped back. "Naruto! Sakura! Drop the scrolls, quickly!"

"Huh?"

"Right!"

They tossed the scrolls across the room and the smoke continued to billow out and fill the area. As it cleared, a figure could be seen through the cloud and they narrowed their eyes to see.

"W-What?!" Naruto's eyes widened and the corners of his gaping mouth lifted in a small smile.

"Y-You...?" Sasuke blinked in recognition and Sakura stared.

"I-Iruka-sensei?!"

"Hello, you three." Iruka's eyes opened up and he smiled at them and crossed his arms. "It's been a long time."

"What's going on?" Sakura stepped forward and asked.

"Judging by your appearance, you guys have had a rough time, right?"

"What?!" Naruto shook his head quickly. "Why did you get summoned when we opened the scrolls, ya know?"

"At the end of this second part of the exam, we Chunin are to welcome the test-takers. I just happened to be given the important task of being the messenger for you guys." He walked towards them several steps and Sakura blinked.

"Messenger?" She repeated.

Iruka reached into his pocket to take out a pocket watch and flipped it open to look at the time before sighing. "Just in time." He closed the watch and then smiled at them. "Listen up, everyone. Congratulations on making it through the second stage of the Chunin Exam."

"We... passed?" Naruto mumbled under his breath as he thought.

"To celebrate your passing, I'd like to treat you to some Ichiraku ramen, but..."

"Hooray!" Naruto grinned and jumped up to hug Iruka tightly. "I did it!"

"H-Hey, Naruto!" Iruka looked down at him as he was squeezed tightly. "Listen to the rest of what I have to say!"

"Hooray! Hooray!" Naruto cheered and continued to squeeze him tightly. He released Iruka and pumped his fists into the air. "Ramen! Ramen! Ramen, ya know! I haven't had it in so long!" His eyes widened and he beamed at Iruka. "Say, say! Natsumi can join us, right?! I can't wait to see her again and tell her everything that happened! I did a great job! I'm the greatest! I'm on my way to be a Chunin! I can't wait to have some ramen with Natsumi again, ya know!"

Iruka sighed quietly and only smiled as he watched the blond, and Sakura suddenly dropped to the floor with a heavy sigh.

"It's over... we can finally rest."

Sasuke sat down heavily, closing his eyes as he sighed. "He's got too much energy, after all that."

Naruto leaped into the air and looked at them. "Yay! We did it, guys! Show more enthusiasm!"

"Quiet!" Sakura groaned. "We're too exhausted to celebrate."

"Man, you're still the same as ever, Naruto." Iruka chuckled and rubbed his head.

"Hmph." Sasuke smirked slightly and tilted his head down. "I see."

"What?" Sakura looked over to him, and Sasuke looked back up at Iruka.

"So, if we had looked at the scroll in the middle of the exam, what were you going to do, Iruka-sensei?"

"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head and turned to look at him.

"Sasuke, you're as sharp as ever." Iruka smiled and picked up the scrolls from the ground, then held It up for them to see the blank seal. "You're right. The rules of the exam were to test your conclusive mission execution ability. To put it in simple terms, in the case of the scrolls being opened prematurely..."

"What would have happened?" Sakura asked. -

"Heh." Iruka's mouth twitched in a smirk. "I was ordered to knock the rule-breaking test-takers out and ensure they remained incapacitated until the exam concluded."

"Good thing you didn't open the scroll." Sasuke smirked and looked over at Naruto and Sakura, who both paled and grimaced.

_"Kabuto, thank you!"_ Naruto gulped and clasped his hands together in prayer as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

_"That was so close."_ Sakura wiped her forehead with her arm. She let out a short breath and then looked back at Iruka.

"Oh, yeah. Sensei?"

"What is it?"

"By the way, what does that message on the wall mean?" She pointed to the cryptic writing. "They're kind of vermiculated we I don't understand the meaning at all."

"Nevermind that, Sakura!" Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "We passed, ya know!"

Her eye twitched slightly and Iruka scratched his cheek.

"Actually, explaining that is yet another of my duties."

"Really?" Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side.

"Really." Iruka nodded and placed his hands in his pockets before looking over his shoulder at the writing. "Give it another read. This is the Chunin creed that the Second Hokage has passed down."

"Creed?" Naruto squinted and their eyes rose to it.

"That's right!" Iruka explained. "'Heaven' In this text refers to the human mind, while 'Earth' is the human body."

"Hm..." Naruto tilted his head to the other side and Iruka let out a breath. "If 'Heaven' does not exist, enrich your knowledge, and prepare for the chance. In other words," He smiled and turned to the blond. "If your weaknesses are inside your head, Naruto, you must learn various logic and strategy in preparing for your missions."

Sakura covered her mouth to stifle a small laugh and Naruto made a face.

"Hmph. So annoying."

"If 'Earth' does not exist," Iruka turned to Sakura. "run through the fields in search of an advantage. If your weaknesses are in your physical strength, Sakura, it means you must harden your body and not slack off in your daily training."

"R-Right..." She laughed sheepishly and averted her eyes.

"And, if you then combine 'Heaven' and 'Earth,' any perilous mission is sure to be met with success. In conclusion, what can also be called a creed, will also be the recipe for a safe mission."

"Then, what about that spot with the missing letter?" Sakura pointed again.

"That letter refers to Chunin." He smiled and held up the scroll again. "The one letter for 'person' that was on this Seal goes there. These past five days of survival were to test the candidates' fundamental abilities as Chunin, and you three managed to clear it in your own way." Iruka lowered the scroll and looked between them. "A Chunin is of unit-leader class, and, as such, they have the responsibility of leading a team. Be more deeply aware of the necessity of both physical strength and also knowledge. I want you to take the next step and move forward without forgetting this important creed." He paused and smiled again. "That is all that I was supposed to tell you."

"I got it!" Naruto straightened and gave the teacher a salute as he beamed, but his expression fell as Iruka frowned slightly.

"As for the final part of the exam, don't push yourselves too hard. Especially you, Naruto. You're the one that I worry about the most."

"Iruka-sensei." Naruto lowered his arm and interrupted, then smirked and thumbed at himself. "From the moment I received his headband from you, I was no longer your student, ya know? There's nothing to worry about!" He tapped the forehead protector. "This is proof that I'm a full-fledged Ninja, right? I might still be reckless and a knucklehead and haven't changed much, but I'm not a kid anymore! I'm now... a Ninja!"

They stared at each other unblinkingly for several moments until Iruka smiled again.

"I see. I'm sorry for doubting you, Naruto." He scratched his head. "In truth, I requested to be the one to give you this message, thinking that I knew you best since you were all my students and that you weren't yet ready for this exam, so I was prepared to try to break it to you gently. However..." He lowered his arm and it rested at his side. "I see now that you have grown a lot and that I underestimated you."

"Heh." Naruto rubbed his nose with a grin. "It's as I said, ya know! We've all come this far together, and become great Ninja, and an even better team. There's nothing to worry about."

Iruka watched them with a soft expression and nodded to himself. _"The one who might truly understand the strength of these kids might actually be you, Kakashi."_

* * *

Anko sat on the sofa in front of the security monitors with her coat slid off of her left shoulder as she kept a hand over the mark on the base of her neck. She gritted her teeth and massaged it as pain pulsed through. Izumo and Kotetsu stood at either side behind the sofa, and Hiruzen stood in front of her, blocking part of the monitor from view with his body.

She winced as he watched her and lowered her eyes to rest on the floor.

"How is it now?" Hiruzen frowned with his pipe between his teeth. "Does the Curse Mark still hurt as it did before?"

"Not as much." Anko sat straighter and lifted her gaze as she slid her coat over her shoulder once more. "Thanks to you, it's gotten quite a bit better."

"Anyway, Orochimaru is one of the Leaf's Sannin." Kotetsu glanced towards Anko's mark. "He's an S-ranked rogue Shinobi in the bingo book who even our best ANBU can't touch. I'd heard rumor that he had already died, but..." He paused and looked back at the Hokage as Izumo spoke up.

"Why would he come back to the village now?"

Anko's hand balled into a fist as a memory surfaced in her mind and she clenched her jaw and furrowed her brows. "It's..."

"It's Sasuke, isn't it?" Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back and Anko quickly looked up at him.

"Huh? How did you—?"

"Anko!" A man's voice came through security and they all turned to view the monitors, where a Chunin stood in the center. "Twenty-one examinees have completed the second-stage of the exam. As for the third exam, according to the regulations of the Chunin Exams, preliminaries are being planned for the first time in five years. Thus concludes the second exam."

Anko's eyes widened and Hiruzen looked over at her from the corner of his eye before turning to face her. "For the time being, we continue the exams as-is while keeping a careful eye on his movements."

"Right." Anko nodded.

* * *

Natsumi groaned as she rubbed her eyes and sipped the tea before it cooled, ignoring the way it burned her tongue. Sena sat beside her, healing what scrapes and cuts remained in silence. Hasu sat nearby, a book open on the table in front of him, though his attention was on the redhead instead.

"Thanks, Sena." Natsumi smiled faintly and looked at her over her shoulder. "I'm sorry that we woke you up so early."

"Oh, don't say that." Sena returned the smile and tilted her head slightly. "I love early mornings." She rested her hands in her lap and patted the younger girl's shoulder. "Besides, I am always here for a friend in need."

Kiri slid open the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her as she sat with a heavy breath.

"Well, that's that."

"How's Ena doing?" Natsumi asked. "Is she alright?"

Kiri nodded and poured herself a cup of tea, then drank it down in a single gulp as Sena frowned.

"Hey, that's medicinal tea for Natsumi."

"But it smelled so good." Kiri set the cup down and winked. "Ena's in good health, and one of the Yamanaka already looked at her mind. There are gaps in her memory, but there doesn't seem to be any permanent harm. She'll be back to normal in a few days, they think."

"What a relief." Sena sighed.

"It's still a concern that we have no information on who attacked you or targeted Ena, but at least you're both okay." Kiri nodded. "All that's left is to repair the damage done and make up a story about demolition work to mask the disturbance."

Natsumi snorted. "It can't really be that easy to fool everyone."

Kiri laughed under her breath and Sena shrugged.

"It works more than you would think."

"Isn't it wrong to lie to the villagers?" Hasu frowned.

Kiri shrugged. "I'm not one for lying, but there are times when it's better to keep secrets. We don't even know fully what happened or who that enemy that Natsumi fought was, so getting people in a panic without answers would only cause more harm than good."

"Perhaps that's true, but it still seems deceptive." Hasu sighed and Natsumi pressed her lips together.

_I wonder if he'd think less of me if he knew just how much I was hiding._

Kiri rested her elbows on the table and her cheek in her hand. "So, Hasu, you're really into all things Ninja, right?"

He blinked, glancing down at his book, and then closed it slowly. "...I do find the Shinobi lifestyle intriguing. Why do you ask?"

Kiri's lips twitched in a smirk and she looked at Natsumi from the corner of her eye. "...The old man told me that the exam is officially over now. A certain blond kid made it to the tower just in time."

Natsumi's eyes widened. "Naruto passed?"

Kiri laughed loudly and prodded the girl's cheek. "He's your bother; of course he did. Did you think that he wouldn't?"

"No, of course I knew he could." Natsumi gently swatted her hand away as she smiled. "I'm just glad he's okay." She sighed and leaned back, smiling at the ceiling. "I bet he's jumping around for joy right now and talking about ramen."

"Probably." Sena laughed softly. "Maybe I should make him something as congratulations for passed the second stage. Surviving that long in the Forest of Death is not an easy thing to do." She paused again and then snapped her fingers. "I know! I'll make you guys some homemade ramen. I'm sure he'd enjoy that after all of his efforts."

Natsumi's stomach growled and she touched her stomach. "That _does_ sound good."

"Anyway..." Kiri smirked wryly and leaned closer to Natsumi. "A little bird also told me that a large number of candidates made it through, so they're holding a round of preliminary fights to determine who gets to go on to the final stage."

"Preliminaries?" Natsumi bit her lip and shifted. "When?"

"The old man decided to give everyone a few hours to rest while everything was prepared." Kiri paused and chuckled, then pointed at her girl. "...You're itching to go see your brother, huh?"

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she cleared her throat. "U-Uh..."

Kiri laughed again and waved her hand. "Aw, don't be embarrassed! Brothers are the best thing in the world." Her smiled faltered and she rested her hand in her chin. "It so happens that a _wonderful_ friend of yours negotiated with the Hokage to let you go watch the prelims."

Natsumi froze in place with her eyes wide and her mouth gaping and Kiri grinned.

"_And_, I also negotiated that Hasu gets to go, too."

Hasu froze with the same expression, and a quiet sound came from Natsumi, starting out quietly and then quickly growing into a loud squeal as she leaped up and hugged her tightly.

"Kiri, thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

"You mean, I get to witness preliminary matches in the Chunin Exam with my own eyes?" Hasu glanced between his book— _The Legacy of the Second Hokage—_ and scooted closer to the table. "May I really?"

"Of course." Kiri nodded and crossed her arms. "I'm _that_ great, after all." She paused and held up a hand. "Of course, _getting_ to the tower is dangerous, so I'm supposed to escort you—"

"I've gotta go get ready!" Natsumi hurried out of the room, and Kiri stared blankly at where she had been.

"I wasn't even done explaining yet."

"She's just excited." Sena smiled and nudged Kiri. "She's been so worried about her brother, so of course she's jumping at the opportunity to see him."

"Yeah." Kiri nodded and rested her arms on the table. "I remember dropping everything like that whenever my brother came back from a mission." She smiled down at her arms. "He usually brought me back little souvenirs."

Sena watched her quietly, then sighed and rested her own elbows on the table. "Seeing them together makes me a little jealous. It'd be nice to have someone at home to greet me when I get back."

"Hey!" Kiri stuck out her tongue. "I'm there almost every day."

"Yes, you are." Sena laughed. "Taking up all the space on my bed, eating all my food..."

"Jerk." Kiri laughed and mussed her hair. "But you're adorable, so I'll forgive you."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go get ready as well."

Hasu stood, taking his book with him, and then bowing his head before he hurried out, and Kiri snorted.

"He's a _nerd_."

"Kiri, be _nice."_ Sena smiled. "It's good to have an outsider like him around, especially as a friend for Natsumi. It gives her an opportunity to get a break from the usual."

Kiri nodded. "I know, I know."

"Um..."

The sliding door behind them opened and Kanna stepped inside, lacing her fingers together nervously.

"Oh, hey Kanna." Kiri waved.

"I overheard you talking about watching the matches, and..." She sucked in a breath. "I want to go, too!"

Kiri turned to her and patted her head, frowning. "Sorry, kiddo. The Forest's just too dangerous, and Lord Third wants you to stay here and stay safe."

"But..." Kanna looked down. "I'm going to be a Ninja someday, too, and that place is where Anko is. Can't I come, too?"

Kiri shook her head. "I'm sorry. Maybe next time."

Kanna sighed and Sena stood, then bent at the waist to meet her eyes.

"I know it might not be as fun as watching matches, but wouldn't you like to bake something with me? I have the _best_ snickerdoodle recipe."

Kanna's eyes widened, nearly sparkling, and she smiled. "Really? I love those!"

"Really." Sena put her hands on the girl's shoulders, gently leading her out of the room, giving Kiri a wink over her shoulder.

Kiri tapped her fingers on the table in silence before she reached behind her ear, gently revealing the small, hidden braid where the worn red ribbon was woven in. She stared at it a moment before bringing it to her lips gently and closing her eyes. Hiding the braid back in her hair, she eyed the remaining tea in the cup, looked around, and then quickly gulped it down. She set the cup down with a satisfied smirk and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"That's some damn good tea."

* * *

"Natsumi, slow down!" Kiri laughed as the girl went ahead.

"No, you catch up!" Natsumi stuck her tongue out over her shoulder and Kiri rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be escorting _you_!" Kiri let out a short breath and looked at Hasu from the corner of her eyes as she carried him on her back. "How are you doing, your _high_ness?"

"W-Well..." Hasu smiled sheepishly. "Despite the fact that we are dozens of meters off the ground, we narrowly avoided enormous leeches only moments ago, and that I'm being carried as a child would be... I believe I might actually be enjoying this."

Kiri laughed and then exaggerated a pout. "Aw, you didn't get my pun."

"No, I did understand it." He averted his eyes to avoid glancing at the ground rushing by down below. "...I'm simply attempting to ignore how high we are."

She snorted to stifle a laugh and turned ahead. "Don't worry; I've got you. I won't let anything happen."

As she jumped to another branch, a large serpent lashed out and snapped its jaws at them. Hasu's eyes widened, and Kiri's narrowed as she dodged and landed on a higher branch.

"Damn. They're just as big as I remember."

"You mean to say that they're normally that size?" Hasu stared at the reptile as it hissed and turned to look at their new position.

"Here? Yes. Now hold on."

She dodged a second strike and he gripped her shoulders tightly.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

The snake ascended the tree by wrapping its body around the thick trunk of the tree and winding upward and Kiri bent her knees slightly in preparation to jump once again. A seal activated and glowed in front of her feet on the branch, and Natsumi appeared in the empty space with her Ninjato drawn.

"Natsumi?"

The snake reached their level and flicked its tongue at them, hissing low and loudly, and the sound reverberated through the branch. Natsumi shot a glare at the animal and the twisting of her stomach brought acid to her throat.

_I sensed it coming, and, now that it's right in front of me, it feels almost as strong as the Resonance._

"Natsumi—"

"Shh." Natsumi remained in place as the serpent lifted its head to look between them all. After a moment, it drew closer— close enough for its tongue to brush the redhead's cheek— and then slowly withdrew away and slithered off to the ground below.

Natsumi clutched at her chest and let out the breath she'd been holding, then looked down at her shaking hands as her heart continued to pound in her ears.

_It's gone. Thank goodness._

"Natsumi, how'd you do that?" Kiri walked closer, and the girl blinked and rubbed her head.

"I-I guess it didn't feel like trying to eat someone that could cut it from the inside."

_"There was a saying among my people. 'One snake recognizes another.'"_

Natsumi shuddered slightly and bit her lips at the words that echoed in her mind.

_Is that why it left? Did it recognize me as one of its own? _

Kiri frowned slightly and then tapped her head with her fist. "Come on and stop spacing out. I thought you were in a hurry?"

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she nodded quickly. "R-Right!"

She turned to move and Kiri touched her shoulder.

"How'd you manage to get a seal here and make it in time?"

Natsumi rubbed the back of her head and averted her eyes. "Hey, you were just reminding me to hurry." She jumped ahead to the next tree with a sigh.

_That was close. I don't want to her know that..._

Kiri puffed her cheeks and furrowed her brows as she followed the girl and stared at the back of her head.

_"...she's been here before."_

* * *

They reached the tower and Kiri set Hasu down and he stretched, then dusted off his shirt and hair to remove small leaves that had gotten a ride. He bent back slightly to look up at the tower and whistled.

"This is quite an impressive structure. Did you know that the man who was hired by the Second Hokage to design it was Arata Hasegawa? From what I have read, he was so stubborn and persistent about hiring others to assist him with the project, for fear that they would make an error, so he only allowed his two brothers to help him."

"Three men built this whole thing?" Natsumi looked up the tower. "Really?"

"It took them nearly four years to complete it." Hasu nodded. "Additionally—"

A small bell tolled and Kiri cleared her throat, then pointed to the door. "I _hate_ to interrupt this fascinating bit of historical knowledge, but the matches are going to start soon."

"Oh!" Hasu rubbed his head and smiled. "Of course. Let's go inside."

"This way." Kiri waved her hand and they followed her inside. They passed several rooms where the Genin candidates waited, separated according to Village of Origin, and Kiri peered into a room before stepping inside.

The room was small but large enough to fit the three-man squads with adequate space between them as they rested. Most sat on the floor with their back against the wall and their eyes closed in a half-asleep state, while other teammates talked quietly amongst themselves.

* * *

Choji clutched at his stomach and looked upward at the ceiling. "I'm so hungry. Can't we have lunch?"

Ino sighed and crossed her arms as she turned to him. "Honestly, how can you even think of eating at a time like this?" She sighed again, this time heavier, and closed her eyes. "And to think... When we reached the tower, I thought that we could finally rest. But now we have to jump into fighting again."

"The proctor was gracious enough to give us a few hours to rest beforehand; what else do you want?" Shikamaru waved his hand slightly and mumbled.

"A shower would be nice." Ino cracked an eye and looked at him.

"And lunch." Choji's stomach growled and Shikamaru sighed.

"I suppose they could have at least given us a game of some kind while we waited, seeing as there's nothing else to do."

* * *

Neji sat with his back against the wall, one knee up with his arm resting on it, with his eyes closed. Tenten sat nearby sitting cross-legged as she spun a Kunai absentmindedly around her index. Lee stood in a rigid stance, stretching and punching the air with his brows furrowed.

"Take it easy, Lee." Tenten looked up at him. "Save your energy for the matches."

"Leave him be." Neji opened his eyes and turned to her. "Knowing him, he'll still have plenty of stamina."

Tenten sighed and stopped spinning the Kunai. "Yeah, you're right. Seeing him train is only adding to my anxiety, though."

Lee ignored their conversation and continued to practice his form. _"I won't relax for even a second. If luck is with me, I will be matched with either Sasuke or Neji."_ He glanced towards his rivals from the corner of his eye. _"I'll prove to them all that a genius of hard work can surpass even them and move on to the finals. If I am able to do that, Sakura is sure to accept my affection."_

* * *

Kiba looked down at the small dog that laid against his chest underneath his jacket and frowned slightly. Akamaru opened his eyes to look up at him, and Kiba patted his head. _"Akamaru's still completely spooked. Not that I can blame him at all..._" He clenched his jaw. _"Damn it. What'll we do if we get paired up with that monster in a fight? We have the pride of the Village to think about, but I'd rather just concede and be a coward than die at his hands." _He met the dogs' eyes again and he sighed. _"The only hard part about that will be dealing with my mom when she finds out that I gave up."_

Shino stood near his teammates with one hand in his pocket and the other out in front of him. A small insect flew in from the doorway and hovered over his palm for a moment before flying in different shapes. _"I see. The preparations are complete and our team captains have assembled. It will begin soon, then."_

Hinata sat beside Kiba and fidgeted with faux fur of her sleeve cuffs as she looked around the room. _"Everyone is so anxious, and poor Akamaru is still so afraid. I hope everything will be okay."_

* * *

"I wonder how much longer they're going to make us wait." Sakura sat on the floor, hugging her knees as she pressed her lips together. _"My nerves are going crazy and I don't see how any of us can fight right now. We're all too worn out._" She glanced to where Sasuke sat nearby along the same wall, gritting his teeth as he clutched the mark on his neck. _"Then there's Sasuke's condition. It'd be better if someone could look at him right away. He's in no position to fight right now."_

Sasuke caught her staring from the corner of his eye, then lowered his arm slightly and unclenched his jaw, averting his eyes. "I'm fine."

_"He __says that, but it's clearly been bothering him since we've been sitting here waiting. Can't they at least postpone the matches until tomorrow?" She looked_ at Naruto, who was sitting at her other side, talking to himself under his breath as he polished his headband with his sleeve. _"And, Naruto, too. e used up so much Chakra before. I don't know how he's got so much energy now, b__ut he shouldn't fight yet, either."_ Her eyes rose and she looked around the room. _It's the same for everyone. We've all pushed ourselves to the limits these past five days. There's not much else we can do."_

"Psst! Naruto!" A whisper projected across the room and Naruto pursed his lips as he buffed out a smudge on his headband and muttered under his breath.

"Not now, Natsumi, I'm trying to—" His eyes widened before he could finish his thought and his head whipped around to stare at the redhead in the doorway. He broke into a grin and jumped to his feet, and called to her loudly.

"Natsumiiii!"

She smiled and ran to him, and then threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and they shared an identical cheesy grin.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "Only test-takers can be here, right?"

"Kiri managed to convince Lord Third to let me come." She glanced over her shoulder at Kiri, who smiled and waved, and then she turned back to her brother and looked him over. "I'm just glad that you're in one piece."

He puffed. "Hmph. You didn't think I would make it through, didn't you?"

"No, I knew you could." She shook her head. "I just thought you'd be in worse shape." She put her hands on her hips and let out a sigh. "Honestly, I thought you'd run into more trouble. But, besides smelling like algae, sweat, and dirt, you seem fine."

"Huh? I don't smell that bad. I washed off really well in the river this morning." He lifted his arm and sniff his armpit and Natsumi made a face as she laughed.

"_Ew!_ Why would you do that?"

"I don't smell bad at all." He crossed his arms.

"You smell like when we used to go fishing and camp overnight." Natsumi poked his chest.

"Say, I was just thinking about that the other day, ya know!" He grinned. "We haven't done that in a while, so why don't we go again soon? It'll be loads of fun."

"Okay!" Natsumi nodded quickly and then glanced over at Sakura and Sasuke, frowning slightly and lowering her voice. "Did something happen? Angsty over there seems like he's actually worried."

Naruto's expression fell and he turned to look over his shoulder at Sasuke, who was still covering the mark with his hand. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and frowned slightly, then pulled Natsumi aside and held up his hand to block his face as he leaned closer to whisper.

"We ran into this creepy guy called Orochimaru and he injured Sasuke. Don't tell anyone though."

Natsumi froze with her eyes round and her stomach turned.

_No. No. No no no no no. I knew I sensed something was wrong. That guy... he went after Naruto's team..._

"Natsumi?" Naruto leaned back and waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello? Are you in there? You're really pale, ya know."

Natsumi'sheart pounded in her ears and she forced a smile and shook her head. "S-Sorry Iuh... was lost in thought." She laughed sheepishly before pressing her lips together into a hard line and her eyes rested on Sasuke again.

_Then... if he's holding his neck like that..._ She swallowed as a lump formed in her throat. _That means... he has one just like Kanna. This is really bad._

"Anyway, the matches should start soon, so be sure you pay attention and see just how cool your brother is." His smile returned and Natsumi nodded.

"Of course." Natsumi nodded. "We'll be rooting for you."

"We?" Naruto repeated and tilted his head, then squinted and looked just beyond the doorway where Kiri and Hasu were standing. He furrowed his brows and stared at Hasu for a moment, who blinked and waved politely, and then he turned back to his sister. "Oh. You brought your _boyfriend_."

Natsumi's cheeks warmed and she puffed her cheeks. "He's not my _boyfriend."_

"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms. "Then why'd you bring him?"

"Because he wanted to watch the matches, too." She crossed her arms. "That's all."

"Hmph." Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked to Hasu again, and Natsumi rolled her eyes.

"Oh, also." Natsumi poked him again. "Sena wanted me to tell you that she says congratulations on passing the second stage. She said that she's going to make some homemade ramen for us to celebrate."

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned back to her, distracted as his mouth watered. "Homemade... ramen..."

"That's right!" Natsumi smiled and put her hands on her hips. "So, the faster we get through these matches, the sooner we can have ramen." -

"Yahoo!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air and then pointed his thumb at himself. "You just wait! I'll come on top for sure, ya know! And then we can have that ramen."

"Alright everyone, it's time to assemble in the main hall. The preliminary matches are going to start." Kotetsu walked into the room and looked around at all the Leaf Genin. "I hope you all had a nice rest while you waited."

As the Genin collectively sighed and muttered among themselves, Natsumi smiled and waved at the Chunin.

"Hi, Kotetsu."

"Hey, Natsumi." He looked away, then his eyes widened and he looked down at her. "Hold on... Why are you here?"

Kiri laughed and crossed her arms, leaning against the doorway to exaggerate her hips. "It's funny when you're totally oblivious and don't notice people that you've walked right by."

His face flushed slightly and he clenched his teeth and turned to her. "K-Kiri? You're here, too?!" He cleared his throat, averting his eyes as he straightened. "N-Nevermind that. Just don't cause any mischief or interrupt the matches."

"Aw, how cute." The corners of Kiri's mouth twitched in a smirk. "He's trying to be serious."

He flushed darker and Natsumi stifled a laugh and pushed Kiri out of the doorway.

"Come on, we're in the way."

"Fine, fine; I'll give him more shit later." Kiri stepped outside the room with a laugh, and Natsumi sighed as she shared a look with Hasu, who smiled wryly and glanced between the two adults. -

Naruto blinked at their exchange, then slowly smirked and leaned closer to nudge Kotetsu, whispering though his voice projected around the room.

"Say, say... you like her, don't you?"

"W-What?! Don't be ridiculous." A bead of sweat rolled down his face and his ears tinged pink. "I-If anything, she's mostly a pest, so..."

Naruto snickered. "What do you like about her? Is it her—"

"That's enough!" Sakura flicked Naruto's forehead and exhaled sharply. "You're holding things up, anyhow."

"Naruto made a face at her and rubbed his forehead as he muttered. "I was only trying to help this poor guy out, ya know..."

_"Poor guy...?"_ Kotetsu blinked and then slouched slightly with a sigh. "So that's what you think of me? No respect at all..." Kiri snorted from outside and he clenched his fists and huffed. He cleared his throat and waved his hands, glancing at the Genin that eyed him suspiciously. "A-Anyway, follow me to the main hall. Keep to a single-file line."

Kotetsu stepped out of the way as the Genin filed out of the room, then followed behind them to walk in front of them. Other Chunin escorted the candidates from each of the other Villages, and several Leaf Genin glanced nervously at their rivals across the hall. After a while, they entered a large room where other Jonin and Chunin were gathered on an elevated part of the floor in front of a large sculpture of two hands brought together in a sign.

Natsumi stumbled slightly as she walked into the room as she shuddered. The sensation hit her suddenly as if she had walked directly into a wall, and her breath caught in her throat.

_It's the same as in the forest._

She closed her eyes briefly to concentrate and the darkness in her mind slowly manifested colored clouds of Chakra that vaguely resembled human forms. The form with the greatest concentration shifted— almost bubbling— in a toxic shade of purple. The other two forms shifted between a sickly yellow and black, contorting in what seemed to be chaotic torture. At the center of these forms was a small, toxic, purple ball— a sludge-like seed. Her eyes burst open and, as her eyes adjusted to the light again, the colored forms were superimposed over the human bodies. Her eyes widened and a chill shot down her spine.

_Sasuke, Anko, and..._

Her eyes rested on the Oto Jonin standing in line at the right of the Sand Jonin, behind where the Hokage stood in wait. Though his skin had a healthy color to it, his menacing gaze rested on the Uchiha boy as he smirked. His gaze tore from the boy to meet her eyes, and she froze in place. A bead of sweat rolled down her brow as he kept his gaze locked on her own.

_One snake recognizes another._

Kiri nudged Natsumi and then pointed towards a set of stairs. "Come on. We'll have a good view from up here."

Natsumi blinked and forced a small smile and a short nod as she turned away from him, his gaze still boring into her as she followed Kiri and Hasu up the stairs to the viewing platform on the right of the room.

Kiri stretched at the top of the stairs, drawing in a deep breath as she smiled. "Man, this really takes me back. There were nine teams that passed the Forest of Death, so we had to duke it out in Preliminary matches like this, too." She crossed her arms and let out a short laugh. "I used my Genjutsu to make my opponent think he was a puppy. He even whipped it out and peed with his leg up." She snorted. "Oh, I laughed so hard. The Hokage wasn't happy with me at all, though."

Hasu blinked and turned to her. "Wouldn't such a move disqualify you? That would be indecency, at the very least."

Kiri snorted again and waved her hand. "Pfft. Are you kidding? Anything goes in the Chunin Exams. Surely your books say that."

"They did, however..." He paused. "I expected there to at least be a few restrictions."

"War by proxy, remember?" Kiri shrugged and stood with her back to the wall.

"Come to think of it..." Hasu paused. "Since the deadline for the second exam has expired, what happens to the teams who were not able to make it to the tower in time?"

"Hm? The losers?" Kiri looked up for a moment. "Well, I suppose they get turned down from entering by the proctors and then escorted out of the forest. The ones needing medical care go to the hospital, and the ones who died... well, that's just a matter of recovering whatever body is left and returning it to their Village."

The color drained from his face and he frowned slightly and glanced at Natsumi, who was lost in thought as she gripped the railing.

"The life of a Shinobi is a terribly dangerous one, isn't it?"

"It's not for everyone." Kiri's tone softened. "But, don't worry. We Leaf Shinobi are tough. We live, fight, and die for the Will of Fire that burns inside of us all." She pointed toward the Genin below. "It's why even so many of our rookies can advance this far, even when older, stronger, or more experienced Shinobi from other Villages can't. Even if those kids don't realize it, there's a small fire burning inside of them, moving them forward and inspiring them to push beyond their limits. That's what it is to inherit the Will of Fire." She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "It's passed down to you, whether you're even aware of it or not."

"The Will of Fire..." Hasu repeated quietly under his breath.

* * *

Hiruzen looked at each member of the seven teams lined up before him and clasped his hands behind his back as Anko cleared her throat to address them.

"First off, congratulations on finishing the second exam." She smirked faintly and looked at them as she paused. _"There were seventy-eight candidates for the second exam. To think that as many as twenty-one have made it this far. I said that I would make it less than half, but I really thought that it would be in the single digits."_

Choji touched his stomach and frowned, whispering to Shikamaru. "I'm hungry."

"What do you want me to do about that?" Shikamaru sighed and put a hand on his hip, then turned to look at the other Genin. "There are still these many teams left? This is such a drag."

Ino pressed her hands together and smiled at Sasuke, who stood several columns away. "Sasuke passed, too."

"Of course." Shikamaru muttered. "We went through that much trouble to help them out. It'd be all for nothing if they didn't pass."

"Your team didn't do too badly." Guy chuckled and glanced over at Kakashi. "I guess they just got lucky." He smirked faintly and shut his eyes briefly. "Though, as long as my team is around, they can't progress any further. Because, whether you like it or not, ability talks at the next barrier." He put a hand on his hip and looked at his rival's students. "Well, youth can sometimes be bittersweet and harsh, Kakashi."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Kakashi scratched his ear with his pinky and turned to him.

Guy gaped at him and froze, then clenched his fist and looked away. _"Not bad, Kakashi my eternal rival. That cool demeanor part of you is so hip... which is what annoys me!"_

Tenten looked at her sensei, and then to the silver-haired Jonin beside him, and smiled as her cheeks warmed. _"So, that's Guy sensei's eternal rival, huh? He totally blows Guy sensei out of the water in terms of looks."_

_"That's Guy sensei's rival!" _Lee clenched his fist._ "He is nowhere near as youthful or hip as Guy sensei! He shines like no other!"_ He balled both his fists and his eyes reflected with a burning passion. _"Please watch me, Guy-sensei! I'll shine brightly, too!"_ He glanced toward Sakura and his brows furrowed. _"I don't ever want to see tears falling from those dear to me again. So, that's why... I won't ever lose again!"_

Neji looked around him and crossed his arms. _"Sure enough, only the strongest candidates remain."_ His eyes rested on Sasuke and he furrowed his brows. _"Sasuke Uchiha..."_

Zaku glared over at Sasuke. _"I'll get you back for my arms, Sasuke Uchiha. At any cost."_

Orochimaru kept his smirk as he watched Natsumi standing uncomfortably on the viewing platform, avoiding his gaze. _"So, she can sense me now? It seems Oto was right about her ability."_ He turned his attention to Kabuto, who also was watching the girl from the corner of his eye. _"He's noticed that companion of hers as well. I must say, I didn't expect that boy to survive, though he serves no purpose anymore."_

_"To think only seven teams are left of the twenty-six..." _Temari frowned and looked around.

The Sand Jonin furrowed his brows and looked at the emotionless redhaired boy. _"Sure enough, Gaara is without a single scratch."_

_"Akamaru's acting strangely." _Kurenai looked at the small dog, who still hid in Kiba's jacket and whimpered.

_"Damn those Sand Village monsters."_ Kiba gritted his teeth and patted Akamaru's head.

_"Naruto, you passed, too."_ Hinata blushed faintly and poked her index fingers together. _"Thank goodness."_

"I'm still amazed that all of the Leaf Rookies are here." Sakura mumbled under her breath. "This has got to be breaking some kind of record."

"Say, say!" Naruto turned around slightly to whisper to his teammates. "The Old Man, Iruka-sensei, and even the Even-More-Intense-Bushy-Brow guy are here, ya know! It feels really exciting to have everyone assembled like this!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and clamped a hand over the base of his neck as he looked around. _"I don't know why, but I have an ominous feeling."_

_"This is surprising, to see this many teams left at this stage. Even more surprising, almost all of them are rookies."_ Hiruzen glanced back over his shoulder where Kakashi and Asuma stood. _"So, that's why they fought so hard to recommend them."_

* * *

Natsumi clutched at her stomach with one hand, and tightly grasping the railing with her other until her knuckles whitened.

_I feel almost sick, being so close to him again. This isn't good at all. I just know that he's going to do something terrible, but I don't know what, and I can't even tell anyone that he's here, much less how I can even tell._

She swallowed and gripped the railing tighter.

_And Naruto is here, too. If he does something now, then Naruto could get hurt. Not only that, but he's done the same thing to Sasuke as he did to Kanna, and Anko as well._

She bit her lip and loosened her grip on the rail, then looked down at her hand.

_I can't do anything except just watch and wait. I hate this._

* * *

"Now, then!" Anko put a hand on her hip and addressed the Genin. "Lord Hokage will now explain the third exam to you all, so shut your mouths and pay attention." She turned to look at the Hokage and lowered her voice. "The floor is yours, Lord Third."

"All right." Hiruzen nodded and stepped forward, clearing his throat as he held the pipe out of his mouth. "Before I explain to you the manner in which the Third Exam will be conducted, there is just one thing that I want to tell you all directly. It's in regards to the true purpose of these exams."

_"True purpose?"_ Sakura blinked.

"You may have wondered, 'why do allied nations conduct the exams in a conjoint manner?' Raising the ranks of the Shinobi and friendship among allied nations. It won't do to have the wrong idea of the true meaning of that statement. These exams are, so to speak..."

_"So to speak?"_ Tenten watched the Hokage as he paused and took a puff from his pipe, then let out a breath and a small cloud of smoke.

"...The microcosm of battle between allied nations."

"What does that mean?" Tenten raised her hand slightly and asked.

"If we look back on history, the allied nations of today were once neighboring nations that were always at odds with each other and battling for power, wealth, dominance, and resources. In order to avoid a futile crushing of each other's military forces, the nations would mutually select a place to battle, which is how the Chunin exams originally began."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "W-Why do we have such a thing? Aren't we doing this to see who gets to become Chunin?"

"There is no question that these exams are to select Shinobi worthy of becoming Chunin. However, this is not the sole reason. On the other hand, these exams also provide a venue for fledgling Shinobi to carry their nation's pride and fight for their lives."

"Carry the pride of our nations?" Sakura repeated under her breath.

"Many feudal lords and those of prominence from many nations who regularly request Shinobi for missions are invited to the third exam as guests. And, the Daimyo and the leader of each of the Ninja Villages will come to watch your battles. If the gap in national power becomes too great, the strongest nations are inundated with mission requests. The requests of nations deemed weaker, on the other hand, decline. And therewithal, we can exert pressure upon each neighboring nation... That is to say, just how much military strength our Village is developing and has."

"Okay, but, why is it necessary for us to fight for our lives?!" Kiba clenched his fist.

"The nation's strength is the Village's strength." The Hokage answered. "The Village's strength is the Shinobi's strength. And the true strength of a Shinobi is created only in a fight for one's life. This exam is a way to see the strength of the home country Shinobi and the opportunity to display this as well. Is it because this is an exam where you truly fight for your life that this has meaning. It is for this reason that your forerunners fought in this exam— a dream worth striving for."

"But...!" Tenten's eyes widened. "Why even use the expression 'friendship?!'"

"I said it in the beginning, didn't I? That it won't do for you to have the wrong idea for the meaning. This is a custom where balance is preserved by fighting and removing life. That is friendship within the Shinobi world. This is a fight for life with the pride of your respective Village and your own dreams on the line."

The room filled with a heavy silence and Hasu's expression fell and he stared downward solemnly. Natsumi bit her lip and gripped the rail again, focusing her gaze now on her bother.

_"You foolish old man."_ Kiri shook her head and sighed softly. _"Did you have to lay it out like that in the darkest possible way?"_

_Naruto... _Natsumi swallowed, and her eyes turned toward Orochimaru. _Why did you have to do the Exams this year?!_

After several moments, Naruto spoke up and crossed his arms with a half-smirk. "Heh. I'm convinced."

"Anything is fine." Gaara narrowed his eyes at the Hokage. "Just tell us what we need to know about the third exam."

"Very well." Hiruzen puffed on his pipe again and nodded. "Now, about what I would like to tell you in regards to the third exam." He cleared his throat, and Hayate flickered in front of him, kneeling on one knee with his head bowed.

"Lord Hokage, please allow me, Hayate Gekkō, who was given the task of judge, to speak first."

"I'll leave it to you, then."

Hayate stood and turned toward the Genin slowly, coughing interrupting his speech. "It's nice to meet you all. There's something that you all need to do before the third exam."


	105. Chapter 103: Sudden Death Elimination

"Before the third exam?" Neji repeated and furrowed his brows.

"Yes." Hayate coughed and nodded. "What I mean is a preliminary for the third exam with the participation in the main event on the line."

"Preliminaries?" Sakura blinked.

"What do you mean 'preliminary?!'" Shikamaru raised his voice and spoke over the muttering around him.

"Sensei, I don't understand the point of a preliminary." Sakura raised her hand slightly. "Aren't we doing the third exam with the remaining candidates now?"

* * *

"Were they not informed before about the preliminaries?" Hasu asked quietly.

"They were probably told there would be matches, but only assumed that they were for the real Third exam." Kiri shrugged. "Honestly, the proctors probably kept it ambiguous to make them anxious."

"Maybe." Natsumi murmured, keeping her eyes primarily on Orochimaru, who glanced up at her every once in a while. _Just what are you planning to do?_

* * *

"This time around, perhaps because the first and second exams were too easy, there are just too many candidates left, you see. In accordance with the Chunin Exam traditions, a preliminary will be held in order to reduce the number advancing to the final stage."

"No way!" Sakura's eyes widened.

"As Lord Hokage said before, many will be in attendance for the Third Exam, so our time will be limited and it won't do to have too many long or pointless matches. Therefore, those of you not in top physical condition—" Hayate broke out coughing loudly for an extended period of time.

_"Is he even healthy himself?"_ Ino raised a brow and watched him hacking into his hand.

_"This proctor doesn't seem to look very well, either."_ Hinata held her hand up and frowned faintly.

"Pardon me." Hayate lowered his hand and looked down at the book in his hand. "Those of you who wish to drop out, please speak up now. Otherwise, the matches will begin immediately"

"Immediately?!" Kiba narrowed his eyes and growled.

"That short break was really all we get?" Ino sighed and slouched. "But we just made it through the second exam."

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed and tilted his head back.

"Can't we at least eat first?" Choji groaned.

Naruto balled his hand into a fist, trembling slightly as _"Okay! I'm going to do my best, no matter what! I can't lose in front of my own sister. I have to pay back Kabuto for all his help, too, so I can't fail now."_

"I forgot to mention this, but from this point forward, you will be fighting individually. If you aren't comfortable with that or confident in your ability to win, please raise your hands to drop out."

_"Who would actually quit after coming this far?"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth and clamped his hand over his shoulder.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Sakura leaned forward to whisper.

_"The waves of pain are coming on stronger and more frequently than before."_

"Hm?" Naruto turned to look at him over his shoulder and frowned, and Sakura furrowed her brows.

_"Sasuke... I knew it." _She leaned closer and narrowed her voice. "Sasuke, please forfeit the preliminaries."

"What?" Naruto blinked and held up his hand to whisper back. "What are you talking about?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and

"Face it, Sasuke, you weren't yourself that time, and you haven't been well ever since our encounter with that Orochimaru guy. That mark has been causing you a lot of pain, and you're not in any condition to fight."

"Mark?" Naruto whispered and looked to Sasuke, who clenched his jaw and averted his eyes.

"Sasuke, at this rate, you may lose control again." Her lip quivered and she clasped her hands together, shaking at the memories that flooded her. Her eyes watered and she swallowed and wiped her eyes. "Please... I know that you're not the type to give up, but you have to. Just this once, please. I'm... scared. With what happened before..."

_"Sakura..."_ Naruto's expression softened and Sasuke clenched his fist.

"Just as I expected." Hiruzen mumbled, and Anko put her hand on her hip beside him.

"What should we do, Lord Hokage?" Ibiki looked at the elder from the corner of his eye.

"He should be removed from the exams and isolated with ANBU guards like that girl." Anko's eyes narrowed. "I recommend that he retire immediately."

"He's not the type to just obey an order like that." Kakashi smiled slightly and leaned forward as he interjected. "After all, he is an Uchiha."

"Why are you talking nonsense, idiot?" Anko hissed. "I'll make him stop, even by force if needed." She lowered her voice. "The Curse Mark responds even when one is just building up Chakra. What do you know?!"

"Calm yourself, Anko." Hiruzen cleared his throat quietly. "We can't have the Genin hearing you."

Ankofrowned deeply and glared at Kakashi. "It's a dangerous, forbidden technique that eats into the body of the one who has it, and becomes active when one attempts to use their Chakra. Not only that, but the pain it produces is..."

She covered her own mark and looked over toward the dark-haired boy. "It's a wonder how that boy can even endure it. Considering the survival rate, he should be dead already." She turned to look back at the old man. "Lord Hokage, what will be your decision?"

"You're in no condition to fight properly, Sasuke." Sakura held her hands together and tried to keep his gaze as he averted his eyes. "So, please—"

"Shut up, will you?" He shot a glare her way and her hands trembled.

"I understand! The last thing you want to do is quit, but your condition—"

"I said be quiet." He hissed. "Who are you to talk about if I'm fit to fight or not?"

Her eyes widened slightly and she glanced downward as her eyes stung. "But you've been enduring so much pain this whole time, right?" She looked up at him and squeezed her hands together tightly. "I'm your teammate... I was the one watching over you when you were unconscious, and taking care of you, not knowing what was wrong, or if you would live or die. If anyone knows how your condition is, it's me."

"Please be quiet." Sasuke narrowed his eyes and mumbled as a few sets of eyes of the Genin around them fell on them.

"No matter what you say, Sasuke, if you really won't drop out on your own, I'll have no choice but to tell Kakashi-sensei and the proctor about that mark." She lowered her voice and wiped her eye. "If I do that..."

Naruto's eyes widened and the group of candidates at the raised hand in the lineup.

"Well..." Hiruzen turned his attention to the Genin.

"Oh." Hinata's eyes widened as she gasped quietly under her breath, and Kiba turned to look at her.

"What?"

Kabuto smiled as he held his arm above his head and cleared his throat. "If I may be excused... I'm quitting."

"K-Kabuto?" Naruto stared at him, then he swallowed and his stomach sunk.

"Okay, okay." Hayate looked down at the names on the roster in front of him, then coughed under his breath. "Kabuto Yakushi of Konoha, yes? Very well, step back."

"Alright." He turned and started toward the back of the room, and Naruto held up a hand.

"K-Kabuto-san! Why're you quitting?! Tell me why, ya know!"

Kabuto looked at him over his shoulder and Gaara narrowed his eyes at the blond.

_"That guy..."_

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Kabuto rubbed his head. "It's just that my body is physically very worn out, and my Chakra levels are quite low. Actually, even before the first exam when I wrangled with the guys from the Sound Village, I've had no hearing at all in my left ear. If I were to fight right now with my life being on the line, then I would lose. If I quit now, I'll just try again next year when I have a better chance and have improved myself."

Naruto pressed his lips together and looked down, and Sasuke kept his eyes on the older boy, furrowing his brows.

"I've seen that face a few times." Hiruzen held his pipe out of his mouth and exhaled slowly. "If I remember right, he dropped out of the main battle before, as well. What in the world is he thinking?"

"Anko." Ibiki turned to her.

"Oh, yeah." Anko looked down at the clipboard she held and flipped through the pages until she stopped. "Kabuto Yakushi. According to this, he has failed six times straight."

"And his background?" Hiruzen looked at her from her corner of his eye.

"From his time at the Academy, he was a student who never really stood out and his scores were average. He passed the Graduation Exam on his third try. As for the missions he's carried out, two C-ranks and fourteen D-ranks. It's not a battle record to really be impressed about. However..." She looked back at the Hokage.

"However?"

"It's about before the Academy. Do you remember the story about the one boy brought back from the Kikyo Pass battle?"

"I remember. As I recall, I heard an enemy boy who survived on the battlefield was taken back by a Jonin from the Medical Team. So, he's that boy?"

"Don't take any unnecessary actions." Yoroi narrowed his eyes at his teammate from behind his dark glasses. "Have you forgotten our orders?"

"I'll leave that to you guys. I think there are other things that require my attention." Kabuto smirked at him over his shoulder. "You in particular, Yoroi. You should have no problems with your ability. This is where you can show off your strength if you're one who is irritated that I'm ahead of you."

"Hmph. No need to rub it in our faces that you're _his_ favorite." Yoroi frowned. "Don't act so high and mighty, kid."

"Loud and clear, Yoroi sir." Kabuto smirked wider, then waved at Team Seven before walking away. _"Naruto... Sasuke... I wanted to play with you two a little longer but if I go any further... the old me might get stirred up. I am just a spy, after all, and I can't have myself getting exposed."_ He closed his eyes briefly. _"Also, if you are going to watch, Lord Orochimaru, then my services as an information collector are no longer required. I'll have my fun another time."_

* * *

"What a p—" Kiri mumbled and narrowed her eyes once Kabuto had gone, then she chuckled sheepishly as Hasu looked at her. "Backing out like this at this stage... I was able to succeed when I was much younger. If he's so unconfident in his strength, he should just quit being a Shinobi."

_I don't think that's it at all._ Natsumi's eyes stayed on Orochimaru, who had been watching Kabuto intently. _Doesn't anyone else realize that they're obviously working together? How is it that the Hokage doesn't even seem to tell when he's right behind him?_

* * *

Hayate coughed loudly and all eyes returned to him. "Now then, if there are any others who want to quit, this is your last chance to speak up."

Sakura stared at Sasuke and clutched her hands together. _"I have to tell the proctors about Sasuke's mark."_ She started to raise her hand and Sasuke quickly grabbed her wrist and furrowed his brows.

"Don't you dare say a thing about this mark."

Sakura gulped and bit her lip, staring downward and then meeting his eyes. "Why're you trying to act so tough? I'm just trying to look out for you... I don't want to see you suffer anymore."

"This has nothing to do with you." He hissed. "It's none of your business, so just keep your mouth shut."

Her eyes widened and a tear rolled down her cheek as she gently tugged her hand away. An ache formed in her chest and she was quiet.

"I said it once before, didn't it? I'm an avenger. I don't need anyone to worry about me, and this isn't just a mere test for me. Becoming a Chunin isn't what's important. 'Am I strong enough?' All I want is the answer to that. All that matters is the opportunity to fight against strong opponents. You'll regret it if you try to get in my way."

"Sasuke..." Sakura trembled at his icy tone and Naruto clenched his fists, angrily whispering.

"Sasuke, what are you saying?! Are you an idiot, trying to act so tough? And don't treat Sakura like that, either! She's only worried about you, ya know!"

"Naruto, this isn't your business, either." Sasuke glared at him, then closed his eyes to reopen them with a smirk. "You're someone that I want to fight, too."

"What?!" Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he blinked. "You want to fight me?" He blinked again and then frowned. "And whaddya mean it's not my business, ya know? We're a team, right?!"

"Don't get in my way. Either of you." Sasuke glowered and looked between them, and Naruto and Sakura shared a quiet expression.

* * *

"What Orochimaru said to you is still weighing on my mind. I will allow Sasuke to continue and see how things go."

"What?!" Anko turned to the Hokage. "B-But—!"

"If the Curse Mark activates and the boy starts to lose control even a bit, we will of course intervene."

"Right." Ibiki nodded shortly.

"But—!" Anko opened her mouth, only to shut it again, and then sighed. "...I understand."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his students as they quietly bickered and he let out a breath. _"It seems as though they're still having trouble getting along."_

Hayate coughed loudly and clasped his hands behind his back. "Alright then, we will now begin the preliminaries." He looked over the remaining Genin. "The matches will be one-on-one, just like real Ninja duels. There are exactly twenty people now, so we will conduct ten battles. The winners of these battles will advance to the Final Stage. As for rules of conduct for the matches, there are none. You are to fight until your opponent admits defeat, collapses, or dies. I should warn you... if you don't want to die, and you are losing your match, please admit defeat right away. However, in the event that I determine that a match is over... as I... don't want to needlessly increase the body count... I will intervene and stop the match if necessary or a participant fails to stop after I have called the match over. As of right now, what holds the key to your futures is..."

Hayate turned to Anko and nodded, and she nodded back at him, then turned to touch the microphone and press the button.

"Open it."

A section of the wood paneling of the back wall lifted to reveal a large screen. Hayate turned and put his hands in his pockets.

"The matches will be randomly drawn and the names of the opponents will be displayed here on the electric signboard. Let's get right to it and announce the first match."

Naruto gulped and looked toward Natsumi, who smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, then turned his eyes to the screen. It illuminated and began to go through the roster quickly before it froze and two names were displayed.

Akado Yoroi VS Uchiha Sasuke

"Hmph." Sasuke's lips curved in a smirk and his brows furrowed. _"To think it'd be so soon..."_ He winced and grabbed at his mark again, and Sakura clasped her hands tightly and looked down.

_"Sasuke..."_

"I couldn't ask for a better outcome." Yoroi chuckled and glanced toward the boy.

Gaara, Neji, and Lee all cast their eyes on him and Hayate coughed.

"Now then, if the two whose names are on the screen will step forward." He waited as they approached, then he held up his hands. "For our first preliminary match, Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha have been selected. There are no objections, right?"

"None."

"No."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke in silence, then back to his other students. _"So, Sasuke's been chosen right off-the-bat?"_

_"All we can do now is watch..."_ Sakura pressed her lips together and her forehead creased. _"Sasuke... I hope you're right and that nothing bad happens."_

* * *

"Uchiha..." Kiri mumbled and stood straighter, then crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. "Let's see if he's anything like you were..."

"Why is Lord Hokage letting him fight?" Natsumi murmured. "He's the one who told us that molding Chakra with it could cause problems. So why...?"

_Why would the Hokage be so reckless?_

* * *

_"Sasuke, if you really want to fight me, don't lose!"_ Naruto balled his fists and narrowed his eyes at Yoroi. _"You can beat that weird-glasses-guy no problem!"_

_"Sasuke's acting strange, isn't he?"_ Ino blinked and looked from the Uchiha boy to Sakura, and her eyes widened slightly. _"Sakura looks too concerned just for a normal match. Then, does that mean..."_ She turned to Sasuke. _"Something isn't right, is it?"_

_"Is it the influence of the Curse Mark?" _Dosu thought. _"Interesting..."_

_"Sasuke, do your best!"_ Lee furrowed his thick brows and held up his fist. _"I eagerly await the opportunity to be your opponent."_

_"I guess I'll wait and see if you are truly a worthy opponent."_ Neji smirked.

Gaara watched Sasuke intently and silence filled the area.

_"The pain won't go away."_ Sasuke clenched his jaw.

_"It seems the Cursed Seal is causing him pain._" Yoroi chuckled. "Is something wrong, Uchiha boy?"

Sasuke glared at the man and growled in his throat. _"Does he know something?"_

"Right, so, let's begin the first battle now." Hayate coughed and eyed the opponents." Those who are not fighting, please move to the upper areas.

The candidates looked around the group, then separated into two factions; the Konoha Genin and their Jonin teachers moving toward the right platform, while the Sound and Sand Genin and Jonin teachers moved toward the left. Sakura and Naruto remained near Sasuke as Kakashi approached, and Naruto broke out into a grin and raised his hand in a large gesture.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi stopped behind Sasuke and looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Sasuke..."

"What?" Sasuke furrowed his brows and looked from the corner of his own eye.

"Do not use the Sharingan."

Sasuke's eyes widened, then smirked. "So, you know already?"

"If that Curse Mark on your neck activates and you lose control, your life could be endangered."

"I understand." Sasuke narrowed his gaze.

"If that happens, the match will be interrupted immediately, and I will be the one to stop it. So, good luck." He continued to walk toward Naruto and Sakura, and Sasuke balled his hands.

_"Interrupted?!" _He touched the mark and glared downward. _"It seems that this Curse Mark responds to my Chakra. If I carelessly build up Chakra, it seems to activate and bring out the rest of my Chakra without any control."_ He looked up at the silent Oto Genin before him. _"In other words, for this match, I will hardly be able to use my regular Jutsu, let alone the Sharingan."_

* * *

Orochimaru crossed his arms and looked down at Sasuke and Yoroi, who stood in preparation, and his lips curved in a smirk. _"Things are about to get rather interesting. Sasuke... you may be brimming with the talent of the Uchiha clan, but Yoroi's ability is the worst thing for you to face."_ He chuckled under his breath and his eyes rose to lock with the pair of violet eyes across the room. _"Staring daggers at me like that... anyone else would surely shudder in fear at such a look. That girl truly despises my presence so much."_

Natsumi's stomach turned and she gritted her teeth.

_You know that I know who you really are. You know that I'm onto you, so what are you waiting for? What are you trying to do?_

_"Poor girl. She looks as if she's about to burst from her pent-up anger and frustration"_ He flicked his tongue to lick his lips. _"That darkness in her eyes is something else. It's a shame that Oto snatched her up first."_ His eyes darted to the boy beside her. _"Though he serves no purpose, his presence here intrigues me."_ His expression darkened. _"And, if she tries to interfere, he will make an excellent target. She is too easy to read."_

Natsumi's eyes widened, then she shuddered and gripped the rail more tightly.

_Threatening Hasu?_ She swallowed and glared back at him. _Fine. I'll just have to be on guard as much as I can. If he tries to make a move, I have to get Hasu out of here right away and then keep Naruto safe, too. Even if I can alert anyone to his presence or overpower him, I can at least get those two to safety._

"Natsumi!"

Hasu touched her shoulder and she broke eye contact with Orochimaru and blinked.

"W-What? What is it?"

He pointed to her hands, which were half-shifted into smoke with faint tendrils floating from them. Her eyes widened and she quickly drew her hands back. For a brief moment, the railing remained in an intangible form and then returned to its original state.

_How did I...? I didn't even try to do that or even realize it was happening._

"Are you all right?" Hasu frowned slightly and met her eyes. "Should we have stayed back at the estate so that you could have continued to rest?"

Natsumi let out the breath she had been holding and slowly shook her head. She flexed her fingers, checking that they were solid once more, and then ran them through her hair. "I-I guess I'm just pretty anxious for the fights. More than I realized I would be."

"That is understandable. It is only natural to worry for your brother, in such a fight where there are no restrictions. However, I think that, even with those rules, most would not attempt to take it that far. You needn't worry."

"Natsuuuuuumiiii!" Naruto called out to her, waving and grinning as he ran over to her. He stopped in front of her and crossed his arms behind his head. "I finally get to hang out with you for a while! Isn't this great?"

Natsumi let out a breath and smiled back. "Yeah, it's nice." She looked at Sakura, whose eyes were clouded over and her eyes remained cast down as she joined them.

_She looks completely crushed. What were they talking about?_

Naruto followed Natsumi's gaze to Sakura, and his expression fell slightly and he muttered under his breath.

"That jerk... Sakura was only trying to help..."

Sakura looked up at him and forced a faint smile. "Naruto, it's okay, you don't have to worry about it. I'm not upset." Her smile faltered and Natsumi frowned slightly.

_Liar._

"Hey, Sakura, don't worry, ya know. I have something that will cheer you up." Naruto dug into his back pouch and stuck his tongue out as he felt around. His eyes widened after a moment and he produced a small candy. "Aha!" He held it out to her, then smiled sheepishly. "W-Well... it's kind of been in my pouch this whole time and I'd forgotten about it, so it's kind of squished... but it might still taste good."

Sakura blinked and looked down at the candy and bit her lip. _"Naruto's... really that worried about me being so upset, isn't he?"_

Naruto lowered his arm slightly and rubbed his head. "Although... it's probably not really as good anymore, so if you don't want it, s'fine..."

"No, I'll take it!" Sakura quickly took the candy from him, unwrapping it and putting it into her mouth before he could say anything else. She made a face and then smiled at him as she chewed it quickly and then swallowed it. "T-Thanks, Naruto."

"S-Sakura..." He blinked and then broke into a grin again. "If you like that, then I'll have to show you all the other flavors, too, ya know! There's plum, and persimmon... oh, and the caramel apple is pretty good, too!"

"I-I'm sure..." Sakura kept her smile up though it faded when he turned back to his twin. _"It's not really fair for Naruto to be trying to make me feel better when Sasuke said the same things to him..."_ She frowned and looked down at Sasuke. _"What's gotten into you, Sasuke? Aren't we teammates? Why won't you let us help you?"_

Kiri looked at Kakashi, who met her eyes, and she kept her arm by her side while she made a few signs, then tapped her neck. He nodded, and Kiri exhaled and put her hands on her hips.

_"Hmph. So they already know, then? What the hell are you doing, old man?"_

"Congratulations on completing the second stage of the exam." Hasu looked at the blond boy and Naruto crossed his arms and made a face.

"Oh. Thanks." He squinted at the older boy for several moments. _"Why does he keep hanging around Natsumi so much, anyway? It's pretty suspicious if you ask me."_

* * *

_"She's with that guy again."_

Kankuro kept his arms crossed as he looked across the room, and Temari raised her brow as she watched him, and then nudged his side with her elbow.

"If you're going to stare at a girl, at least make it less obvious."

He gritted his teeth and shot her a look. "Shaddup. I'm not staring at anyone."

"And I'm not blonde." Temari scoffed. "Honestly, I'm not sure why you're so interested in her. She's young, she's from the Leaf, and she's not even that cute." She put a hand on her hip. "Just because she kissed you doesn't mean anything."

"I said shut up." He muttered and his cheeks warmed. "It's not any of your business, so stop bringing it up in case anyone overhears."

"We're not here to fraternize." Temari leaned her back against the railing slightly and kept her eyes on her brother. "So, whatever you're thinking about, just forget about it."

"I know that." He grumbled and turned his eyes back to the girl. "I guess I'm just curious as to why she would do something like that in the first place."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Why not just _ask_ her sometime? It's better than staring at her like some sort of creep."

"I thought you said to forget about it?"

Temari sighed and waved her hand. "Well, it seems obvious that you're really hung up about it, so you might as well just find out and get it over with so you can finally focus. We _are_ here for a reason." She crossed her arms. _"Though I'm still not even sure about it myself..."_

"What're you two whispering about?" Baki asked from behind them, and the two siblings jumped slightly in surprise.

"E-Eh... that's..." Kankuro averted his eyes and scratched his cheek.

"Well..." Temari turned away, then glanced back at the girl from the corner of her eye.

"Hm?" Baki followed Temari's gaze and then furrowed his brows. "Isn't that the same girl who met with Lord Kazekage? What is she doing here?"

"Her brother is one of the candidates." Temari turned slightly to look toward the cluster of Leaf Genin on the opposite platform. "The obnoxious blond one."

"Huh." Baki crossed his arms and turned to Kankuro. "And? What's your interest in her?"

Kankuro coughed and there was an awkward silence.

"Is this about that kiss?"

Kankuro blushed and Temari blinked.

"H-How do you know about that?" Kankuro gulped and Baki sightly shortly.

"Those Leaf Shinobi were heavily monitored the entire time they were in Suna and it happened near an area with guards. Of course I know of it." Baki answered.

"R-Right." Kankuro rubbed the back of his head. _"I had no idea that anyone else had seen."_

"Do you have an interest in that girl?"

"Not really." Kankuro crossed his arms and averted his eyes.

"He's just curious as to why she did that in the first place." Temari shrugged. "It's not a big deal, so—"

"I see." Baki touched his chin for a moment in thought. "We might be able to use this."

"Huh?" Temari looked at him. "W-What do you mean?"

"U-Use?" Kankuro repeated.

"That's right." Baki stepped closer, looking at the girl, then down at Kankuro as he rested his hand on his shoulder and lowered his voice. "We don't know why, but she has shown some interest in you. If you have some interest in her as well, then we won't waste this opportunity."

"What are you implying?" Kankuro's frown deepened and he met the man's eyes.

"For the duration of our stay here in Konoha, whenever the opportunity arises, you're going to talk to her. You're going to be friendly and get to know her. Find ways to spend time with her. If she is as naive as she seemed in Suna, then it shouldn't take long for her to be able to trust you. When that happens, she's sure to reveal something useful."

The color drained from his face slightly and he clenched his fists, shrugging his shoulder to remove his teacher's hand. "You want me to use her?"

"Of course." Baki nodded and crossed his arms. "Our mission is too important to waste a chance like this."

"But..."

Baki raised a brow. "Do you object?"

"I..." Kankuro looked away, then let out a sigh and shook his head slowly. "...Fine."

"Good." Baki nodded. "Any information she reveals could benefit us, so pay close attention."

"Right..." He mumbled and turned to look back at the redhead, who was now laughing quietly with the blond boy beside her as they talked. _"How did I get myself into this mess?"_

* * *

_"Now then... what will I do?"_ Sasuke smirked broadly.

Kurenai stood beside Shino as Kiba rested an arm on the railing and Hinata held it gently to look below. Akamaru whimpered from where he remained nestled in Kiba's jacket, and Kiba nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm glad we didn't get picked first, either. Especially if _that_ guy was our opponent."

Each of the remaining teams took their place and looked below. Naruto sat in a squat while Sakura stood with her hands clasped and her eyes watered.

_"Don't act rashly, Sasuke." _Kakashi stood with his hands in his pockets and looked below. _"You don't fully understand the ramifications if you do."_

Hayate held up his hands and nodded. "Now then, please begin."

"Let's go!" Yoroi grumbled and formed a hand sign. His Chakra channeled to his right hand, faintly visible around it as a soft blue aura. With his other hand, he reached into his back pouch and glanced at Hayate.

"About time." Sasuke bent and his hand hovered over the sheath on his thigh, then suddenly drew a Kunai as Yoroi threw several Chakra-enhanced Shuriken at him. With a shout, Sasuke knocked the Shuriken away and sent them flying back at his opponent. His eyes widened and the Mark throbbed, and he felt to the ground as pain flooded him. _"Already?!"_

Yoroi dodged the rebounded Shuriken and struck at Sasuke, who rolled slightly to avoid the direct hit, and the floor beneath him shattered. Sasuke gritted his teeth and dug his Kunai into the floor. He twisted his body to hook his feet around Yoroi's ankle. In a single, fluid motion, Sasuke brought him to the ground, pinning him with his feet around his neck as he held his arm in a prone position.

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned his full attention to the fight. "H-He did it!"

Yoroi chuckled and gripped Sasuke's shirt. His hand was cloaked in Chakra again, and Sasuke's eyes widened.

_"My strength...?!"_ Sasuke gritted his teeth and a wave of fatigue dizzied him.

Orochimaru chuckled under his breath as Yoroi released Sasuke, who trembled slightly, and brought his fist hard on the boy's sternum. Sasuke cried out on impact and Yoroi stood and chuckled again. Sasuke tried to sit but shook and remained in place.

_"My strength is suddenly gone!" _Sasuke clutched at his chest.

_"What's going on? He's not getting up?!"_ Sakura stared wide-eyed at Sasuke as Yoroi drew back his arm for a second attack. "Sasuke, watch out!"

Sasuke's eyes burst open and he forced himself upright quickly just as Yaroi gripped his head and pinned him to the ground. Chakra gathered around his hand again and Sasuke's body shook. His breathing gargled and his grip on the man's arm loosened until his arm fell and his eyes fluttered shut.

Eyes widened throughout the room and Naruto's mouth gaped.

_"Sasuke...!"_

"M-My... Chakra..." Sasuke's eyes cracked open and he struggled to lift his head.

"You only just noticed?' Yoroi laughed under his breath. "This is the end of the line for you, Sasuke Uchiha."


End file.
